Should Christian clergy be paid for their ministry?
Jesus wasn’t paid for teaching. Joseph had trained him as a carpenter. It is by his carpentry and other labor he earned what was necessary for his needs, travel and preaching. He never charged anyone for healing or teaching. By his example, I believe clergy should seek necessary income from secular sources. Preaching was never intended to make ministers wealthy by what God intended to be free to everyone.
I once attended a Baptist (American Convention)) Church in 1963. The Pastor was furnished vehicles, a house on 15 acres with horses, pool. House was 14 bedrooms. Real nice place. And his income at the time was $160,000 a year and 3 children all had fully paid scholarships. The Pastor moved on to better positions as President of the American Baptist Convention, then Head of the World Council of Churches.
I led people in with my question. Not that I am personally against clergy being paid. I am against them getting wealthy at it. By belief is that they be paid and maintain a lifestyle commesurate with the average of their congregation. Beyond that I think they project a very poor image to their congregation, denomination and Religion. And too lavish a lifestyle they make it well known their god is Money.
I think you’ve stated two different issues. Should a minister be paid and should a minister become wealthy. I feel ministers should be compensated for their work, but not to the degree of becoming one of the rich and famous.
February 28th, 2010 at 12:42 pm
Yes they should be paid. The Bible says they should.
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http://www.gotquestions.org/pastors-paid-salary.html
February 28th, 2010 at 1:30 pm
No they should not.
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February 28th, 2010 at 1:56 pm
Funny…my ministers do…except for the pastor because he doesn’t have time for another job…but he ain’t rich either…
Molly is right…they should be paid…just not too much…and only the pastors…Billy Graham only has enough for basic provisions…
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February 28th, 2010 at 2:32 pm
I think you’ve stated two different issues. Should a minister be paid and should a minister become wealthy. I feel ministers should be compensated for their work, but not to the degree of becoming one of the rich and famous.
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February 28th, 2010 at 3:22 pm
Judas Iscariot was the treasurer for Jesus Christ and the 12 Apostles, who traveled preaching and healing and performing exorcisms.
There was a treasurer…there were donations…people making donations just like you see today.
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February 28th, 2010 at 4:05 pm
No. But entrepreneurial clergy start their own ministries and see it as a new business venture in the name of God.
There’s a church down the street from here called Great Commission. And I see the reverend driving up in a new Mercedes-Benz. No, not the $30,000 one but the $70,000+ ones. Oh the irony! LOL
Should you be paid for preaching? It should be voluntary, just as Jesus did. But today, to maintain the building they must take up a little bit of money. I mean, an electric company would love to give away electricity, and the city, free water. I mean, who’s going to pay for that? I can understand that but not the being paid a salary to preach? I mean, where would you get the money to be paid from? The donations? Shameful! The city? A federal grant? Should you be forced to pay if you want to hear the word of God? Jesus didn’t seem to think so.
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February 28th, 2010 at 4:48 pm
being a pastor is a full time job, administrating is behind the scenes and i think they need to eat too. of course not to live in mansions or stuff like that
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February 28th, 2010 at 5:29 pm
LOL!!!
Good luck with *that* one.
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February 28th, 2010 at 5:47 pm
Nope!
They should go to work like the rest of us, after all, they only preach on Sunday.
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February 28th, 2010 at 6:04 pm
Of course. Scripture is clear, if you could be bothered to read it:
"The elders who rule well are to be considered worthy of double honor, especially those who work hard at preaching and teaching. For the Scripture says, "YOU SHALL NOT MUZZLE THE OX WHILE HE IS THRESHING," and "The laborer is worthy of his wages." 1 Timothy 5:17-18
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February 28th, 2010 at 6:17 pm
i think they can be paid as long as they pay taxes.
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February 28th, 2010 at 7:00 pm
The bible is quite clear about church leaders needs being met. Whether it be the old or new testament, the flock provided for the Sheppard. The people did, in fact, support Jesus, the disciples, Paul etc. Just as the Jews provided for the Levites.
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February 28th, 2010 at 7:29 pm
The Bible teaches that pastors should be paid a fair wage but I totally disagree with a minister becoming wealthy from a career as a pastor. The pastor should be setting the example of living a reasonable life, and giving obediently, and sacrificially.
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February 28th, 2010 at 7:46 pm
No they should not. The ones who take the lead in the Kingdom Halls (church) of Jehovah’s Witnesses all have full time jobs, plus take care of their families, then also take care of the congregation.
EDIT: I see a few saying the flock took care of Paul and others. Paul specifically mentioned he made tents to support himself so as not to be a burden on the people; indicating he wasn’t paid either.
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February 28th, 2010 at 8:23 pm
Ministers certainly should never become wealthy, although it is possible for a ministry or church to be "wealthy" as long as that "wealth" is used to help others and allow more worship.
However, in today’s society, it simply isn’t possible to have a full-time job and perform all of the responsibilities of a minister. Most ministers I know (that is, real ministers at real churches, not tele-evangelists) work 50-80 hours per work–preparing church services, ministering to the poor, providing counseling, visiting the elderly and other shut-ins, leading Bibles studies, etc. If they had to pull a full time job as well, then they would be unable to perform necessary tasks. Furthermore, there is no Biblical evidence that Jesus was supported by his carpentry, and there is evidence that his followers provided food through donations.
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February 28th, 2010 at 8:48 pm
I always thought that Ministers received a stipend from the church they were representing. This is acceptable . The minister and his family have to live the same as everybody else.
If you are talking about the evangelists making millions, Of course that is wrong and is another matter
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February 28th, 2010 at 9:38 pm
Yes. They shouldn’t necessarily get wealthy, but they need money to buy food and clothing. My Pastor does much in the community for which he isn’t paid.
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February 28th, 2010 at 10:00 pm
If a pastor’s financial needs are not met by his congregation, he ends up like so many moms that need to go get a paying job and no longer have enough time to do the job properly that God called them to do.
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February 28th, 2010 at 10:22 pm
You misrepresent the facts of Jesus’ ministry…
Luke 8 tells us something about the finances:
Lk 8:1 After this, Jesus traveled around from one town and village to another. He announced the good news of God’s kingdom. The Twelve were with him. 2 So were some women who had been healed of evil spirits and sicknesses. One was Mary Magdalene. Seven demons had come out of her. 3 Another was Joanna, the wife of Cuza. He was the manager of Herod’s household. Susanna and many others were there also. These women were helping to support Jesus and the Twelve with their own money…
Notice the last sentence. Jesus AND the disciples were ALL being supported by contributions.
Paul writing to the church in Corinth discusses support for evangelists and teachers at length:
1Corinthians 9:9 Here is what is written in the Law of Moses. “Do not stop an ox from eating while it helps separate the grain from the straw.” Is it oxen that God is concerned about? 10 Doesn’t he say that for us? Yes, it was written for us. When a farmer plows and separates the grain, he does it because he hopes to share in the crop.
11 We have planted spiritual seed among you. Is it too much to ask that we receive from you some of the things we need? 12 Others have the right to receive help from you. Don’t we have even more right to do so?
But we didn’t use that right. No, we have put up with everything. We didn’t want to keep the good news of Christ from spreading.
13 Don’t you know that those who work in the temple get their food from the temple? Don’t you know that those who serve at the altar eat from what is offered on the altar? 14 In the same way, those who preach the good news should receive their living from their work. That is what the Lord has commanded.
15 But I haven’t used any of those rights. And I’m not writing because I hope you will do things like that for me. I would rather die than have anyone take away my pride in my work. 16 But when I preach the good news, I can’t brag. I have to preach it. How terrible it will be for me if I do not preach the good news!
17 If I preach because I want to, I get a reward. If I preach because I have to, I’m only doing my duty. 18 Then what reward do I get? Here is what it is. I am able to preach the good news free of charge. And I can do it without making use of my rights when I preach it.
19 I am free. I don’t belong to anyone. But I make myself a slave to everyone. I do it to win as many as I can to Christ.
20 To the Jews I became like a Jew. That was to win the Jews. To those under the law I became like one who was under the law, even though I myself am not under the law. That was to win those under the law. 21 To those who don’t have the law I became like one who doesn’t have the law. I am not free from God’s law. I am under Christ’s law. Now I can win those who don’t have the law. 22 To those who are weak I became weak. That was to win the weak.
I have become all things to all people so that in all possible ways I might save some. 23 I do all of that because of the good news. And I want to share in its blessings.
24 In a race all the runners run. But only one gets the prize. You know that, don’t you? So run in a way that will get you the prize. 25 All who take part in the games train hard. They do it to get a crown that will not last. But we do it to get a crown that will last forever.
26 So I do not run like someone who doesn’t run toward the finish line. I do not fight like a boxer who hits nothing but air. 27 No, I train my body and bring it under control. Then after I have preached to others, I myself will not break the rules and fail to win the prize.
… Now, your question presumes something that is COMPLETELY FALSE.
There is NO SUCH THING AS "CLERGY" IN CHRISTIANITY. This was a human invention added to the Gospel and is not at all supported by scripture.
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February 28th, 2010 at 11:09 pm
The Levites were not given any land to own in the Promised Land because as the priests, they were to be paid and supported by the Hebrews. A portion of the Hebrew offerings were to take care of the Levite priests.
People supported the disciples as they did their ministries after Jesus ascended. They were given food, shelter, clothes, whatever they needed.
If a priest/pastor is to go out and "get a real job" then he is neglecting his sheep (congregation) and cannot successfully do his calling, which is to be a pastor/priest.
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February 28th, 2010 at 11:50 pm
I know this is hard to believe, because what the world sees of Christianity is a lot of the mega-churches and the wealth that they have in their mega-cities, but my 2 pastors both work full-time for less than what they could, and each of their wives work the jobs that pay most of the bills. Neither of them could live off of what our small church is able to pay them. I see these 2 men minister to their church members as well as to non-church members every week. They spend more time doing the work they are called to OUT of their offices than they do in their offices, and I believe it’s supposed to be that way.
Being a pastor isn’t about sitting in an office all week long, writing a sermon, it’s about meeting the needs of a congregation and leading a congregation who reaches out to meet the needs of the surrounding community. That’s what my pastors do, and they put more than 40 hours into their jobs weekly. In my opinion, they should be paid.
However, if they were putting 5 hours into Sunday’s sermon on Saturday afternoon and calling it a week, I would take issue with them being paid.
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February 28th, 2010 at 11:55 pm
Paul said, "So also the Lord directed those who proclaim the gospel to get their living from the gospel" (1 Corinthians 9:14).
I think it’s a good idea to have paid clergy. Clergy ought to be experts on the Bible, history, theology, current events, etc. They need to be experts so they can be leaders. We need to have "go to" people in the church. If they have to get their living like the rest of us, then they won’t have any more time than the rest of us to become experts, and to stay current. They should be paid so they’ll have more time than the rest of us and can teach us and lead us.
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March 1st, 2010 at 12:03 am
You are correct. Preaching is service to God, and should not be considered a road to riches. All of the clergy I know do receive their income from secular sources, mainly those who benefit by the preaching.
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March 1st, 2010 at 12:42 am
I agree. Jesus did not ask to be paid, some people gave him and his diciples money, a place to stay, food… etc. but He never expected it. He didn’t ask anything of anyone except to listen to Him and to believe in Him and His teaching. I believe that He did it this way so that anything that was provided and given to Him and to His diciples would be something that Jesus could praise His Father for, whether they were given much or given little.
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*edit: It must be noted that depending on what people choose to busy themselves with or not busy themselves with has either "drawbacks" or "pluses" sometimes both… but if a person really loves living their lives for God, then there is no "drawback" (although some would not see it that way)… the privilage to preach the gospel is more than payment and so, it shouldn’t matter to them what they get, because living for God isn’t a way to get money, it happens to be the opposite: It is the hugest of sacrifices. That’s just the way it is…
There are still some churches where everyone has an outside, regular job although it does seem, that alot of people across the board have busied themselves and worried themselves to exhaustion… whether they have church duties, church volunteering, work outside church… or all of these. People delegate responsibilities and still they are busy. They do this so well, yet many of the people’s concerns just seem to grow, including the clergy’s. If they’re good at it.. and they usually are, sometimes this causes ministers/preachers etc. to feel that they are doing superhuman things and deserve more money and sometimes… much more money. (People outside church fall into this trap also). They begin to believe that they can only do everything God (or others) wants them to, by asking their congregants (or others) for money (or for more money). This creates the danger of a person letting their passion turn into pride, and sometimes then begin to take things for granted. True, this should never happen with the gospel, although I suppose it is understandable, because that’s all some people’s measure of faith will allow. Even so, I believe that if a person (at LEAST a proclaimed person of faith) lives a balanced and diligent life, then trusting God Himself for what they want and need, should suffice…
March 1st, 2010 at 1:15 am
While the pastor is working full-time to support the family, here’s what the clergy ISN’T doing . . .
visiting members of the church at home.
visiting members of the church sick in the hospital.
performing marriages.
conducting funerals (because people won’t die and be buried on Saturdays when the pastor’s not at work.)
attending church leadership meetings.
leading Bible study classes.
counseling un-happily married couples.
counseling couples before marriages.
meeting with other ministers.
attending development conferences.
assisting with the food bank in the basement.
visiting members in jail.
responding to the three or four calls a week from people needing help paying bills.
the list goes on and on . . .
Or, they can be paid to be free to be God’s hands and heart.
Godspeed.
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March 1st, 2010 at 2:05 am
You would be surprised at how many preachers work outside of the church to earn a living. Most small churches cant afford to pay their preachers enough for living expenses, but give them something. Its the big churches who can afford it.
However the Bible clearly states we are to support our ministers. Jesus was supported by the people he preached to. Don’t you remember, Judus kept the purse….and he was a theif. Jesus didnt ever ask for money. He didnt have too. His Father provided always for him.
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March 1st, 2010 at 2:28 am
to those of you who think that preachers, pastors, ministers or any other title that you want to put on them, only work on Sundays you are sadly mistaken..Not only do they "preach on Sunday" but they do weddings, funerals, make hospital trips and are on call in my church 24/ 7 to over 200 people who can call at any time to talk and seek guidance. not to mention that they also have to do a lot of studying and praying to be sure that they bring the right message to the people of God. So it is a full time job so why shouldn’t they be paid?
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March 1st, 2010 at 3:12 am
Being a Pastor, Rabbi, Minister, or any other title of the same likeness; it is not a job, but rather a calling and a dedication to the teaching of God’s word. There is plenty of Scripture, providing you believe in Scripture, to support that God intended for those that teach his word diligently and correctly to have their needs met through that ministry. But therein lies the difference of what this whole question is actually about. There is a difference between the needs of a man, and the wants of a man. God intended for those needs to be met, but for them to take in and above in access of what would be considered as actual needs is in fact considered greed, and therefore would be considered one of the 7 deadly sins.
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March 1st, 2010 at 3:44 am
The Bible says that they should be paid. Jesus came to save the world- that was His purpose- and what is wrong with being paid a fair wage for preaching the gospel? The gospel is free, the gospel is the good news that Christ came to pay the price that we could never pay- but that does not mean a pastor should not get payed.
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March 1st, 2010 at 4:25 am
wow what a good question,,,I see your point totally but unfortunately it’s not a black and white line there’s a whole lot of Grey area there,,,we all know there are good and bad people everywhere and that doesn’t exclude the church,,,i think of course they should be paid,, i think it looks better for them to live a little more modest,,i cant personally complain because my church has helped me out a lot with rent, food etc,,, and even though it is a calling it is also a career or job if you will, and a lot depends on the size of the church and yeah what the pastor does on the side does he complete that list of the funerals, marriages, counseling etc,,, we could even do a 180 and talk the same way about the politicians what’s up with john Edwards 1,200.00 dollar a month hair cut he’s a man he doesn’t even have the much hair what the hell can you do to a mans hair for that much money (i don’t understand) yeah but think about it, there’s something disturbing knowing are pastors are making more money then the president of the united states,,,there both suppose to be doing Gods work right?
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