Wednesday, December 28, 2022
Having recently re-thinking my paltry donations as a fixed-income retiree, to various Christian ministries, I came across Ken's article on "Salary Gluttons" of a year ago, and it was most enlightening, especially as to the exhaustive research seemingly behind it, giving me much to consider. As a preacher's kid (PK), I knew what the average pastor got; my father never made more than $35,000 a year in salary, his last year in ministry, 1984. But God provided wonderfully throughout his career, and we never felt poor. I came to realize Paul's words, as Ken includes them in this article, as to giving, and I find myself reminding people in the evangelical church that a pastor's salary should not be based on his ability, for Paul worked at his craft as a tentmaker everywhere he went. He appreciated donations but from what we know from the epistles, he did not solicit them. When people ask me "Just how much SHOULD a pastor make?" I am glad to reply that in the spirit and context of servanthood, no more than the average salary in his congregation - something not at all hard to ascertain via a yearly anonymous survey of household incomes in his church. And the same thing goes, I believe, for all members of Congress: no more salary than the average income of the constituents in their districts; thus, no two members would be making the same salary. Servanthood is servanthood, be it in the church or public sector based on taxes. But Ken's research has enlightened and convicted me all the more. I will be sharing it with others and, no doubt because of his effort therein, making changes to the ministries to which I have been donating for many years.
