How Much Is A Pastor Worth?
July 8, 2008
Interesting thought…How much is a pastor worth? I’ve heard of some here in bellingham making upwards of $80,000+. I tell you what, I barely cut a quarter of that. What makes a pastor worth $80,000? What, in a church occupation, makes anybody worth this much money? What are the determining factors? Let’s start a discussion on this.
Go.
bling
a huge mortgage?
well a great pastor is problem worth a lot more than that if you want him to stay. a good pastor gets asked about other job openings all the time, if you want to keep him then money is a factor. if a church down the road offered you twice the money i bet you’d take.
im certainly not saying this is ok, but it is a reality. im positive my pastor makes a lot more than 80k.
well, my wife and I discussed this while I was getting my degree. I came to the conclusion that I woudl rather work amongst the people. I work another part time job just so that I can be in my neighborhood and still connected to “the real world” outside of the church.
I don’t know if pastoring people is necessarily a $80,000+ job. And do these pastors who make this much really pastor people? What defines them as a pastor? Is it the fact that they speak in front of a bunch of people?
thoughts?
Bling/a Huge Mortgage = Funny.
maybe the huge mortgage is the church that they tried to build only to go into debt…
much respect to you for your opinion on this, Ron.
I do not really care how much the pastor gets paid, my concern is how is the church using their money in general? Buildings, sound systems, newer computers … are they spending money for people or on people? Side thought has also been, what if the church becomes one of the best employers in their community? What if the quality of the work environment, the benefits and the pay (not over-the-top, but reasonably) were an example to our community on how a “business” could be run?
Good points shauna! The church as the example to the community. hmmm. interesting concept.
…i wish there was a sarcasm button somewhere on this keyboard.
I was actually not all that surprised by that number… I know of at least a few that are making 6 and 7 figures, but they live in their members neighborhoods, like someone said, amongst the people of the church.
If the tithes and offerings that are coming into a church are in the several millions each year, I would not expect them to pay a pastor $15-$20k. Course I also know a pastor quite well who is making $15k and doing very well, and quite happy.
I am not saying there are a lot of these, but we were members of a 20,000 member church, and the members (other than my wife and I) had money, and they gave.
I personally don’t care what the pastor gets paid, as long as the church is using God’s money wisely and within line of who the church is trying to minister to.
I always thought they made commission on how many souls they saved. . . If I’m wrong, tell me now.
Dude, I am a poor man then…I kid! I kid!
All I can say is this is insane! And Durias’ comment is hilarious.
Wow. I am also torn. On the one hand I don’t think a pastor should be paid a six figure salary (I’m a lead pastor in a small church… and I’m not even close to have that!!!). But on the other hand… I have a Master degree that I worked very hard for, and to see what other people with a Masters degree make… the difference in wages is staggering. So the next question is… Which job is more important, or necessary? Why is it professional athletes get millions, while school teachers who form our future get next to nothing, while our “spiritual leaders” get even less?
I would love to rearrage the pay scale in this world!
I wish people would quite using the “I have a masters degree” argument. I do understand the hard work part, but in the real world people have masters degrees that are making $25k/yr.
If we are being secular here(I have seen very few scripture verses and what they actually mean). A lot has to do with market demand. I have a B.Sc in accounting and engineering. I have a masters in theology. I make my money as a network engineer. I pastor a small church of 160. If I have a masters degree in Romance languages or history don’t expect to make the same as a person in a demanded field.
We really have bought into the world system of values. Your worth is dependent on your wealth.
Having said all this it is a very hard job to decide salaries. I have seen it get out of hand easily. I like the earlier comment about do the pastors making 80k + pastor people or write books, give seminars, travel (missionary trips – why) have fancy titles at denominational meetings etc. We live in a celebrity mad society, even at the local level. A lot of this problem comes with our mega-church mentality. This maybe a bad choice of words, but we used to have a name – called ‘bi-vocational’ pastor. You worked at a secular job and pastored typically, a smaller church. I have seen bi-vocational pastors lead 500 member churches with some additional bi-vocational elders and helping the members to do the work of the ministry.
Al
I serve as a bi-vocational pastor, I recieve $50 a week. And I’d do it for free, (almost do)