Should Pastors Be Paid?

The debate over whether pastors should be paid or not is a sensitive one. Some Christians believe that since the position of pastor is one of service, those who fill the role should not receive a salary. Others play up the role of the pastor in the church and maintain that those who fill this role should be properly compensated.

There are a few key points that should be considered when debating this matter. In the present-day church model, the role of a pastor is not an easy one. Pastors are responsible for the spiritual lives of their congregants and must often work long hours. They also have to prepare and deliver sermons, counsel members of their congregation, perform weddings and funerals, and oversee various church activities.

To discern the Biblical position concerning this issue, it is important to study the relevant passages in their original context and consider the historical and cultural background of the time in which they were written.

Historical context

Most of the congregations in the early church lacked the wherewithal to pay for a full-time pastor. Paul the Apostle attests to the limited resources of the early church:

“Brothers and sisters, think of what you were when you were called. Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth. But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. God chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things—and the things that are not —to nullify the things that are, so that no one may boast before him” – 1 Corinthians 1:26-29 (NIV).

Many church congregations weren’t able to financially sustain itinerant preachers or help fellow struggling churches (1 Thessalonians 2:9; Philippians 4:10–15). In the early church, leaders weren’t typically compensated on a full-time basis. There is no historical evidence to show that they were paid a full-time salary sufficient to cover their financial demands and commitments. They occasionally, however, received presents of food, clothing, and even some monetary support.

Qualifications for a pastor

Paul lists key qualifications for church leaders, and I wish to highlight three of them.

“Here is a trustworthy saying: Whoever aspires to be an overseer desires a noble task. Now the overseer is to be above reproach, faithful to his wife, temperate, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, not given to drunkenness, not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome, not a lover of money. He must manage his own family well and see that his children obey him, and he must do so in a manner worthy of full respect. (If anyone does not know how to manage his own family, how can he take care of God’s church?) He must not be a recent convert, or he may become conceited and fall under the same judgment as the devil. He must also have a good reputation with outsiders so that he will not fall into disgrace and into the devil’s trap” – 1 Timothy 3:1-7 (NIV).

• Someone aspiring to be a pastor must be hospitable

The early church’s concept of hospitality comprised welcoming and entertaining visitors in a way that made them feel well cared for. It meant giving visitors the best experience possible through the provision of services and goods, or amenities. When Paul says that the candidate for a pastoral position must be hospitable, he means that the individual should be in a financial position to make visitors who come to his residence comfortable in every way. This is what we see Abraham doing in Genesis 18:1–8. Jesus Himself regularly received hospitality from sinners and tax collectors who provided Him with meals. In Luke 9, He sends out His twelve disciples without provisions, purposely asking them to rely on the hospitality of others.

So we see that not only must the candidate for church leadership have the willingness to welcome and serve others with kindness and generosity, he must also have the financial resources to actualize his hospitality. James asks the question: “What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save them?  Suppose a brother or a sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to them, “Go in peace; keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about their physical needs, what good is it? In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead” – James 2:14-17 (NIV). In effect, Paul told Timothy, “Don’t pick a broke, jobless person for the position of pastor.”

• Someone aspiring to be a pastor must manage his own family well

The Greek word used here for “manage” is the word “proistēmi” which means “to preside, maintain, to be over, or to rule.” Managing a household requires resources. From budgeting and grocery shopping, paying rent, medical, and school fees, to cleaning and maintenance, managing a household can be a complex task that requires energy and organizational skills. The candidate for the position of pastor makes the grade by providing material sustenance to his family. Later in his letter, Paul tells Timothy: “Anyone who does not provide for their relatives, and especially for their own household, has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever” – 1 Timothy 5:8 (NIV).

• Someone aspiring to be a pastor must be able to take care of the church

The Greek word used here for “take care” is “epimeleomai.” It simply means “to care for, physically or otherwise.”

The only other place this word epimeleomai appears is in the story of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:25–37). According to this story, a traveller is beaten, stripped of his clothes, and left for dead on the side of the road. A Levite and later a Jewish priest both approach the man, but neither assists him. Finally, the Samaritan arrives at the scene, applies oil and wine to the traveller’s wounds, and bandaged them. He placed the wounded man on his own animal and took him to an inn. He paid the innkeeper two denarii the following day and said:  “Look after him, and when I return, I will reimburse you for any extra expense you may have” – Luke 10:35 (NIV).

The word epimeleomai as used in the story of the Good Samaritan depicts how a pastor should care for his church. The inclusion of this Greek word in the qualifications of a pastor means that apart from providing spiritual care to the congregation, the pastor should have some level of resources to meet some, if not all, of the material needs of his congregation. Being financially stable allows the pastor to be more generous and charitable toward others.

Let us also consider the word “pastor.” It is derived from the Latin word for “shepherd,” emphasizing the role of the pastor as a guide and protector of his flock or congregation. A shepherd’s primary responsibility is to look after his flock of sheep. This includes providing food and shelter, protecting the animals from predators, tending to their medical needs, monitoring their grazing, and transporting them to various grazing grounds.

Biblical model

The question must be asked: if pastors are to work to sustain themselves and their families, how can they find time to carry out their pastoral duties? Let us again examine the Biblical church model for answers.

• Church leadership

The biblical model of a church congregation does not envisage a situation where a single pastor acts as the sole dominant head honcho of a congregation. Church services in the New Testament were under the management of elders (plural), not an individual (Acts 14:23; Acts 15:4; Acts 20:17, 28; 1 Timothy 5:17; Titus 1:5; James 5:14; 1 Peter 5:1-4).

We always find elders (plural) in the New Testament churches.  These elders were born again, respected men in the church who provided guidance and spiritual oversight to the community. They were often chosen based on their wisdom, experience, and faithfulness. Each congregation should be under the leadership of a team of elders.

In Acts 20, when Paul was bidding farewell to the Ephesian church and wanted to deliver his last instructions, he called the church’s elders. “From Miletus, Paul sent to Ephesus for the elders of the church” – Acts 20:17 (NIV). If the present model of a senior pastor being in charge of a congregation is the Biblical one, why didn’t Paul call for the senior pastor of the Ephesian church? The answer is simple: the Biblical model does not put a single senior pastor in charge of the congregation but rather a team of elders.

• Church care

According to the Biblical model, the task of caring for the congregation is not just shared among the elders; most of the work is carried out by the congregants themselves. Members of congregations are the ones most intimately involved in each other’s lives and can provide the necessary support and care. Additionally, this approach fosters a sense of community and encourages members to take an active role in the well-being of their fellow congregants. The New Testament is full of instructions for congregants to actively care for one another. Here are some of those verses:

“A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another” – John 13:34-35 (NIV).

“My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you” – John 15:12 (NIV).

“Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ” – Galatians 6:2 (NIV).

“We who are strong ought to bear with the failings of the weak and not to please ourselves” – Romans 15:1 (NIV).

“Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves” – Romans 12:10 (NIV).

“Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others” – Philippians 2:3-4 (NIV).

“Keep on loving one another as brothers and sisters” – Hebrews 13:1 (NIV).

“Now that you have purified yourselves by obeying the truth so that you have sincere love for each other, love one another deeply, from the heart” – 1 Peter 1:22 (NIV).

The Biblical church model avoids the scenario where a team of pastors is burdened with the care of an entire congregation. Instead, it points to a more communal approach to spiritual guidance and support, with each member of the congregation, under the leadership of plural elders, taking an active role in supporting one another. This easily leads to a stronger sense of community and shared responsibility within the church.

In the current church model, congregants exercise care and concern vicariously through the senior pastors, visitation pastors, youth pastors, associate pastors, administrative pastors, family pastors, etc.; the list is almost endless. Of course, since the position of pastor in the present institutional church is a paying position, the church has come up with all these variations to accommodate the many theological job seekers who wish to join the gravy train. And since this model effectively transfers the care of the congregants to these salaried pastors, the congregation loses touch with one another and eventually grows cold toward one another.

• Church services

The Biblical church model does not countenance a single individual, in this case, the pastor, dominating a church service. In the current church model, the pastor is the presiding officer at church gatherings. He is the one who delivers all sermons, distributes the bread and cup, dedicates the infants, and offers the closing benediction. In truth, the tenuous reliance on his ability to deliver sermons is what keeps many churches together.

Paul makes it clear that the Spirit of God gives His gifts to different members of the congregation and not exclusively to a single individual.

“There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit distributes them. There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. There are different kinds of working, but in all of them and in everyone it is the same God at work. Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good. To one there is given through the Spirit a message of wisdom, to another a message of knowledge by means of the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by that one Spirit, to another miraculous powers, to another prophecy, to another distinguishing between spirits, to another speaking in different kinds of tongues, and to still another the interpretation of tongues. All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he distributes them to each one, just as he determines” – 1 Corinthians 12:4-11 (NIV).

In view of this, participation in early church services was open to all under the leadership of elders and the guidance of the Holy Spirit. Everyone with a special message or insight from the Lord was welcome to share it. This gave believers the chance to deepen their relationship with God and their community of faith.

“What then shall we say, brothers and sisters? When you come together, each of you has a hymn, or a word of instruction, a revelation, a tongue or an interpretation. Everything must be done so that the church may be built up” – 1 Corinthians 14:26 (NIV).

The prosperity gospel

The present church’s violation of the Biblical model for the church has necessitated the prosperity gospel. Contrary to Paul’s directive that pastors must first be in a position to sustain themselves and their families, churches consistently employ jobless Bible College graduates to serve as ministers.

In their desperation to meet their daily financial needs and those of their families, these preachers have jettisoned the true gospel and have fashioned a false gospel that promises them material gain. In this false gospel, the accumulation of wealth is seen as a sign of God’s favour and blessings, rather than spiritual growth and obedience. The prosperity gospel allows preachers to exploit their congregants for financial gain. Pastors have adopted the Old Testament tithing system, which is not a requirement in the New Testament, in addition to first fruit offerings, seed planting, and other such gimmicks to weasel out as much cash from the congregation as possible.

Incidents of pastors using manipulative tactics to extract money from vulnerable individuals, and others being caught living lavish lifestyles at the expense of their followers are too frequent. John MacArthur, in his book Strange Fire, writes: “In hawking their gospel of greed, materialism, and self-promotion, Word of Faith teachers have made lucrative careers out of bad theology—backing up their false teachings by twisting the Scriptures or claiming new revelation from God.”

Conclusion

The rejection of the Biblical model for the church and church services has led to doctrinal decay in the body of Christ. Many churches have abandoned traditional teachings and practices in favour of modern and secular approaches whose end goal is to attract a large following rather than grow mature believers.

The sad truth is that the institutional church has used the Gospel to make money by exploiting people. We have more televangelists today than you can shake a stick at who use their platforms to manipulate vulnerable individuals into donating large sums of money, promising them salvation or blessings in return. Products and services are falsely advertised as having divine benefits to congregants who are vulnerable to manipulation and false claims. As a result, greed, materialism, and corruption have become commonplace, and on this account, many people have turned away from the authentic faith.

Contrast this with Jesus’ instructions to His disciples before sending them on an evangelistic mission. “Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse lepers, cast out demons. You received without paying; give without pay. Acquire no gold or silver or copper for your belts, no bag for your journey, or two tunics or sandals or a staff, for the labourer deserves his food” – Matthew 10:8-10 (ESV). In Jesus’ mind, the ministry of the Gospel was not to be a career choice as it is today. Instead, Jesus saw the Gospel as a way of life and a calling to spread the message of God’s love and salvation to all people. He taught His followers not to seek personal gain or fame but rather to humbly serve others and live out his teachings.