Questions concerning pastoral compensation can be tricky and controversial. How should a Baptist church compensate its pastor? What's a fair salary for a pastor? How should compensation negotiations be handled?
These questions need to be addressed sensitively and biblically. This article lays out some basic information to help a Baptist church appropriately determine full time pastor pay.
Baptist Pastor Compensation
A recent Christianity Today national survey revealed the average senior pastor earns over $80,000 in salary and benefits. The survey, conducted by Your Church Media Group at Christianity Today International, is based on a staff member’s total compensation package. That package includes not only salary, but also retirement, health insurance, disability, continuing education allowance, and housing.
The survey, which covered all denominations, also found that Presbyterian and Lutheran clergy fare better than Baptist pastors. This is perhaps related to the organizational structure of the respective denominations. Baptist churches are traditionally autonomous, whereas other denominations are more hierarchical in nature. Thus, Baptist pastors can't usually rely on denominational funding to supplement their pay and local Baptist churches aren't typically bound by denominational guidelines or criteria in fixing salaries.
A similar study focused on Baptist ministers was conducted in 2008 by LifeWay Research in cooperation with GuideStone Financial Resources. That study found that pastoral compensation varied significantly based on church size and location as well as the pastor's education and experience.
Both the CTI and LifeWay surveys considered average compensation packages. Some pastors make more, and more than a few make less. Indeed, many pastors work for much less.
The annual LifeWay study also found that increases in pastor pay for the last two years stayed slightly ahead of inflation.
What Should a Church Pay its Pastor?
In his first letter to Timothy, the Apostle Paul wrote: "The elders who rule well are to be considered worthy of double honor, especially those who work hard at preaching and teaching. For the Scripture says, ‘You shall not muzzle the ox while he is threshing,' and ‘The laborer is worthy of his wages'” (1 Timothy 5:17-18).
The Apostle Paul draws the passage "laborer is worthy of his wages" from Jesus' teaching in the Gospel of Luke (see Luke 10:7). As Jesus told his disciples, so Paul makes clear that those doing the Lord's work are worthy of honor (or value) -- i.e., getting paid. Indeed, Paul says pastors who are doing their jobs well are worthy of double honor.
There are some who believe that pastors should work in poverty and frown on the idea of people making money in the ministry of the Lord. The scriptural principles regarding pay, though, don't support this mindset.
Crown Financial Ministries argues that churches should not keep their pastors poor. Says Crown: "The Word of God is specific when it says that laborers are worthy of their hire. This means that churches should give the maximum amount of support to their pastors, without jeopardizing the overall financial stability of the church."
How Can a Small Church Render "Double" Honor in Pastor Pay?
Some churches allow pastors to make additional income via books, articles, etc. In fact, some pastors, such as Joel Osteen and Rick Warren, have done so well with their books that they no longer accept salaries from their churches. While this is normally only the case with bestselling authors, there are many pastors who could supplement their church salaries with writing income.
Other ways that a church can compensate a pastor include occasional meals, gas assistance, babysitting, helping a pastor with church responsibilities (i.e., don't make the pastor serve as janitor and repair man, etc.), and much more. The bottom line is God calls on churches to be loving congregations committed to taking care of their pastors.
In some cases, Paul's tentmaker model comes into play. Many pastors have to serve in a bivocational capacity, in order to support themselves and their families.
Pastor pay is a sensitive issue, and should be dealt with carefully and prayerfully. Yet the most important principle for a church to keep in mind with respect to its pastor is responsibility. A church is responsible to honor (i.e., value) its pastor, love its pastor, and support its pastor. When a congregation does this, the pay issue will usually take care of itself.
Do you have an opinion? If so, go to "How Much SHOULD Pastors Get Paid?"
