As we continue to look at the issue of elders and deacons we come to the matter of pay. How should we pay a pastor? Why should we pay a pastor? Should we even pay a pastor at all?

I must admit that this is a weird thing to talk about as a pastor. It just feels weird to talk about such a touchy issue, but since Scripture speaks clearly to the matter I will do my best to only say what the Bible says.

Should We Pay Our Pastors/Elders?

The first question that we must ask is whether or not Scripture even calls for churches to pay its pastors. And the answer seems to be yes and no. It seems that the Scriptures anticipate that some pastor/elders will be paid, and that some will not.

There are two main passages that I want us to consider, we will come back to these several times throughout this post. These passages are 1 Cor. 9 and 1 Tim. 5.

Let’s consider 1 Cor. 9 first, below is verses 3-12

We can see in this passage that Paul believes that one who labors over spiritual matters should share in the material things that are needed for living.

In verse 9 Paul quotes Deuteronomy 25:4, a verse that he also quotes in 1 Tim 5 which says…

The word “honor” in this passage is a hard word to understand. It is a word that means honor, wage, or price. For example, when Ananias and Sapphira sold a piece of land and lied about the “proceeds” from that sale…the word “proceeds” is the same word that is used in 1 Tim. 5 to say that an elder is worthy of double honor.

Paul is here clearly speaking of monetary compensation as he then quotes the same passage from Dt. 25:4, but here he also ads a quote of Luke 10:17, “The laborer deserves his wages” (Cool side note, here Paul calls Luke’s Gospel Scripture. I may do a series of posts soon on how the apostles new they were writing Scripture).

From these passages I think that we can see there is a biblical case for paying pastors, but…

Should We Ever Not Pay a Pastor/Elder?

It seems as though there is a case to be made as well for not paying some church leaders.

In 1 Cor. 9 Paul goes on to say that thought he has the right to be paid by the church in Corinth, he surrendered his rights to them in the matter. I can think of a couple ways this could be applied.

First, if a man is independently wealthy and does not need to be paid by a church then he might surrender his rights. Though I am not a fan of the book, this is what happened when Rick Warren wrote his book titled The Purpose Driven Life. The proceeds were such that he was not only able to stop taking a salary, he paid back to the church all that he had ever been paid. There is something commendable about this.

Second, if a church in a poor area is in need of a pastor but couldn’t afford to pay one then it would be fitting for churches that had money to support the pastor of a poorer church/area. This was the case with the Jerusalem church and others as seen in Acts and 2 Corinthians, but I will let you look for these as you’re reading the Bible yourself.

It is also true that elders/pastors who don’t labor particularly in the area of teaching might not need compensation. We often call these “lay elders.” Sometimes we use the word “pastor” for those who are paid and “elder” for those who are not. But again in 1 Tim 5:17 that elders are “worthy of double honor, especially those who labor in preaching and teaching.”

Preaching and teaching is hard work. There is somewhere between 10-20 hours put into every sermon. And as the elders main role is to feed the flock of God, this takes a significant amount of time.

Here is how I think of it. The church doesn’t pay me for a service as it pays for commodities. The members of my church have graciously chosen to provide a living for me so that I can have the time to “especially labor in preaching and teaching,” a labor that most church members simply do not have the time for.

Does the Bible Give Principles for How Much to Pay a Pastor?

But let’s say you can afford to pay a pastor, how much should you pay him? This is where things get a little sticky. And the principles to which Scripture speaks has often led to problems with the matter in the church.

Principles for the Church

There really only is one principle for the church…generosity.

But there are a few principles given in the New Testament that may point to this reality.

1- Pay your pastor enough that his wife doesn’t have to work (1 Cor. 9:5)

This is much lost in our culture as it has become the norm for American households to be 2 and 3 income households. However, Paul says in 1 Cor. 9:5 “Do we not have the right to take along a believing wife, as do the other apostles and the brothers of the Lord and Cephas?” It seems that the expectation was a that a wife would not have to be left at home to work in the case of Paul who was a missionary, nor for Peter, James, Jude and other leaders in the Jerusalem church. One of the qualifications of an elders that his home be in order and essential to this is a wife who is able to love, serve, and lead her family according to God’s design.

2- Pay your pastor well beyond what is necessary (1 Tim. 5:17).

My Greek professor in my undergraduate program understood 1 Tim. 5:17 to mean that a church should pay it’s pastor double whatever was necessary as a minimum to live in the area of the church. While I don’t think this is the exact formula that Paul is presenting, the point I believe he is making is that a church she pay her pastors generously, well above the minimum they need to survive.

Why Should We Pay Our Pastors/Elders in this Way?

But why?

This question is important. I would give 3 reasons. The qualifications for an elder in 1 Tim. 3 and Titus 1 include the requirements that an elder be (1) hospitable and (2) generous, also (3) families are expensive. The reality is that the paid pastor ought to be one who is inclined to give his money away. The second reality is that hospitality is expensive. If you want your pastor to be able to give away money, as he ought, and open his home to people, as he ought, it will require money. Families, something that is near to God’s heart and often churches too, are expensive. If your pastor has a family, love his children enough to pay him well enough that they don’t begin to resent the church.

A Couple Other Thoughts to Churches

Here are two other factors to consider as you think about supporting a pastor(s).

First, in our day health care is both expensive and necessary. Most churches, even medium to large churches, do not or cannot provide health insurance to their pastors. Usually the healthcare that pastors can afford is expensive and has poor coverage, especially if you pay your pastor generously.

Secondly, many pastors either have small retirement packages or none. Often times pastors will choose not to contribute to available retirement plans because they have difficulty paying for the things they need today. Some pastors even opt out of social security. Because pastors are considered self employed they are required to pay the full 12.4%, not the 6.2% that most employed people pay. Because they sometimes cannot afford the social security, and because they may need the money to pay for living expenses now, they sometimes opt out which can leave them without social security or medicare when they retire.

A Couple Thoughts to Pastors

Greed is something that we are all susceptible to. Brother pastor, whatever you are paid, please keep in mind that you agreed to that salary. Far too often we agree to a salary that is less than we can live on and then grumble against the churches we are called to serve. Be honest with your needs. Be humble enough to be open with your elder or congregation if you are in need. Be responsible. And be in the fight against your own flesh when it comes to sin regarding how much, or how little, you get paid.

As I stated, this is a weird thing to talk about. While it doesn’t seem strange to talk about compensation in the “for profit” arena, it does seem strange in the “non profit” workplace of the church. Where Scripture speaks, so must I.

Next week we will begin looking at the role of deacons. Who are they, and what do they do?