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I didn't say it was the best quote to use; if you recall, I said when I find the right passsge I will writ eit down here until then this will hav eto do!
The church members of our church are the ones that set our pastors' salary. The senior pastor received a raise last year and that was his first raise in something like 20 years (I think he gets around $800 month). He's retired (81 years old) and his wife teaches English part time at our community college. They live pretty simple. They have lived in the same home for 30 years and is paid for, they have a Dodge Intrepid (only because their other car kept breaking down all the time and they're just too old for that) and they have a late 80's Chevy van they use for the church for the most part...
The asst. pastor (the senior pastor's son) is a full time high school teacher and is given a $400 monthly salary which he tithes back into the church (yes, the WHOLE $400...not sure what the senior tithes, none of my business, but the asst's was somehow leaked out lol).
Both pastors live simply...NO FRILLS
However, I DO NOT agree with the ones that wear silk suits and Gucci shoes, $200 (UGLY) haircuts and drive a brand new Cadillac or Lexus every year or so. I AGREE with pastors making a wage, I do not agree with pastors striking it rich! The ones that are fortunate enough to make it on tv or what have you, SHOULD be required to put pretty much ALL of their procedes into charities and missionaries and community services etc. JMHO
Edit:
BTW...the senior pastor PAID for his home (maybe with some help from his salary)...it was not provided by the congregation
Ministers, Priest, Bishops, whatever should not get compensation from the church unless they are doing it 24/7 which I don't know of a whole lot who are. What is wrong with a priest holding down a regular full time job outside of church?
There's nothing wrong with holding a full-time job while being a pastor... if you have time to do it. I'm thinking that would be for a smaller church without much means to support a pastor. In the case of mid to larger-sized churches (I'm not even going to speak about mega-churches), they probably are working 24/7 as pastor and should be compensated accordingly. I know in my current church we have two full-time co-pastors (one for contemporary and one for traditional) who are only a phone call away from any churchgoer, member or otherwise. They attend funerals, weddings (never asked for a penny in either case), hold regular office hours for anyone who wants to come to be counseled, visit the sick, etc, etc.
I'm not saying give them a blank check or let them have open access to the treasury. I'm saying pay them fairly and have open audits and accountability for where the church's money is being spent, which we do. At our 'congregational meetings' we have fiscal reporting and the membership is informed of where the money is going.
How do you respond to the scripture in my posts quoted below?
Quote:
Originally Posted by Alpha8207
Here's the other one I was thinking of....I thought it was there somewhere.
This passage is from 1 Timothy. Again, I stress the points that I made at the end of my previous post in light of this scripture.
The elders who direct the affairs of the church well are worthy of double honor, especially those whose work is preaching and teaching. For the Scripture says, "Do not muzzle the ox while it is treading out the grain," and "The worker deserves his wages."
Again, emphasis added is mine.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Alpha8207
Found some of it. And, interestingly enough, it's right there in scripture with the passage I believe you are thinking of...
Don't you know that those who work in the temple get their food from the temple, and those who serve at the altar share in what is offered on the altar? In the same way, the Lord has commanded that those who preach the gospel should receive their living from the gospel.
But I have not used any of these rights. And I am not writing this in the hope that you will do such things for me. I would rather die than have anyone deprive me of this boast. Yet when I preach the gospel, I cannot boast, for I am compelled to preach. Woe to me if I do not preach the gospel! If I preach voluntarily, I have a reward; if not voluntarily, I am simply discharging the trust committed to me. What then is my reward? Just this: that in preaching the gospel I may offer it free of charge, and so not make use of my rights in preaching it.
Emphasis added is mine. Again, I think there's a vast difference in charging for the gospel and being compensated for preaching. And while I am not a preacher, I can tell you that given my experience in service to the Church, a pastor that does his job as dictated and expected by God, deserves to be WELL compensated. But having said that, a pastor that meets that criteria would have a very different view of 'well compensated' than many of the holy rolling multi-millionaires we see today.
I don't think there's anything wrong with the church community providing housing and cost of living expenses for their clergy. The money grubbing tele-evangelists are giving the good guys a bad name.
I have no problem with a non-extravagant salary. But housing?!!
I have no problem with a non-extravagant salary. But housing?!!
Housing is something that in times past has been more traditionally provided it seems for for Catholic and Episcopal priests. Other denominations may have done this as well, but it seems less common to me. To my thinking, however the congregation wants to compensate them is fine as long as it's fair and agreeable to the parties involved.
most of the older churches in AR, Catholic, Baptist, Meth...etc, have a parsonage located beside the church for the pastor and his family. By older I mean a church that has been in the communty for a long time and the house usually was built when the church was, cause they match, well most of the time. It seems now though that the practice of having a house built beside the church is outdated, here anyway.
most of the older churches in AR, Catholic, Baptist, Meth...etc, have a parsonage located beside the church for the pastor and his family. By older I mean a church that has been in the communty for a long time and the house usually was built when the church was, cause they match, well most of the time. It seems now though that the practice of having a house built beside the church is outdated, here anyway.
Yes! Parsonage was the word I kept trying to think of, and I think you are absolutely right. It's not something that's done much anymore. Thanks for the details, arguy!
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