Pastor = Job

You would think it was more than a job. A calling, a ministry, but then again we all can minster others in our job places. A minister/pastor has more of a responsibility though as he needs to be an example to his/her flock and help them to grow in the Lord.

How many pastors would continue to 'do what they do' if they didn't get paid for it?

We are supposed to 'work with our hands' and then 'be ready to give and answer to anyone who talks with us'. We are already priests, and we are the temple (GOD is in us).

If all the saints started to believe that they have the 'goods' inside (SPIRIT), and start to reach out in LOVE to their family and people around them, and give them (not judgement and anger) but GRACE - we wouldn't need pastors.

-eric

ezeric said:

How many pastors would continue to 'do what they do' if they didn't get paid for it?

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Many, if they could still feed their families. The pay isn't about the pay. . . . people who work for money do the best paying thing they can do given their education. The average compensation for clergy in the US is $44,140. Do ya seriously think someone who has 96 or more credit hours of Masters-level education typically gets that little? For one, in most fields that would be two masters degrees or a PhD. $44k or so is enough to survive with a family and pay off student loans while looking somewhat professional. Then too, know that clergy's finances are open to the church board/ vestry/ etc and they are expected to be giving to the church/ charitably as an example. . . so you know, knock 10% or so off the top.

I am not saying their aren't some bad apples out there, but failing to account for where their pay fall relative to others of similar education paints a disingenuous picture.

He said the typical, "It was a calling" answer. Later, there was a hint of annoyance in his voice when he answered, "It's just a job." He seemed a bit flustered as well.

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Context is important. I can easily imagine giving the "typical" answer in venues where someone typically asks it. I can also imagine giving the "its just a job" answer if it is felt the person asking is badgering, trying to work an angle/ being manipulative, having imagination about priestly superpowers or some other "please make it stop" encounter.

It's a calling. You're in a unique position of spiritual influence and leadership over others' souls, and will be held to a higher standard when you stand before God (Hebrews 13:17). Anyone who pastors just to get a paycheck (and I've known quite a few) are doing themselves and their congregation a disservice.

ezeric said:

How many pastors would continue to 'do what they do' if they didn't get paid for it?

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How would you expect them to live? How would they pay for housing, food, clothing, their bills? Pastoring (properly, I should say) is a full time job. These men don't work one hour a week on Sunday morning and that's it. They spend their days studying, writing sermons, attending trainings, counseling, visiting the sick and imprisoned, going on missions trips, and so much more. I'm sure there are "this is just a job" pastors out there who don't give much of a hoot during their off-Sunday hours and who knows what they do in their spare time. But those aren't true pastors of God's children, IMO.

Jupiter Drops said:

I had a pastor I respected in the past. One time, I asked him what it was like to be a pastor. He was calm at first, trying to figure out what to say to me. He said the typical, "It was a calling" answer. Later, there was a hint of annoyance in his voice when he answered, "It's just a job." He seemed a bit flustered as well.

Is being a pastor just a job, or is there so much more to it?

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There is much more to it. The hours are unpredictable and it requires much time. Sometimes it is very hard on the family of pastors as well. But God does give strength to those he calls into this ministry.

There is nothing magic about it. It requires hard work and, in that sense, it surely is a job. Most pastors I know are very blessed to be in that position although it is not easy. They are human and have problems such as we all do. Good not to put them up on pedestals but do lift them up in our prayers always remembering they have their authority to pastor from God who truly has called them into the ministry of caring and leading the sheep.

I would say the answer is both. Yes it is a job but also a job that one should be called to do. I have known ministers who have worked as well as pastor a church. He gave up the first job that included a saab company car which as a former rally driver he loved. He gave up the job because he took him away from church work far too often for his liking. Of course he did have the reality that he had a wife and daughter to care for. A daughter who had been removed from school and was being home schooled to assist with cutting back expenses. he then got a job locally managing a charity store which even allowed him to do a little bit of church work while at the store.

To those who question the amount they are paid should remember the reality is that congregations can be spread over large areas where they can be required to visit at a moments notice. One time a number of people were on a retreat and the minister got a phone call 6am from person looking after church that weekend. He grabbed his belongings and took off for the two hour drive to be with a family in need. If he had used public transport it could have taken up to five hours including waiting time. So I think a car is reasonable. If you can buy a $40k car that will last for twenty years instead of buying two $25k cars in the same twenty years I have no problem with having the flashier expensive car. Sometimes paying more upfront is cheaper in the long term. One pastor I know spent almost $10k on study material and books for giving away to those who would benefit from them in one year. His allowance in his pay for purchasing this stuff was $2k a year. So he spent far more than the church reimbursed him for and more than expected. He also had a friend who was a car dealer and gave him a car at half price every two years so he always had a fairly new car which was reliable and reduced maintenance costs. Nothing is ever that straightforward.

ezeric said:

How many pastors would continue to 'do what they do' if they didn't get paid for it?

We are supposed to 'work with our hands' and then 'be ready to give and answer to anyone who talks with us'. We are already priests, and we are the temple (GOD is in us).

If all the saints started to believe that they have the 'goods' inside (SPIRIT), and start to reach out in LOVE to their family and people around them, and give them (not judgement and anger) but GRACE - we wouldn't need pastors.

-eric

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Hi Eric, it has already been said here, but I think the better question is "how many pastors COULD continue to do what they do if they didn't get paid for it" .. They have families to feed and clothe, and bills that must be paid, just like the rest of us.

The Lord, speaking through Paul, admonishes us to:

Let the elders who rule well 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​

It is also important to remember what the Disciples said in Acts 6:

In those days, when the number of disciples was increasing, the Grecian Jews among them complained against the Hebraic Jews because their widows were being overlooked in the daily distribution of food. So the Twelve gathered all the disciples together and said, “It would not be right for us to neglect the ministry of the word of God in order to wait on tables. Brothers, choose seven men from among you who are known to be full of the Spirit and wisdom. We will turn this responsibility over to them and will give our attention to prayer and the ministry of the word.” Acts 6:1-4​

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It seems clear then that God intends that special attention should be paid to the understanding and teaching of His Word, and that the men He calls into this ministry should be paid well for their full-time service to His Kingdom. Of course, as Max Shade pointed out for us above, pastors will have to settle for just getting paid as their salaries, for the most part, can hardly be expressed in terms that denote some sort of "double honor" for all that they do for us. Rather, it seems to me they put in twice the hours, with twice the stress, for 1/2 the pay.

I don't know about you, but I am forever grateful to God that he has blessed us with such men, overseers who make the ministry of prayer and the Word of God their profession. These men are able to do what the rest of us can only dream of, spend their entire workday devoted to growing in the knowledge and understanding of God and His Word so that they can bless us with that which the Lord is teaching to them.

Yours and His,
David

Sure its a job. You shake hands all week and speak for a few hours on Sunday. There is a science to it. That is why they take so long in school. If God called people to be pastors and that was it then they wouldn't have all those pastor schools.

Inkachu said:

It's a calling. You're in a unique position of spiritual influence and leadership over others' souls, and will be held to a higher standard when you stand before God (Hebrews 13:17). Anyone who pastors just to get a paycheck (and I've known quite a few) are doing themselves and their congregation a disservice.

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It is BOTH.
It is BOTH a calling AND a job.

MrLuther said:

It is BOTH.
It is BOTH a calling AND a job.

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Any particular reason you feel the need to shout at me via caps? lol

You can tack on the "job" if you want to, but my point is that it cannot be a job without being a calling first. Being a pastor just to get a paycheck is pointless and futile IMO.

Autumnleaf said:

Sure its a job. You shake hands all week and speak for a few hours on Sunday. There is a science to it. That is why they take so long in school. If God called people to be pastors and that was it then they wouldn't have all those pastor schools.

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The freakin' ignorance is strong in this one.
Maybe he's a victim of a "pastor" whose only qualification is charisma and a sharp tongue.
He (the pastor) knows jack manure about anything, and is so inbred that he is blind in one eye, and has an extra arm growing out his stomach, but BOY he sure is a KJV 1611-purist, and "if KJV 1611 was good enough for John the Baptist, it's good enough for me!"
Hey, if that's all you want, I'm sure the Moonies have a new guy by now. Or what about the WBC?

Inkachu said:

Any particular reason you feel the need to shout at me via caps? lol

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In all communication, there is such a thing as "emphasis". This can be expressed in several ways - one of those is typing select individual words with capital letters.
Glad I could expand your apparently limited horizon just a bit

Inkachu said:

You can tack on the "job" if you want to, but my point is that it cannot be a job without being a calling first. Being a pastor just to get a paycheck is pointless and futile IMO.

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Where have I written anything that contradicts this?

It's a job like a church is a business (with tax-exempt prophets).

"And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; 12 For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ:" Eph 4:11-12

ezeric said:

How many pastors would continue to 'do what they do' if they didn't get paid for it?

We are supposed to 'work with our hands' and then 'be ready to give and answer to anyone who talks with us'. We are already priests, and we are the temple (GOD is in us).

If all the saints started to believe that they have the 'goods' inside (SPIRIT), and start to reach out in LOVE to their family and people around them, and give them (not judgement and anger) but GRACE - we wouldn't need pastors.

-eric

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I know plenty that don't get paid or others that barely get paid to me that is the best.

Jupiter Drops said:

... Later, there was a hint of annoyance in his voice when he answered, "It's just a job." He seemed a bit flustered as well.

Is being a pastor just a job, or is there so much more to it?

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I have to wonder if he answered you that way because he didn't want to complain? I don't know into which category of relationship you were in with this pastor, but we tend to answer people differently according to what category of relationship they fall into. There are answers we give acquaintances answers we give confidants, and answers we give people that we just don't know.

Think about how you answer the simple question "How are you?". I answer this question differently depending on who is asking.
To acquaintances I may answer "It's okay. I won't complain." Then they smile and move on.
To confidants I may answer "I'm ventilating and vertical, that's about the best I can say today." They nod in the understanding of knowing how my life is, offer to pray, smile and move on. Or, they'll ask for detail because they really want to know.
And to people I don't know I may smile and answer "It's all good." They'll smile back and move on.
The same goes when people ask me what it's like to be a nurse. My answer varies, depending on who's asking. To aspiring nurses or potential students, they'll get the whole - good, bad and ugly - picture. If it's an elderly person who loves nurses asking, I'll give a more flowery picture. For children, I'll give a simple, concrete, "I like to help people." type of answer.

Being a nurse is a job, but it's so much more. Would I do it without a salary? Yes, because I do. I can't tell you how many times I've been pulled aside, or pulled into a bathroom, and asked "You're a nurse, right?" Or, the pastor will send someone my way to talk, or send me somewhere to check on someone. I don't get paid for those situations, nor would I dream of asking for anything in return. I just do it because being a nurse is as much a part of me as being a Christian, a wife, or a mom.

I know there are pastors out there that are only in it for the money, but there are so many more who aren't. I have to wonder if this pastor didn't want to make all pastors look bad, by speaking about the negative aspects of the job? Maybe he saw something in you that had potential, like maybe serving in the ministry in some aspect, and didn't want to discourage you? So, he caught himself, just in time, so as not to be discouraging.

Where's the zeal of someone claiming to be a pastor, but only views it as a job?

Jonathan95 said:

Where's the zeal of someone claiming to be a pastor, but only views it as a job?

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The "zeal" is in the honeymoon phase, which only lasts a couple of years.