Oh good, then I should be making 95K a year. I'll inform my church.
Pastor's salaries/lifestyle.
- Thread starter ALAYMAN
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Lots of factors would have to be weighed in for that deliberation. Years of experience, level of education, and size of the congregation, just for starters. But in an overly simplified scenario I would say that 60 to $70,000 is not unreasonable.
But again, the question really isn't about what salary (that's just a small piece of the picture) the pastor should be paid, but how should he limit his purchases, and what should his outward appearance be so his "image" doesn't limit his effectiveness in ministering to people.
I think that’s a fair assessment. Health insurance and maybe some type of pastoral pension/retirement plan could also help with a lower salary. Not to mention, there are still plenty of churches (often smaller and rural) that provide a church parsonage for the family.
On a side note, I know from personal experience that many pastors often are rarely paying for plumbers, electricians, car mechanics, etc. And when they do, it’s often a very discounted rate. I know this because my dad was the head deacon for many years and our pastor rarely had to thumb through the yellow pages for anything. Nearly all needs were voluntarily covered—from car repairs to drywall to a roof repair. Most churches had people with a variety of skills who were happy to help for free or just for the cost of parts/supplies. That’s huge savings over time that the rest of us working stiffs don’t get. I’ll add another pastoral perk I’m aware of: members who volunteer for the pastor’s family to take their mountain cabin for a week in the summer or their beachside condo in Florida for a week in the winter. Again, the rest of us are coughing up thousands of dollars for such arrangements.
I think pastors of any size church should weigh this carefully. When you are preaching about such topics as tithing, being humble, modest, etc.
Think Hagin, Copeland, Hinn, et all would all be under the heading of serving for filthy Lucre , as they are under mammon not God as their masters
God is not against money and possessions per say, but he IS against when they own us, and when we refuse to use wealth in a fashion that honors Him and futhers His Kingdom building , as those into WOF build up their own kingdoms, not His
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In reality, yes. I'm just pointing out that their ridiculous wealth at least seems consistent with Word of Faith's internal logic.
Agreed, just shows to us that satan can pay Hos own well in this age, but not so much in Age to come
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I agree with all of this, and have experienced similar in my time in church. Having said that, I don't see how such blessings would interfere with a pastor's calling, and and shouldn't be perceived as inappropriate.
I don't want to misunderstand you and respond inappropriately or off base, so could you elaborate on what you mean when you say "weigh this carefully"? What specifically, is "this"?
A pastor should receive what the congregation is willing and able to give.
Matt Slick is one of the few pastors who openly acknowledges that the 10% monetary tithe is not a requirement for Christians. He also has stated that if the income from his local church is not enough to cover his expenses, he would pursue additional work outside of the ministry.
I was referencing your statement: “his outward appearance be so his "image" doesn't limit his effectiveness in ministering to people.“
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If the people in town he’s trying to reach live at that level I don’t see a problem with it.
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Tell them Bruh said so.
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I’m thankful some of you had no input on my salary when I was pastoring. 
As Ekk said, a church should pay their pastor as much as they can possibly afford, assuming he is a competent, caring Pastor. in my experience, a pastor’s salary is based mostly on a church’s budget. Most church budgets end up with about 50% of their total going toward salaries. The smaller the church the larger the percentage…often 60%.
The average pastor’s salary for a small church (50-100) is $40K
Average for a medium sized church (less than 500) is $70K
And for a large church $130K
Average, by definition, means some salaries are higher and some lower…based on the church budget. When I Pastored and ‘hired’ staff members, we crunched our numbers based on budget, position description, education and experience of the candidate.
Once we formed our salary package, it was almost always in line with the SBC average for a church of our size and budget.
As Ekk said, a church should pay their pastor as much as they can possibly afford, assuming he is a competent, caring Pastor. in my experience, a pastor’s salary is based mostly on a church’s budget. Most church budgets end up with about 50% of their total going toward salaries. The smaller the church the larger the percentage…often 60%.
The average pastor’s salary for a small church (50-100) is $40K
Average for a medium sized church (less than 500) is $70K
And for a large church $130K
Average, by definition, means some salaries are higher and some lower…based on the church budget. When I Pastored and ‘hired’ staff members, we crunched our numbers based on budget, position description, education and experience of the candidate.
Once we formed our salary package, it was almost always in line with the SBC average for a church of our size and budget.
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For those who complain about what a pastor's salary should be or the type of house he lives in or car he drives, maybe it would be best if they follow what Christ told Peter in the last chapter of John. Feed my sheep! In other words do not worry about another Christian.
except i the case of those in WOF, its very obvious they they are ministering so called for filthy Lucre
I am not sure of the context of your thoughts here but I will run with mine nonetheless. I think we should look at that passage "not greedy of filthy lucre" (1 Tim 3:3) and recognize that one of the desirable characteristics of a good pastor is that he cannot be bought! He is to be faithful to his calling but first and foremost, he needs to be faithful to care for the needs of his family. Therefore, a livable salary aids this and if his pastoral salary is sufficient and not requiring any "side hustles," all the better. I believe that a pastor needs to be an example to his congegation that life is not all about "material possessions" and that true riches are found in your contentment in Christ (1 Tim 6:6-12).
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Who is Matt slick and why should we care about his example and teaching?
The small church that I go to has had four pastors in my time there in nearly 30 years. Three of them have been bivocational. Nothing wrong with such a model as long as both the pastor and the church understands such when the calling is made. This thread really isn't about churches that pay too little, but rather churches that pay their pastures well enough that enables the pastor to drive a nice vehicle, or have a house that is more substantially valuable than the average member of his congregation.
I just think it's odd that so many people want to keep pastors poor, while they don't have such austere views of their own Christian stewardship.
By the way, welcome to the forum and we have a different sub forum for official welcomings. Feel free to drop by there and tell us a little about your background.
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This answer cuts quickly to the main point I think I was trying to make. Yes, there are people like those in the Word- Faith movement who clearly violate principles that should curtail a pastor's ostentatious use of wealth. But there are a whole lot more people that seem to want to keep the preacher as poor as they are, just for spite.
Matt Slick is the founder of Christian Apologetics and Research Ministry or CARM for short. He is someone who will typically come up on a Google Search whenever you are doing research or looking up theological information or whatever. Why should we care? I guess we should care when someone has sufficient exposure in the "Cyber" world that you are actually wielding some influence. I believe he is coming mainly from a Reformed perspective and I have cited him a few times in some of my papers.
Why would a pastor purposely put himself in such a situation? If a congregation did not want to pay a pastor what he is worth and money is an issue, I am sure he has options for "greener pastures."
Perhaps he is compensated well but chooses to live in an austere manner as an example to his congregation?