Here is my conundrum and I hope you concur with my basic assumptions:
- Professional Ministers, most of whom have graduate school degrees and many of whom have educational debt, deserve a liveable wage.
- All people deserve to have spiritual community and support.
- Christian Congregations committed to “making disciples of all nations” and serving “the least of these” require at least one paid leader because a thriving congregation requires someone devoted to administration, worship and educational leadership, pastoral care, and community engagement. Volunteers cannot sustain such responsibilities without financial support when they also have their own employment and families – unless they have trust funds.
Where I live and serve . . .
“an individual must make an annual salary of at least $101,338 — or an hourly wage of $48.72 — to achieve a comfortable lifestyle as defined in this study. That breaks down to nearly $50,700 going toward needs, about $30,400 toward wants and close to $20,300 toward debt/savings” according to the March 2024 Charlotte Business Journal.
These are the figures for the Metro Charlotte area and – frankly – they seem high. I also serve Presbyterian Churches in rural counties. It would cost much less to live in Richmond County, Stanly County, Anson County or Montgomery County – the rural counties on the East side of our Presbytery.
You would not be surprised to learn that our required minimum salary to pay pastors is much less than $101,338 annually. The minimum in the Charlotte Metro area is $60,711 and $56,604 in the rural counties. And if a church cannot afford a full time pastor, they can contract a pastor for $20/hour for pastors serving in rural congregations and $23/hour for those serving in the urban or suburban congregations.
No. One. Can. Afford. To. Live. On. These. Wages. Without. Serious. Financial. Insecurity. And our Presbytery minimums do not take into account whether or not their Pastor has dependents. Unfortunately, in my denomination (the PCUSA) it will soon cost more in terms of required benefits for those installed pastors with dependents.
So what happens if a congregation cannot afford an “installed” full-time pastor? Well, they could call a contracted part-time pastor. But what happens if a church cannot afford a contracted part-time pastor (at $20/hour or $23/hour)? Here’s what happens:
- Retired pastors (or others who can afford to work with very little compensation) serve those small congregations – and this is a decision to close the church most likely. A part-time contracted pastor cannot possibly lead a congregation to a point where they can shift to become a thriving church again. And devoted volunteers cannot sustain their ministry for long. They get tired.
- Multiple small churches can choose to share one pastor and pay what they can in hopes of building a package their pastor can live on.
- The church can close and make way for a new ministry to be born using funds from the sale or repurposing of their property.
- Churches can go week-by-week with a different Pastor every week.
These are fighting words, especially for a church in denial about their reality. Overhead countless times: “I just want my church to stay open until my funeral.”
With all due respect, closing a church could be the most meaningful, most faithful, most life-giving choice a congregation can make if it means that their legacy can be something new, serving people whose needs have not been addressed. Imagine the joy in knowing that – although we don’t know where our funeral might happen – we die knowing that people have affordable housing, affordable childcare, affordable medical clinics, affordable arts education . . . and a different kind of church for future generations
Thoughts?
A Church for Starving Artists 
I do wonder what will happen to churches who no longer have the membership nor the funds to keep up the work and buildings. Our small congregation is tending that direction as I type. YET, the powers that be thought it wise to take a large loan from the Synod to renovate the buildings. Because of the wealth of the members, the money can probably be repaid, but who will be left to do the work. Even now, as I serve on the nominating committee, I am finding fewer and fewer who can step into positions that require heavy lifting.
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I see the same. In “dying churches” there are usually one or two people/families who pay for everything to keep the doors open and once they pass away, the church closes. I understand why this happens, but it’s not healthy stewardship.
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Thanks for the input. Nor do I see it as healthy stewardship. There are very few children coming to services, mainly when their grandparents bring them. However, there is a hew and cry for children and YET, when the invitations were sent out for the 150th anniversary luncheon, children were not invited. It was actually state, NO CHILDREN. My heart aches.
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I serve a very old, now small congregation in a tiny village outside a large city.
So far, they are continuing to serve where they can – helping the local school, honoring requests for aid as needed. I am retired, and don’t need pension or health coverage. I am paid as a ‘supply’ with a bit extra, plus mileage. With fewer than 35 most Sundays- am I only allowing them to hang on? Or are they still a blessing to their community?
I cannot answer this some days- when I’m finally ‘done’ – not sure what they will do.
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Such a great question. We have some rural congregations with similar numbers and their communities would definitely suffer without them. They provide groceries for neighbors – even driving those groceries to homes if there’s no way to pick them up. They offer programs to fight opioid addiction. They provide programs for DACA kids whose parents pick fruit and vegetables seasonally. I think we measure the effective of our congregations by how much they impact their neighbors for good. If they exist as a club, they are a club. If they serve their neighbors, they are followers of Jesus/a church.
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Jan,
I have really appreciated your very thoughtful and transparent musings on this blog. You haven’t hesitated to confront tepid churches and pastors. I have observed dramatic growth in your leadership these last few years.
You ask for feedback in this piece, so here’s some from me.
One of my mentors (many years ago) noted that clergy love to “shine, whine, and recline.” (He was a Methodist pastoral counselor) I have observed this to be true over the years.
I have seen pastors who spend way too much time playing Presbytery – e.g. serving on committees, being in lectionary study groups, personal growth groups, etc. – and too little time focusing on building up their congregations. All to often the congregations they serve dwindle.
Similarly, I have seen congregations who cling to some imagined ideal of how their church should be just what it was in the glory years of the ’50’s and ’60’s. They want new members just like themselves ,only younger. I think of church mission statements that declare that their primary mission is to attract young families – and yet refuse to try new music or let newcomers do significant ministry. They dwindle. As you accurately describe, I’ve heard people (think Unity Presby in PG County) say “I want to be buried from this church.”
I have seen pastors in vital congregations exuding energy, helping lead and organize small groups, reaching out into the community, finding ways to meet and involve newcomers, and preaching creative and engaging sermons that help church members really connect faith and life.
And I’ve seen congregations develop and ethos of welcoming people who are searching for deeper faith and real community. They flourish. My wife and I are now members of Rock Spring UCC in Arlington. What a vital congregation! Sunday morning attendance has dropped since the pandemic but is around 150 on a typical school year Sunday plus another 300 or so who worship online! They’ve had a strong network of women’s sacred circles for years (10-. I helped start some men’s groups three years ago. We now have three men’s groups.
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Thank you Bob. Rock Spring UCC is a great church.
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Hi Jan,
I find that this assumption, “Christian Congregations committed to “making disciples of all nations” and serving “the least of these” require at least one paid leader because a thriving congregation requires someone devoted to administration, worship and educational leadership, pastoral care, and community engagement. Volunteers cannot sustain such responsibilities without financial support when they also have their own employment and families – unless they have trust funds,” doesn’t fit where I live.
For decades, pastors have chosen not to come to rural Kansas, even when churches could pay them, so churches adapted. I think it’s hubris to say these churches shouldn’t exist and these communities shouldn’t have PCUSA churches because there isn’t paid leadership. In my experience, church people are gifted, capable, and scrapy. People in the middle of America are used to being overlooked and have figured out how to do a lot, including continuing to feed America while leading their churches. The key, as I see it, is to equip them.
Catherine Neelly Burton
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Thank you for this perspective and I wholly agree that all communities deserve congregations – PCUSA and otherwise. The key to having volunteer leaders who aren’t exhausted in having them train people to come after them to offer ministry. In each of our congregations on the brink of closing, there is a lone leader who is bone tired, can’t get anyone to help her (it’s usually a woman) and there are no new leaders in the pipeline to keep the congregation going. I would love for leaders of all kinds to be available whether there is compensation or not. We have a hard time finding pastors for our rural communities too. And nevertheless, Jesus will always have a church.
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Great article. You hit the nail right on the head. The Charlotte-area cost of living figures are useful, but I wonder if it’s a bit of an apples-and-oranges comparison because the Charlotte figures say nothing about retirement or medical benefits. It’s not clear whether Charlotte-area workers earning salaries of $100K or so are expected to buy their own medical insurance out of their salaries, or if that’s separately provided by the employer as a benefit. A large part of the $20K annual “savings” may in fact be for retirement savings (an IRA or something similar). A full-time presbytery-minimum salary plus required benefits, in many major metro areas, isn’t all that much less than $100K. So, maybe the Charlotte figures aren’t really as high as you think.
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