I often wondered how much a preacher/pastor makes. I looked up the average salary for a pastor on payscale.comand it says $18.76 per hour / $48,977 per year. Though they are factoring in lots of smaller churches which outnumber the big mega churches in the US.
It seems to be a hot topic with many people disagreeing on the answer.
How much should a preacher be paid? Does a congregation want to pay for someone with a certain education or just collect an offering for someone willing to stand up and let the Spirit move? Should it just fall on the church to decide?
Didn’t Jesus say to just let God take care of our needs? Well, it also depends on your definition of ‘needs’, right?
Some congregations are wrestling with that question — with answers that range from the post-service home cooked meal to salary-benefit packages worth upwards of $300,000 a year. And of course, we see some pastors with wealth far greater than those stars in Hollywood. So what is the right answer?
What is too much? Too little? Jesus seems to advise his disciples not to worry about negotiating any salary whatsoever. Though some preachers say God wants them to prosper and have wealth.
In Matthew 6, the same chapter where he gives them the Lord’s Prayer with its simple request for “daily bread”, Jesus says, “Therefore take no thought, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or, ‘What shall we drink?’ or, ‘Wherewithal shall we be clothed?’ … But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.”
So the answer really lies in what you believe.
We honestly don’t have an answer but would love to know what you think.
