Presbyterian senior pastors have a higher salary than those of any other denomination, a new survey showed.
The average salary for the head pastor in Presbyterian churches was $78,000 (plus housing/parsonage), according to Christianity Today's latest church salary survey. Baptist senior pastors earned next to last with $67,000.
The survey found that Presbyterian churches have the highest-reported church income among churches with senior pastors, and some of that income goes to the head behind the pulpit.
Notably, however, while Baptist and Presbyterian churches that have youth pastors generate virtually identical church income, Baptist youth pastors earned near the top with a salary plus housing of $44,000 while Presbyterian youth pastors earned only $36,000.
"Apparently, though, Baptist churches value youth ministry more, because they pay their youth pastors 20 percent more," according to Christianity Today.
Another surprising finding showed that female solo pastors earn more than their male counterparts. Although only 6 percent of survey respondents who identified themselves as solo pastors were women, they reported 10.4 percent higher total compensation and their average salary was 8.6 percent higher than men's ($49,219 compared to $45,259). Total compensation, which includes health insurance, retirement and continuing education, for women was $62,472 while that of men was $56,558.
Kevin Miller, executive vice-president and publisher of Christianity Today International, said the explanation for the salary difference is likely to be regional. Solo pastors receive the highest pay in the New England and Pacific states, considering the higher cost of living, Miller noted. "And these regions probably have the greatest cultural acceptance of women serving as solo pastors."
Nevertheless, the survey showed the still-prevalent cultural practice of paying women less than men. Besides solo pastors and secretaries, women were paid less than men in every other church position. Men earned about 30 percent more than women. Among senior pastors, men earned an average of $81,432 (salary plus benefits) while women earned only $66,218. Also, male custodian/maintenance workers earned an average of $36,057 compared to the $26,175 annual compensation for their female counterparts.
On another note, the survey found that the higher education a pastor has, the higher salary he or she earns. An additional college degree earns a pastor $7,000 to $15,000 more per year. Pastors with a bachelor's degree get a 10 percent boost in income and those with a master's degree get a 20 percent increase. And a doctorate degree results in an additional 15 percent boost.
The 2008 Compensation Handbook for Church Staff, which releases this month, provides church employee compensation breakdowns for part-time, full-time, church size, income budget, and geographical setting. The report is based on research among nearly 2,100 American churches. It presents data on 13 church positions based on research among nearly 2,100 American churches that were surveyed between January 2007 and May 2007.
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This article is somewhat vague because the salary really has to be relative to the cost of living in the area. And average can be skewed. Median should have been used regionally.
You are cursed with a curse,
For you have robbed Me,
Even this whole nation.
10 Bring all the tithes into the storehouse,
That there may be food in My house,
And try Me now in this,”
Says the LORD of hosts,
“ If I will not open for you the windows of heaven
And pour out for you such blessing
That there will not be room enough to receive it.
11 “ And I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes,
So that he will not destroy the fruit of your ground,
Nor shall the vine fail to bear fruit for you in the field,”
Says the LORD of hosts;
12 And all nations will call you blessed,
For you will be a delightful land,”
Says the LORD of hosts.
When speaking of a curse it says: Even this whole nation. It says: tithes (plural - the Israelite theocracy had 3 tithes under the law), if it's meant for Christians, then why don't we also pay a tithe every 3 years for the poor.
It speaks of God blessing crops. And of a delightful land. Christians have no land which was just given to them. They are not a nation in that sense.
The curse is on the nation of Israel as a whole, and not on individual Israelites. And the blessings are for Israel as a nation, not individuals. Jesus says that God makes his blessings rain on both the good and the evil. So why are the evil being blessed if they don’t tithe?
God created the Israelite theocracy. He gave the Israelites an inheritance of land for free. He expected the children of Israel to support the tribe of Levi which had no inheritance in the land with a tithe (Levi made up about 10% of the population), and also support the poor, which were Israelites who had sold their inheritance, only to get it back in the Jubilee year. I never saw a Christian get his land back in the jubilee year after he sold it.
This quote is not speaking to Christians, who are not a nation. And it's not speaking to office workers, but those who lived off the land which God gave them.
The New Testament speaks of men giving as they have purposed in their hearts, and that the Lord loves a cheerful giver. If someone is too poor to tithe, I don't think he'll be doing it cheerfully if he can't pay his rent.
I thought the Old Law was crucified to Christ's cross.
In the Middle Ages all men tithed, they had to by law. If they did not tithe they could get into a lot of trouble. But at the same time these same men died of starvation and disease. The plague wiped out 30%-40% of Europe. Where was God's blessing? They were definitely tithing. You have to realize that the promises associated with tithing might only have been valid for the Old Testament Israelites of the Old Covenant Law. Jesus told us that as Christians we would have many trials. Maybe some of the promises are only fulfilled after death. I think that the promises surrounding the tithe, which were made in Malachi 3:8 are for the nation of Israel as a whole, and not for individuals. Individual who tithed would suffer just like any one else, but if the nation of Israel, which was a God created theocracy, followed the laws of God, then God would bless them as a whole.
So this whole gospel of prosperity is not biblical. Jesus said: blessed are the poor. James said: Woe to you rich. Jesus said that you will have the poor with you always. And that the widow's 2 mites were worth more than all that the wealthy poured in. And never forget that Jesus said that it is harder for a rich man to enter the kingdom than for a camel to go through the eye of a needle.
I'm not saying all rich men are evil, or that they are horrid sinners, or that no rich man will be saved. Jesus said all things are possible with God. I'm just saying that these things don't exist in the Bible for no reason. Yet modern day preachers sweep them all under the rug as if they don't exist.
John Wycliffe (also spelled Wyclif) is one of the great heroes of the Christian faith, but few people know that he preached that giving to the clergy is no different than alms. He believed that people could deny the pastor the tithe if the pastor was living in sin. This was outrageous at the time, because tithing was the law in England, and the Church was rich. Wyclif denounced clerical wealth, and said that they don't care for the poor, and that because of them many men are forced to steal just to feed themselves. And so the blame for their theft went on the clergy who fleeced them. Just like Paul accused the Jews of his time of being responsible for the blasphemies of the gentiles against God, because the gentiles saw how many Jews lived their lives and blasphemed the God of the Jews for it.
Pastors should have a salary. Many of them work very hard. But they should stop this tithing stuff right now!!!
I think Pastor should have a salary. But they should not be super rich like John Hagee, or Joel Osteen. And Protestants, especially Baptists, should never mention the word tithe in church. It violates their historical distinctives. Let me explain to you why.
In early Christianity the only thing the first bishops wrote about was free will offerings. And they said that the rich should give more than the poor and take care of the poor. In early Christianity there was a great emphasis on the poor. But that is no longer true. It's more about the rich now.
Yes, the Ante-Nicene fathers, also known as the early church fathers, men like Ignatius, Irenaeus, Origen, Justin Martyr, Tertullian, Cyprian, etc., only talked about free will offerings. It was not till Christianity was an established state religion, in the 6th or 7th century, that the whole idea of tithing enter the church. It became a way for the nobility to get good jobs for their children. Top bishops, abbots, and popes were all members of the nobility. And they wanted to live well. So they looked over the bible and found tithing in the Old Testament and decided that they deserved the tithe which the tribe of Levi got in the Old Testament. They invented a new way to make money and they added it to Christianity, just like the Catholic Church added the papacy and auricular confession. This is an addition to the word of God for New Testament believers.
During the Reformation many people wanted to get rid of the tithe. Some reformers had little or nothing to say about it. Some thought that it should only be followed because it was part of the civil law, and not because it was a mandate in the Bible for New Testament believers.
The first founders of the Baptist church, men like John Smyth, Thomas Helwys, and Roger Williams denounced the preaching of tithing because they saw the corruption it caused in the Anglican (Episcopalian) church and the Romand Catholic Church, and they wanted to avoid that. They were afraid that it would create a wealthy clergy who lusted for money. Many early Baptist pastors refused to be paid for preaching and had other jobs which they lived off of. But then after 1870 the need to fund missionary societies created a new need for funds. And so the Baptist Church recreated the tithe.
Just read the book In Pursuit of the Almighty's Dollar by James Hudnut-Beumer, a professor of American religion at Vanderbilt University. It tells about the history of money and Protestantism in America.
If pastors make a salary that does not bother me. Most of them have at least a Bachelors degree and they had to go to school, pay for school and take time out of their life to do it. What bothers me is all this talk about tithing. Its not for NT believers. It was part of the OT tax for the Israelite theocracy. We pay taxes today so to the government to support civil servants and the poor. I think that the only talk a minister should make is about free will giving. I'm sure the church would be supported just as well if he only did that.
I know one preacher who told me that he never preaches tithing. He said that on average most Baptists statistically give between $10-$20 per person to the Church (which is far from tithing) and that his people give about $20 per person on average. He said that's the higher end of the spectrum and he's happy with that. It's enough to pay the bills. He doesn't need to pressure people or make them feel guilty to pay his salary or the Church's bills.
It's funny, the majority of Baptist preachers at least talk about the blessings of tithing, and some even insist on it as a NT mandate, telling their people that if they don't tithe God will curse them, or that they are living in sin, yet the majority of Baptists still give about 2%-5% of their income, and not more. I've even heard of Churches where the members have to show the staff their pay stubs to prove that they are tithing, otherwise they cannot be members. What a crock. But you know that not all preachers are saved.
The Lord loves a cheerful giver. How can you be cheerful when it comes to giving if you can't pay the rent, or buy you children new clothes? Paul worked to make money so that he would not burden his new converts. Paul said that a man should give as he has purposed in his heart, whatever that sum might be. Jesus said: Blessed are the poor, and that the poor widow gave more than all the wealthy when she gave 2 mites, which was worth less than one penny. All this is lost on the ears of men who preach tithing. All they know is Malachi 3:8, which was an exortation for the Israelites to pay their taxes so that the tribe of Levi and the poor would be supported. But it was for the entire nation of Israel, and mentions all the tithes, which includes a separate tithe to the poor. It also mentions offerings, such as the animals which were burned as an offering to God. It's purely written for the Old Testament believers who lived under the Law. Not for the NT believers. The tithe is mentioned only once in the NT, when Jesus denounced the pharisees as being hypocrites for disrespecting the OT Covenant Law. But that Law did not follow through to the NT believers. Paul never mentioned it once, neither did any Apostle. And the early Church fathers, such as Ignatius, Polycarp, Irenaeus, Justin Martyr, Tertullian, only mention free will offerings. The tithe did not enter Christianity till the 7th century.
I really don't think that the job of a pastor should be something which provides a very high salary. Jesus said that you have received freely, so give freely. He said: Blessed are the poor. In the Epistle of James it says: woe to you who are rich. Paul said that an overseer (bishop) should be a man who is not greedy for money. Paul worked with his hands to make money which he preached the gospel, so that he would not be a burden to his new converts. And tithing is not commanded once in the New Testament. In fact Paul said that people should give as they have purposed in their hearts, whatever that may be. So I don't understand why these men are making so much money, plus getting an expense account, plus a free house owned by the Church, in many cases. Their salaries would not bother me so much if I didn't hear so much about tithing. Tithing, tithing, tithing. In the Old Testament the tithe was for the priestly tribe of Levi, which made up about 10% of the population. And only farm products were tithed. But the tithe was nailed to the cross, just like the rest of the Old Covenant Law. The original Baptist Church never preached tithing. John Smyth and Roger Williams were dead set against tithing. It wasn't till after the Civil War that the Baptist Church started to preach tithing. I make $30,000 per year and I can't afford to buy a house, and these guys who are making much more, plus getting all these benefits are telling me to give them ten percent of my gross income? Sounds absurd when men tell me to give them 10% of my gross, or God will curse me, or I'll be living in sin. What a way to fleece people. Its a way for idiots to make money. Just tell other people that they have to give a lot of their cash to you, or God is gonna punish them. What happened to Christian liberty? What happened to the Lord who helps the poor and cares for them? Jesus didn't have a place to lay his head and his kingdom was not of this world. But these men, who say that they are in the world, but not of the world, are living it up. Maybe small time pastors don't make that much, but what about guys like John Hagee, Billy Graham, Ravi Zacharias, Joe Stowell, etc? They make a ton of money. Hagee makes about 1 million bucks per year. Billy Graham makes over $400,000. What do these men do that they deserve so much? I thought that what we really deserved was death and hell, and its only by God's grace that we are saved from it. I thought all things belong to God, and its onlly that He lets us use the things he has. So why do these men "deserve" so much? What is it that they really do? I thought the gospel of Jesus Christ was free.
I have been a pastor for 22 years in a small Kentucky applachian mountains. The churches have been small and poverty stricken.
I have never been given a salary. I worked 2 jobs. I'm not complaining. My days was 14 hours of work, plus visitation in hospital, homes, funeral homes, jails, board meetings, meeting on how to assist my members who were in poverty, drive 100+ miles to pick up food, using my own funds. I have never earned over $8.00 ever. When there were funerals, I'd have to miss work, when members had serious surgeries, I'd miss work to be with them and the family. I had to study to deliver 3 sermons a week, plus bible study and Sunday School lessons. Plus church cleaning, grounds keeper, plumber, painter etc.
And this has been done with not very many thank yous, but a lot of complaints.
Before you start getting down on the paid pastors, put yourselves in their place. See if you would do what they do, put up with, the hours spent what they do.
Remember they have to eat, raise a family, just like you do. Would you do all that? If you don't support the church and its ministries like you should, then you'd have to answer truthfully, no you wouldn't
American Gospel Christianity is sicking to no end. Can cause one/many to stumble with matters of faith, to not have any at all. May God bring judgment to the USA. We have bastardized The Truth of Your Word and taken for granted Your Daily Mercies to justify our sinfulness... greed ego lust etc....
Umm I was being sarcastic (guess that doesn't translate well on posts) There is no debate here as to whether a pastor should be paid or not - the bible warns pastors not to be greedy and lovers of money (which many are) but that also implies that they have some money - I love it when a person from the congregation pulls up in their nice new caddie and complains about the pastor's salary - priceless! Not only that but if your pastor is struggling because he has to work two jobs to do ministry and barely make ends meet - then by not paying him you are taking away his ability to provide for his family which is expressly forbidden in Scripture
I want to respond to Pastors comments about the group trying to "get up the tithing". First of all tithing is biblical, we are all suppose to give to God what is his. Second, The last thing Jesus said was to go spread the Gospel to all nations, how are we suppose to do finianical do that? With the support of christians who are not called into the mission field. How are we suppose to help the needy? How are we suppose to pay the church bills? How are we suppose to provide materials for the parishinors. God forsaw that and commanded his children to tithe.
I am a bi-vocational Pastor. I work a job that sometimes I work 50 hours a week, I have 4 kids (one plays footbal, another is in show choir and 2 are babies), plus pastor a church of between 40-50. I still go to the hospital to visit, go to people's houses, prepare sermons and bible study, go to church planning meetings, pray for the church and people, study. I don't make very much from the church b/c we are small, I don't do it for the money, however as you can see my time (or lackthereof) is very little. My point is that God takes care of his workers. That's his promise.
I work for 3 pastors and I can tell you, they EARN their salaries. You forget that a Pastor's position is a 24/7 job. They not only do the work of the church but also do ministry work outside the church. I do feel sorry for them at times because they have to work long hours and have to deal with all sorts of people and have very little family time. Yes, they have made the choice to do this but to not be paid, well how in the world would they survive. How would you like to go to your place of employment and be told that you will not be paid for all the work you do?? Also, the church leadership decide on the Pastor's salary and benefits. The church leaders are the ones making these decisions on salaries, if you have a problem, then maybe you should bring it up to them.
For the kingdom of heaven is like unto a man that is an householder, which went out early in the morning to hire labourers into his vineyard. Matthew 20:1
And in the same house remain, eating and drinking such things as they give: for the labourer is worthy of his hire. Go not from house to house. Luke 10:7
Scripturally, how can you say Pastor's shouldn't be paid. The labourer is worthy of his hire
Pastors shouldn't make money - because housing and food are free
Over inflated salaries not acceptable but I am pretty sure that the child of the pastor who needs food qualifies as needy
Can you just imagine Jesus Christ, or His disciples being compensated in cash for their daily ministry? I wonder just what they think about the paid ministry of today giving themselves high salaries and costly benefits? Should tithes and offerings be spent on salaries, or should they assist the true needy? Is salvation any part of taking money from children of God? Or, is it literally "robbing God"?
In a major church building, I stood at the doorway of a meeting of about 20 Southern Baptist ministers in progress a couple of years ago. A marketing consultant was giving a PowerPoint presentation on how they could bump their tithing take up from the current 3%. Certainly, these folks were struggling with problems of faith and diminishing membership rolls. It makes me wonder what will imminently occur once the older people in most "Christian" congregations pass away.