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Should pastors be paid? No

George H. Epp

Much has been written lately in the Christian press and even the secular press about the critical need for church leaders. We were informed recently by our own denominational leaders of the need for 700 new clergy in the next decade. To permit women into the ranks of church leaders would be helpful, yet more than ecclesiastical gender equality will be needed.


The late Henri Nouwen stated that effective church leaders of the future would lead from a stance of poverty – in both a spiritual and economic sense. When Jesus dispatched the 70 (Luke 10), they were sent without purses, bags or sandals. The ancient biblical leaders – Moses, the prophets, the apostles and Jesus – trusted God to provide for their physical needs. Similar examples abound in church history. Even 50 years ago, pastors were generally not on the payroll.

I recall the transition from lay church leadership to paid clergy. In the church where I was a member, not a single voice was raised about the significance for the church of this radical shift. At first, pastoral salaries were very modest. However, that changed rapidly when academic qualifications were factored into the equation. A common practice was to compare pastors with teachers, who had similar years of academic training. Then benefits – medical, dental, sick leave, severance pay, entertainment and book allowances, paid study leaves and housing allowances – were added. Pastors became progressively more mobile and even looked for more lucrative positions, at times even without their local churches being aware of it. Paul Stevens of Regent College has referred to this as the “rent a pastor” system.

In tandem with all of this came a focus on the importance of maintaining the local church institution. Today, most churches spend more on their own programs than they do on ministries beyond their own walls. Senior pastors’ salaries, in some instances, depending on the size of the congregation, approximate the salaries not of public school teachers, but of public school administrators.

This has enormous implications for the prophetic edge of biblical teaching, stewardship and the integrity of the local prophet. The fact is that teaching on stewardship is haphazard at best. At a February 2001 Regent College conference, Ron Sider was asked, “How is it that financial stewardship is not adequately dealt with by the clergy?” Sider’s response was that there are four approaches which pastors take. Some do not address this topic at all. Others will talk about stewardship once a year on “Hunger Sunday”. Others will address it more frequently, watch their backs and, when the darts are about to be released, back off. Then there are a few who grapple with the money theme in the tradition of the prophets.

The fallout of such reticence is enormous. The giving in Canadian evangelical churches is around 3% to 4% of income, including the denomination and congregation where I am a member. At one time, our denominational leaders would proudly say, “Unlike the so-called ‘faith missions’, our congregations pay for the needs of our missionaries, and they do not need to solicit their own funding.” Today they do. In fact, for some of our denominational programs, we have started to employ professional fundraisers, who, of course, take a cut of the proceeds. Gerry Ebbers, a fundraiser for several well-known ministries, says that if church members would give 5% of their capacity, all their church’s programs could easily be maintained.

What to do? Recently I met a pastor who planted his church 30 years ago from scratch, in his own house. Today it is a thriving, sending congregation of 220 members, with very low overhead. This pastor refuses to take a salary from his congregation. When urged to do so, his response is, “The Lord has always provided for my family’s needs, and the Lord is not about to quit now.” That pastor is experiencing 2 Corinthians 9:8, and the congregation is experiencing 2 Corinthians 9:11. The members are becoming like the pastor, and the pastor is becoming like the people.

There is no question in my mind that the clergy deficit would embark on a long-term solution with “not-for-pay pastors”. If my pastor should say, “Take me off the payroll; we are not here to serve an institution and ourselves”, there is no question that the folks would find ways to cover the bills. Furthermore, I am sure there would be a great upwelling of gratitude and praise of God, and the needs of the Christians in Jerusalem (the homeless in Calgary, Vancouver, Toronto, Afghanistan, Congo and Calcutta) would be met (2 Corinthians 9:12,13a).

There are also some potential risks in this “not-for-pay pastor” scenario. Such a pastor would need to surround himself with an accountability group. This unorthodox approach to ministry could cause some folks to say, “Good deal. Let him/her run the show as he/she sees fit.” There would need to be a mutual accountability structure to prevent any aberrations from the ideal. I am certain that such a leader would not starve for very long. I could see a great upwelling of generosity providing a whole host of new ministries.

George H. Epp is a member of Sardis Community Church in Chilliwack, B.C.

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Last modified August 13, 2002.

© 2002 Mennonite Brethren Herald.
Published by the Canadian Conference of MB Churches.
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