"If you read the obituaries of African-American pastors you'll find that many of them are listed as not just having pastored a church, but actually earning their living from some other trade. It used to be that pastors had jobs in their communities and did not support themselves or their families solely from their religious vocation."
A friend of mine, who is a former pastor, said this to me in a discussion we were having about the tricky business of being a professional Christian. It seems to create an incredible amount of dilemmas, power issues, and ethical quandaries when people of spiritual leadership seek to earn their sole living from a religious position.
The bible doesn't really give us a concrete guideline about this. We know that Jesus and his disciples worked for the majority of their lives and spent only a portion of their lives living off the kind charity of others.
Paul, that great apostle and father of the faith, was a tent maker by trade as well as a formerly trained Pharisee, though the New Testament seems to indicate that he chose to earn what he could from tentmaking rather than theological discourse.
There is that verse in one of Paul's letters to Timothy that touched in on paying church leaders. It says,
Elders who do their work well should be respected and paid well,[a] especially those who work hard at both preaching and teaching. For the Scripture says, “You must not muzzle an ox to keep it from eating as it treads out the grain.” And in another place, “Those who work deserve their pay!
One verse does not a doctrine make, yet we know it is a popular tradition for churchmen (and women) to receive monetary honor for their service to the body of Christ. But is it meant to be their livelihood?
What if pastors didn't earn a living from pastoring? What if it was the exception rather than the norm for a church to have full-time paid leaders and staff? Would our churches look different? Would our buildings or budgets or plethora of programs? Would our seminaries???
What if pastors were expected to earn their livelihood by other means and not to rely on their faith communities to fully support them? What if they only received a stipend rather than a full benefits package? How might a person lead differently if suddenly they had to balance their work life and their ministry? What if pastors by necessity had to step back and allow others to serve in their giftings and talents because the pastor simply didn't have the time or energy to be a Super Christian? What would our faith communities look like? Would mega models exist if pastors weren't earning a living from pastoring???
What if....?
**thanks to Jim Henderson for inspiring this What if... question.
17 comments:
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I propose a corollary question for discussion. What if Christians stop trying to make money off their faith? Why do we think that other people should support what we want to do. Think of all those ministry machines that are sucking the financial life out of believers who have been taught that it is virtuous to financially support Christian causes even if their own families and communities are about bleeding out? Not to mention how vicarious belief in some VIP ministry can cripple personal growth?
If pastors weren't paid as full time, then that would force the people in the church to do the work of the ministry. That's un-American! It's so... so... so Biblical! :)
I think that if the church leader was not compensated financially, the families of the pastors would grow resentful of the burdens that the leadership role takes.
I think its a great thought, where money is a non issue. But financial compensation is not an evil thing. Our work is the benefit to our community as the author of the "gift of work" states. Financial compensation is simply the value others put on your benefit to your community. I can't imagine someone training to become a counselor, and then working a mini mart job so that they could do pro-bono work as a counselor. At some time the family would ask... Why are you doing this?
There is the larger question of the structure of modern day churches. Pastors, ministers, counseling staff, etc. are part of an organized structure that may or may not be useful. Having observed from the outside and inside of church staffing for over 45 years it seems to me that we need a different way of doing things that will take the burden of that thing called 'leadership' off the shoulders of a select few and more evenly distribute it throughout the community of believers. There are lots of different gifted people who could help relieve that burden if those holding on to the position are willing to let go.
(comments from Facebook)
Jared said,
Since this is "What if?" I'll post my shot at answering the question. I see three of many possible things:
1. Giving would be inspiring. Instead of salaries (and perhaps a building), funds from congregations could go far in sending to peoples and places in real deep need, both physical and spiritual. The gospel would bring life, hope and freedom. Because of the distance the money would travel and the value they could see being engendered by the investment, the body would give more liberally and freely, without being poked and prodded to "sew that seed of faith." (a shout out to all the hucksters who've used that expression over the years to enrich no one but themselves)
2. Those in the church who are spiritually gifted (meaning everyone) would be truly free to exercise their gifts. They wouldn't need to seek permission from someone because the "overseers" would be too preoccupied with important things to start exercising unjustified control over the lives and activities within the congregation. Time and effort would only be exerted to reign in those who are doing things detrimental to the body.... See More
3. The "offices" or "titles" of "Elder," "Deacon," and "Overseer" would be meaningful again, and put to proper use
By the way, Pam, I love the picture.
For me, paid ministry has become a bit of a sticking point with the institution. I have come to be quite concerned about how so many are making bank of the precious name of Jesus, as opposed to paying the cost to follow Him.
That said, I've also known a great many pastors who've suffered in their ministry with low wages and abusive congregations for the love of Him who saved them.
Karlene said,
For us this isn't a "what if" question. We co-pastor and we co-earn, and do not receive a salary from our church plant. This means we are both juggling bi-vocational lives. It's challenging, and frankly, our church community would be better served if we were not spread so thin.
At the same time, I've been at churches where the biggest budget item was the pastors' salaries. After paying the pastor and paying the mortgage there was almost nothing left. Ministries within the church had to expend half their time and energy raising their own funds. When I was a struggling single mom, working and going to school, it was hard not to feel a little annoyed at the comparative luxury my pastor enjoyed while no funds existed for the ministries I was volunteering in. I don't think that model of pastoral employment is necessarily commendable.
Jared (above) expressed well the problems on either side of this question. It seems wrong for pastors to live a life of ease on the sacrificial giving of others. And it seems wrong for pastors to give so much of themselves and be forced into poverty and/or burnout trying to scrape together a living for their families while faithfully serving their communities.
Brad said,
My father-in-law is a pastor, and for years he worked another job. Right now, most of their household income is from mom's piano teaching. My dad's dad was a pastor in rural Alberta, and he was a farmer. (Neither of them were African-American...or African-Canadian, as the case may be....**GRIN**) Pastoring was what they were called to do, but it wasn't their "trade".
Danielle said,
Yes! This is what most pastors in the Majority world do---because their congregations do not have the means to fully support them. This is what Paul did. It is the model of what most of the world does (not the American Church).
more comments from Facebook
Kathleen said,
I'm praying for the day when the "unprofessional christians" get this concept. Maybe when the gov't. starts cracking down on some of the crooks in the pulpits? I've seen gross mis-appropriation and manipulation of hard-working families' funds. Church of Jesus, this ought not to be! We're all gifted in the Body, so why does one function of the body get some stipend when others' don't?
Susan said,
Wow, this is a really thought-provoking question. I thoroughly believe that many full-time church staff has it too easy. They have no idea how hard some of us work to make a living and take care of our families. I don't know what "full-time" pastors, such as music pastors do all day. What really gets me is how they try to convince/guilt trip members to do ministry in the church. Sometimes our ministries are outside the "church" and we are doing all that we can for the Lord.
Frank Viola and Barna claim that many of the things that go on in what we consider to be “church” have their roots in pagan traditions. In fact, they back up their claims with irrefutable research and proof.
These two show how the following (amongst other things) originated from pagan traditions:
Church buildings,
The common order of worship,
The pastor, or other human leader,
The way we dress,
The way music is used in worship,
Tithing and salaries for church staff, and
Christian education.
As you can see, all pretty controversial claims. As I said earlier, they do back up their claims by proper research and an indication of the origins of these aspects of the institutional church from church history. And, yes, it is very hard to argue with.
Pagan Christianity? will be an especially bitter pill to swallow for many pastors and other “professional” Christians. There is, however, (as is quoted in the book) nothing worse than reaching the top of the ladder only to realize that you are against the wrong wall. For that reason, I think that pastors should be more eager and willing to consider the message communicated here.
http://www.paganchristianity.org/
Thanks all for your comments. It's a provocative question to think about and their is obviously a whole lot more that could be said and a whole lot more questions that could be asked.
I know that for leaders who pour out their lives for their faith communities that it is difficult to be "bi-vocational." This inspires more questions, like Is pastoring meant to be a vocation at all? What about Sunday school teachers? Or worship musicians or ushers? OUght these church positions be "vocationalized" as well? I have known many lay people who also pour out their lives for their faith communities with many hours of volunteer service.
Clearly I cannot address the many facets of the tension in whether or not people with spiritual calling ought to make that their bread and butter....the bible is not black and white about this and I don't think we can be either. In many nations pastors serve and teachers teach and helpers help without a paycheck or a stipend. The life of the church is shared life and shared resources as appropriate. But here in the modern world of the fast-paced west it is more complicated. Giving a chicken or a bag of rice to a pastor won't help pay his/her utilities.... See More
I am of the opinion that each faith community is meant to find their way with this and it is up to congregants to honor their leaders in whatever ways that is is appropriate and best serves not only the leaders but also the entire church. I knew one church that had too many paid staff. It became a serious point of financial stress for that body. The body was not willing to pay for so many pastors and so there were lay-offs. We speak with our money, don't we?
Wow. This is really an interesting thought, especially from someone who used to be a missionary.
As a pastor's wife -- of the church you attend -- of a man who works two full time jobs -- that of a pastor and that of a graphic designer, we are spread too thin. I also work full time.
Our pastor's get paid VERY little, most of which goes back into the church -- we fully financially supported the kids' program for the first 2 1/2 years it was ran, and I know the other pastors do similar things with their paycheck. The pastors (and their spouses) at your church, actually do most of the heavy lifting, most of the time.
Yes, other countries may do things differently, but their world is different too...We live in the western world, with a different culture.
I'm not saying that pastors should be living high on a hill while people who attend their church are scraping by -- yes, there is abuse in the (greater) system, but not by everyone.
When you have an emergency or someone in the community has an emergency and needs the help of a pastor, rather than having her/him have to put your needs on pause so they can finish a website, wouldn't it be cool if they could just come or talk?
If pastors were not paid and let's say, worked in trade like they do in other countries, then let's figure out a way to make that work, starting with my mortgage. Or should we be expected to sleep in tents or maybe in your basement where you cook, clothe and take care of us for services rendered?
Maybe I am biased because of my position and I actually feel the snag of having the life we lead. This post for me is pretty hurtful to read and I take it kind of personally, especially because you attend our church and are our friend. Lots to think about.
I'm really wishing you would have emailed me about this. Do you really want this conversation public?
First off, this is a blog where I explore all kinds of ideas. This post is a question, a What if... . It is my digital space to explore beyond the constraints of traditional thought and practice. I'm sorry if it hurt you, but I need you to not personalize this and make it something between you, me my faith community, my pastors, my friends that it is not. It is not...it is not. This is where I explore questions. It's a question! A what if? That's all it is.....
And when I was a missionary, I worked full-time to pay our rent. My job actually provided me a greater and wider context to penetrate the community of Hong Kong than anything else.
I'm gonna email you...I think this conversation should be in private...
We can totally take this offline, and I understand this is a "What if" question, my answer was in response to this and it does come from a very personal space, as do the other comments on this blog....looking forward to your email.
Thank you Crystal for your gracious response...and yes, I sent you an email my friend...
"what if..." I ask a lot of "what if" questions myself and honestly they are never random questions. I always have a point to push people thinking towards... I have been thinking about this one of yours for a few days now and the only context I have to view this from is our community. It’s obvious from all the comments you have received that people are passionate about it on one side or the other.
You are asking questions that I have asked myself this past year as I have moved from the volunteer side of things to being a pastor. Last week I got my first paycheck and it was weird. Am I still a volunteer? Yes, as are everyone else who gets a check in our community. What it did do was to confirm for me that I can’t just walk away as I could have done when strictly a volunteer… a weight was added to the responsibility.
We do live in a consumer driven society and it is easy to look out across Christendom and see the effects it has had on the church, we have to be aware that the values of God don’t always mesh with the values of society. What values should we express and uphold as communities of faith? In our community extravagance isn’t an issue, we don’t have excessive money to squander.
I do feel it is biblical and ethical to pay our leaders well at church, it is interesting for me, when I was on the financial board for our community we struggled the most with the pain from not being able to do this. As Crystal commented, you could hear how hard it is for the families of the pastors in our community and get an idea of the answer of some of your questions. We do live out this model of pastors not living off wages from the church. I feel bad for the family of our community in general and others like ours who miss out by not having the full attention of the pastors.
I love my community.
I love the pastors of my community.
I love that we honor them with giving, as meager as it is.
I love asking questions.
I love asking them outloud in a public forum for this is often where my thinking is challenged and broadened.
And I love you.
I love you to!
you are forcing me to put my thoughts into words.... which isn't the easiest thing for me to do you know!
and I'm glad I can move my arms again so I can give you a better hug this week... last wk was kind of hard... stupid, lovely chairs! :)
My thoughts about this...
This is interesting. We have been discussing this at George Fox in my Pastoral Leadership Class. My prof. has spent a lot of time and will spend a lot more explaining to the future pastors and to the few of us practicing pastors in the class, how incredibly hard this job is and for most of us how little money we will make (he has pastored and planted churches). I think there are very few pastors out there that make close to a living wage. If anyone has statistics on this I'm curious? The burn out rate to this job/vocation is more than 70% and unfortunately with burnout, it's takes your family and possibly your community with it.
I'm not going to really try argue any point, but I will say this. As someone who has served the Bridge for 12 years and for about 9 of those years didn't receive a paycheck, the paycheck though small, helps me condone (on my inside) the time I take away from my family and the jobs that I have held in this time. I also feel the weight of each check and know what it costs to give, because I give as well.
I think again the Quakers have the best model for this...QUAKERS ROCK!
From what I understand about the Quaker Meeting, they pay their leaders, because their leaders then are freed up to serve and can serve more single minded. If they are taking someone away from their vocation outside the meeting (church), they beleive that person should be compensated.
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