How Much Do Pastors Make?
According to the 2006 Compensation Handbook for Church Staff (Amazon), the average US pastor makes $77,096 per year. As you would expect, the single largest factor determining that amount is the number of regular attenders.
Excluding insurance and educational benefits, senior pastors with a worship attendance of more than 1,000 people made an average of $111,052. That’s 73 percent more than the $64,266 paid to pastors with a worship attendance of 300 people or fewer.
Many megachurch pastors make much more—into the millions—usually from TV ministries or book sales.
Some of these pastors have found creative ways to keep their salaries in check. Joel Osteen (Wikipedia | Theopedia) no longer receives his $200,000 salary from Lakewood Church, and has chosen to live off the money he makes from his book, which I’d guess is still no small amount.
I’ve heard that John MacArthur (Wikipedia | Theopedia) takes the opposite approach and lives off a modest salary from Grace Community Church, while giving all the proceeds from his books to Grace to You Ministries.
Megachurch pastor Rick Warren (Wikipedia | Theopedia) makes a huge amount of money, but in addition to not receiving a salary from his Saddleback Church, he paid the church back for 25 years worth of salaries and does what he calls reverse tithing: he keeps 10% and gives 90%.1
The Warrens have vowed never to change their lifestyle. They have lived in the same house for 16 years. Warren drives the same Ford truck he had before the book came out. And he owns the same two suits.
Antioch Community Church in Waco, TX takes an unusual approach. All church staff members make a base annual salary of $26,400 with an additional $4800 for a spouse and $3300 for each child—up to four—living at home.
“We believe that we’ll have greater integrity with our people if we’re living off a salary that is similar to what most of the people in our church earn,” Abshire said. “It’s easier to preach about finances when the pastor has as much faith-need for God to provide as the congregation does.”
Read the whole report at The Baptist Standard.
Notes- Cf. the interview with Rick Warren by David Kuo of BeliefNet. [↩ back]
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Frank Sansone
Phil,
I find Antioch’s situation intriguiging. I was wondering if you knew if that salary was in addition to a parsonage or housing allowance or if that figure was the total package.
Frank
Aug 26th, 2007 11:36 pm
Phil Gons
Frank, I don’t if their are other benefits or not. I’d assume so. This is all the article says,
You could contact one of their pastors for more information.
Aug 28th, 2007 9:44 am
Frank Sansone
Thanks, Phil.
I have contacted them. I will see if I get a response.
Frank
Aug 28th, 2007 12:59 pm
Phil Gons
You’re welcome, Frank. Let me know what you find out, if you are able to share it.
Aug 28th, 2007 1:00 pm
pastor Dr Salik John
Lot of Greetings in Jesus name!
Dear Brother and True Prophet!
How are you? I hope that you will be in good health there by the grace of God, I am Pastor Dr Salik John founder and Chairman, of Ambassador of God Ministries in Pakistan, when I was visiting your web site I observed your ministry work and impressed by your working efficiency and took blessing by reading the details of your ministry work, really it was very appreciating, and wonderful amazing activity that you perform for the purpose of preaching of Gospel of Jesus Christ. Glory to God and praise the Lord.
God has given to me many gifts to do his precious work of saving the souls for his kingdom. God also has given to me a wonderful vision for the working of ministry.
We are performing many different activities according to the vision of God, which has granted to us.
There are various different activities in our ministry that we want you explain to you.
(1): Help and Care of Widows and orphans:
First of all I want to tell you about the programs that are organized by our ministry in December at the famous Christmas festival. By arranging these programs we help the widows by giving clothes food and some other requirements of life. We also help the orphans and father less by giving free syllabus books of different classes. We join these poor people in our happiness at this wonderful festival birth of Jesus Christ, we pray with these peoples together, and also worship the lord. In every year we arrange this type of program at Christmas in December.
We also arrange this type of other program in Easter; we take financial support by different up grade Government officials, officers and authorities. And also by the Christian Community Love offerings, you can visit or web site to observed all these things by Pictures.
(2): House Churches Ministries:
Our house churches ministries spared in different areas, we have made 500 house churches in different areas, and we want to make 1000 to 5000 house churches. It’s the vision of our ministry, 30 Pastors are working for this purpose in our ministry, and we are also giving 25$ to all Pastors.
(3): Children’s Ministries:
We have small Children’s ministry and 200 children’s are coming to learn Biblical teachings, and to coming to get the adult Education, mostly Children’s are poor and they can not offered study expenses, that’s way we are teach the free of cost, because they are not many in numbers, they are few, that’s way we can mange them, teachers are teaching these children’s.
(4): Sunday School Ministry:
Our Sunday school ministry is working very well; we made different strategy to teach the Sunday school Children’s by applying these Strategies. We teach several Bible stories to them, like the story of David, and Abraham, and Joseph and also the story of Jesus Christ. 230 students are the part of our Sunday school ministry, and 5 female teachers are teaching to them.
(5): Youth Ministry:
The basic purpose of working youth ministry is to arrange the programs, crusades and seminars easily. And we can mange easily all thinks by all the youth members. And other purpose is to pray for the sick peoples and for the Pastors, and for the inside country and outside counter. We have 20 members in our youth ministry.
(6): Working in Rural areas:
We are also working in rural areas. Because some Pastors don’t like to go in rural areas, because it’s a different job, but by the grace of God, our some Pastors are visiting there type of areas,
I have Prayer that Lord sends you in Pakistan as soon as possible.
Jun 18th, 2009 3:35 pm
Dave
Are we paying our pastor too much? Our congregation is about 350-400. Our pastor receives a salary of about 100,000 a year plus housing, health, dental, retirement, etc. Wehn we first started attending there were 2 services on Sunday and one on Sunday evening and no mid-week services or stuides at all. He was doing couseling as well. We now have cut out Sunday evening services in leu of small groups and still have no mid-week services/studies and he is not doing any substantial counseling any longer. He also appears out of the loop on many things going on especially when it comes to outreach. We have very very few weddings, funerals-its been years and right now no ill or elderly in care facilities to visit.
Jul 20th, 2009 5:27 pm
Leonard
Tithing is easy to understand. Someone has to pay for the operating costs of a church. Mortgage companies, insurance companies, electric companies, heating oil companies, sewer companies, water companies, phone companies, and hardware stores operate don’t accept faith as payment.
Aug 20th, 2009 1:42 pm
Granella Thompson
Our church is going through financial difficulty, and we are facing spending 0 on missions and on building maintenance. I think the pastor needs to not be paid quite so much. Our church attendance averages 35 a week. He gets $34,500, utilities, medical insurance, retirement, medical reimbursement on the deductible, travel, plus4-bedroom house. This is not a wealthy area at all.
Thank you
Granella
Nov 16th, 2009 8:44 pm