pastor's salary and my tithe

[Almighty's humble servant]

And think of the people who could be helped--people who could be brought to Jesus, people who could be fed and clothed and housed--if some of those you have named would receive an average salary, drive average cars, live in average houses and wear average clothing.

Good post brother.

It is abhorrent to take what is God's and hoard it up ourselves.

While i am wholly in favor of a servant of the Church living comfortably and having money to do so without becoming a debt slave, we in the Church must cast aside the thoughts that our servants must be kept to the higher standard of living that it's members enjoy. Instead, a comfort zone for the area should established and the servant should be kept inside that zone.

A Pastor preaching in silicone valley needs only to commute 20 minutes to live in a 400K home, whereas if he instead chose to live next to tori spelling, it would cost him the 1.7 mil for the same modest 2K sq ft home.

The church should look to it's servants to see how we should live, and it's become obvious to me that many of us are simply following in their footsteps, justifying our own greed.

 

[Talen Ortz]

OP, emphasis added:

I work really hard for my money and I want to know my tithe and offerings are truly going to God's work. Thanks.

Does the money still belong to a person, even if the person has tithed or offered it away?

If a pastor is living poorly, how does that reflect to his congregation?
If a pastor is living well, how does that reflect to his congregation?

I think the OP should be proud of the pastor's decent accommodation. Imagine the reverse:

"Our pastor's house disgraces our church. We give generous tithes and offerings, yet the pastor's house is dilapidated, in a 'wrong' neighbourhood. No. We don't subscribe to richness theology, but to be christian one doesn't need to be poor either..."

 

[Almighty's humble servant]

If a pastor is living poorly, how does that reflect to his congregation?

"Our pastor's house disgraces our church. We give generous tithes and offerings, yet the pastor's house is dilapidated, in a 'wrong' neighbourhood. No. We don't subscribe to richness theology, but to be christian one doesn't need to be poor either..."

If I recall, the Lord Jesus made it perfectly CLEAR that His followers needed only be thankful for their daily bread and safe surroundings.
While the "wrong" neighborhood might have a couple dope thugs living nearby, it is still far safer than anyplace Christ Jesus walked through during His ministry.

Let's not mince words here.

I don't think a pastor should live in filth or destitute poverty, but living beyond the national level of comfort is excess.

i'm not jealous that my pastor earns more than I do or that he has a far better boat than I do. In fact, i am quite happy for him. However, he lives at or near the average lower middle class standard of living. He has a comfortable home, a reliable nicer vehicle and a bass boat most would be happy to have. But he saves for his possession and doesnt indebt himself. Nor does he ask for more $$$ to keep up with the Joneses of the congregation.

 

[ptomwebster]

Good post brother.

It is abhorrent to take what is God's and hoard it up ourselves.

While i am wholly in favor of a servant of the Church living comfortably and having money to do so without becoming a debt slave, we in the Church must cast aside the thoughts that our servants must be kept to the higher standard of living that it's members enjoy. Instead, a comfort zone for the area should established and the servant should be kept inside that zone.

A Pastor preaching in silicone valley needs only to commute 20 minutes to live in a 400K home, whereas if he instead chose to live next to tori spelling, it would cost him the 1.7 mil for the same modest 2K sq ft home.

The church should look to it's servants to see how we should live, and it's become obvious to me that many of us are simply following in their footsteps, justifying our own greed.

So you think having the pastor drive 20 +/- miles one way, each day to get to his work is a better plan? How much money will he need for travel expenses? You don't have any idea about what a pastor does on a daily basis do you?

 

[bbbbbbb]

Perhaps it might help if we get a perspective from outside the soft and easy ghetto of the United States. In China most pastors don't have their own home. They cannot afford a home at all or even rent for an apartment. They are itinerant and depend upon Christians for their basic sustenance. As a result, few women are interested in becoming a pastor and far fewer men. The result is a huge dearth of qualified teachers in the Chinese church.

The reason for this problem is that Chinese Christians have a much lower income than American Christians do with the result that the average Chinese church cannot afford to support a pastor and, in fact, does not own or rent a church building.

 

[Almighty's humble servant]

So you think having the pastor drive 20 +/- miles one way, each day to get to his work is a better plan? How much money will he need for travel expenses? You don't have any idea about what a pastor does on a daily basis do you?

Most Americans drive far more than 20 miles to work EVERY day.

Many of us drive that far tot eh grocery.

And yes, I know what responsibilities a pastor must commit to. I don't think it is excessive for a pastor to commute to his office within the church to prepare his sermons. But at the same token, I don't think it excessive for him to have a small office within his home either.

There is a fine line between being in it for money and in it for Gods service. God know which are which. Its up to us to help our brothers and sisters from falling into apostasy, even if they be our pastors.

 

[Archivist]

So you think having the pastor drive 20 +/- miles one way, each day to get to his work is a better plan? How much money will he need for travel expenses? You don't have any idea about what a pastor does on a daily basis do you?

House in expensive area = $1,700,000
House 20 miles away in less expensive area = $400,000

Difference between the two = $1,300,000

Even with the current price of gas you can buy a whole lot of gas for $1,300,000.

BTW, I previously attended a church that was one of three smaller churches served by a single pastor. The pastor easily covered 20 miles daily driving between the churches, and that didn't include trips to the nearest hospital--about 30 miles one-way--for hospital visits.

 

[Albion]

It's hard to defend the parsonage being worth 1.7 million dollars, although I know that bungalows in some parts of California cost half that much. Still, I feel like this is a debate over a situation that's so rare as to not be worth analyzing. There must not be more than one pastor out of a thousand who lives in an house that's worth more than a million dollars.

 

[Lovely Lane]

Exactly where does scripture define who can be a pastor?

The men of the first century said so, that's why. lol
Women were just property, everyone knows that.

RCC
The Archbishop's Residence
1555 North State Parkway
Chicago, Illinois

Send in your pic's of our shepherd's mansions and let's compare. This ought to be fun.

 

[ebia]

The men of the first century said so, that's why. lol
Women were just property, everyone knows that.

RCC
The Archbishop's Residence
1555 North State Parkway
Chicago, Illinois

Send in your pic's of our shepherd's mansions and let's compare. This ought to be fun.

I assume, like say Lambeth Palace or Auckland Castle, that building functions in all sorts of capacities and the actual bishop's residence within it is quite a modest apartment.

 

[Lovely Lane]

1. Residence of: Joyce and Dave Meyer
   Bought: April 27th, 1999
   Purchase Price: About $795,000
   Square Footage: 10,000
   Cost of Improvements: $1.1 Million
   Features: 6 Bedrooms, 5 Bathrooms, Gold Putting Green, Swimming pool, 8 Car Heated and Cooled Garage, Guest House with 2 more bedrooms, Gazebo.
   ​
2. Residence of: Daughter, Sandra McCollom and her husband Steve
   Bought: February 12, 2002
   Purchase Price: $400,000
   Square Footage: About 5,000
   Cost of Improvements: About $250,000
   Features: 4 Bedrooms, 3 full and 2 half Bathrooms, All-Seasons room, Prayer Room, Media Center and a Home Office.
   ​
3. Residence of: Son, David Meyer and his wife Joy Meyer.
   Bought: June 18, 2001
   Purchase Price: $725,000
   Square Footage: 4,000
   Cost of Improvements: Unknown
   Features: 2 Story Colonial, 4 Bedrooms, 2 1/2 Bathrooms, 2 Garages and a Utility Shed
   ​
4. Residence of: Daughter, Laura Holtzmann and her husband Doug
   Bought: March 7, 2001
   Purchase Price: $350,000
   Square Footage: 2,358
   Cost of Improvements: $3,000
   Features: 3 Bedrooms, 2 Bathrooms with a Fireplace.
   ​
5. Residence of: Son, Dan Meyer and his wife Charity
   Bought: Mar 13, 2000
   Purchase Price: About 200,000
   Square Footage: About 2,000
   Cost of Improvements: $33,000
   Features: Brick Ranch With Full Finished Basement​

 

[Lovely Lane]

I assume, like say Lambeth Palace or Auckland Castle, that building functions in all sorts of capacities and the actual bishop's residence within it is quite a modest apartment.

really? a modest apartment, ok, if you say it is. I like modesty.

 

[Lovely Lane]

What a racket it has become....

Inside Edition Investigates TV Preachers Living Like Rock Stars - YouTube

 

[ptomwebster]

What a racket it has become....

Yes and they will pay a heavy, heavy price for it.

 

[Almighty's humble servant]

RCC
The Archbishop's Residence
1555 North State Parkway
Chicago, Illinois

Ive been there and it's quite lovely. Seems that part of the protestant reformation has to do with excesses of the clergy.

As a protestant, it's really no wonder why Martin Luther was so opposed to the heresies abounding with the RCC during his time. And this is but one example of the highly visible heresy of building kingdoms for gods on earth. ROFL.

 

[Almighty's humble servant]

What a racket it has become....

Inside Edition Investigates TV Preachers Living Like Rock Stars - YouTube

Sadly, these are only the one's we see living far beyond their needs.

What angers me most, is not that they are wealthy or have enough money to live 1000 comfortable lives, but rather, the money they waste on this lavish lifestyle could easily end the the starvation of millions across the globe, easily.

Yeah, some of the money we give goes to the impoverished. It does. But shouldn't the percentage be far higher than it is? Should the pastor receive his salary AFTER, and ONLY AFTER the needs of the poor and downtrodden are met?

We, as the church have fallen into apostasy. It is no wonder so many of us believe the church, or the apostate church is likened to the harlot of bablyon. Drunk with power on the blood of the saints, and adorning herself in fine lines and all precious things. Well......her day will come as the Lord lays waste to her and all inside her.

 

[ptomwebster]

Hi everyone- hoping this falls under theology. I am seeking answers to a current topic I am studying. I believe that pastors should be taken very good care of and that they deserve to be comfortable and well paid. However, I just found out my pastor lives in a $1,700,000 house, etc, etc and I look at needs in our church and ministries within it and wonder if this is godly. Part of me says, "look at Solomon" and part of me is disappointed. Any guidance on scriptures to support this extravagance? I work really hard for my money and I want to know my tithe and offerings are truly going to God's work. Thanks.

Has anyone noticed that the OP poster has never returned to the board. This post was just a set up to start an argument. The topic should be closed and the poster banned.

 

[Lovely Lane]

Has anyone noticed that the OP poster has never returned to the board. This post was just a set up to start an argument. The topic should be closed and the poster banned.

why, there is no argument to it, avarice, is the issue.

 

[revanneosl]

When I was a young pastor, an older man in my church, a leader of the loud opinionated sort told me approvingly that he knew I'd be a good pastor because I drove a modest automobile.

He drove a Cadillac.

 

[Almighty's humble servant]

When I was a young pastor, an older man in my church, a leader of the loud opinionated sort told me approvingly that he knew I'd be a good pastor because I drove a modest automobile.

He drove a Cadillac.

Not a very good way to judge character, but in hindsight, methinks he was likely correct. You have a bright light shining for the Lord.

Keep on making disciples sister.