Should Pastors Be Paid Salaries For Their Work?

This, also is one of those issues that has been the subject of disagreement among the brethren. Some believe that ministers of the Gospel are servants of God who must be willing to serve on voluntary service; they must not be too concerned about the things of this world because God will reward all their efforts in the world to come. Others, however, are of the opinion that what Pastors do, deserves a full reward on this earth, at best: a free house, a car and a 6 figure salary. So, which is which? As always, such things we need to think about them with our Bibles open. Therein, we will learn that both the above viewpoints are flawed – ‘extreme’ is the right word. I mean, as much as it is true that ministers of the Gospel will get their full reward at the resurrection of the saints, that does not mean that we should not care about their earthly expenses. On the opposite end, as much as I agree that a servant of the Lord must be taken care of, however, I also know that there is something wrong with a spiritual leader who flaunts his wealth with bodyguards and private jets – riding on the bones of the suffering followers.

There is a Biblical balance for all of this, and it’s not ‘salary’ but it is ‘support.’ I mean, nowhere in Scripture do we ever see Apostle Paul, Peter or James being paid a monthly income. Instead, we see them being supported by the brethren to push the Gospel agenda. How much that support was is subject to wonder. The truth remains, however, that it was not a fixed monthly income. What do you think is the right amount of support to the Pastor of your church? Before you answer, consider these factors below…

     1.) Spiritual maturity of the congregation

This is a critical element in the life of a church, most importantly when it comes to giving. Not many believers will give and support their leader just because he tells them to. As long they don’t understand the idea behind church fellowship and leadership, all is in vain. It takes maturity. Many ministers fail to understand why many of their congregates do not support as much as they would want them to. To mitigate this, they default into scare tactics about God cursing them or false promises of God’s abundant blessing for those who give. When that happens, people have no choice but to give their incomes out of selfish reasons. Which is always a temporal solution to a permanent problem. It’s called manipulation, really. The right thing to do is for the shepherd to invest heavily in Bible teaching – not about giving and tithing but about who Christ is and what He has done for us. True maturity comes from knowing Christ! That way, believers can appreciate their Saviour and it won’t be a problem for them to support His work, or even to share with those in need among them, just as we see in Acts 2:44-45. Therefore, before we ask how much should we give our pastor, we must be willing to answer: how mature are our people in the things of the Lord?

      2.) The economic status of his people

This is also ignored among us, even though it directly affects how much the people are able to give to the work of God. Churches are not the same economically. Those in urban areas cannot give the same as those believers in the rural areas where people can barely survive. Sometimes it even depends on the country where that church is. Surely, we cannot expect the church in Africa to match the Church in America in the way they support their spiritual leaders. Therefore, it is critical for every church to assess the financial condition of its people, lest it demands from them way more than they can afford. Failure to discern this is the reason why some of the members are no longer free to come to the house of worship because their leaders have become money mongers who do not consider the financial abilities and struggles of their people.

       3.) The economic status of the Pastor himself

Believe it or not, there are some church leaders out there who are indeed faithful to their Gospel service yet so poor themselves. Such a scenario calls for a mature congregation that understands the situation of their shepherd and is prepared to do something for him. To give him unwavering support with their money so that he can survive and also have an opportunity to improve his life. On the other side of town, suppose there is a pastor who has already made it in life; has everything that money can buy. Such a leader cannot expect his people to break the bank for him. To do so would be nothing short of greed on his part. That is what we see with many of the preachers in the Charismatic movement. Instead, the congregation can invest their funds in charity foundations and other departments that need financial input than to keep enriching the ones who are already rich.

      4.)  Size of the congregation

Size does not matter when it comes to the spiritual development and fruitfulness of a congregation, however, size plays a huge role in the financial input of that same congregation. This means as a leader, I cannot expect my 10 people to support me with the same amount as the pastor next door who has 100 members. It is the way it is. Therefore, next time before we get angry at people for not supporting their clergymen enough, we must be ready to answer: how many people are there in that church to begin with?

Here is the wrap of our topic today: I hope we agree that ministers of the Gospel need your material support. That is non-negotiable. However, there is no specific figure for that support. It all depends on the maturity, size and economic status of the people involved. One thing is sure though: pastoral leadership is a sacred calling, not a professional job. Which means it must always be motivated by a love for God and the souls of men. Once we get this right, then God’s people must and will support. What do you say?

Sinothi Ncube

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