I was quite shocked recently to see an advertisement posted by a church seeking a youth pastor, with the salary set at nearly $60,000.

I was always under the impression being a church pastor was not for the money, but for compassion, commitment to the role, serving God and supporting the wider community.

It seems I was wrong. There are people in other roles that earn less than $60,000 and these people are in service provision roles, helping people every day such as carers, people with disabilities and those with medical conditions.

One could argue a church pastor is also a serving role, but surely someone taking on the role if truly committed to the role and the Bible would simply receive a stipend covering their basic costs of living and maybe things donated by others part of their religion?

I did not realise church pastors were earning this much money (and there would be some no doubt on higher amounts). I am now left feeling some religions now only seem only focused on the dollar sign and not much else.

Does the youth pastor have a wife / husband and kids and a car and rent or home repayments, and registration, insurance, cost of schooling, birthdays and christmas and all the things normal people have?

Or are they supposed to single, celibate, never marry, have no kids, live in their car in the church carpark and eat from the soup kitchen?

What sort of a youth pastor would one be if they don't have any kids?
$1200 a week probably only barely covers basic expenses.

What a damn silly question. Manna from heaven hasn’t been available since the Israelites stopped wandering around in the desert.

Hi NathanJ,
Sorry if I came across a little blunt.
$1200 a week before tax isn't really a huge amount.
Look at some of these other church leaders, raking in millions and living the high life with private jets and all sorts of wealth.
They're not living a life of service with only basic costs of living.
Kenneth Copeland has several private jets as well as a private airstrip and hanger to to park them.
Some may even believe that being wealthy is Gods blessing.

Fun Fact: Before he was elected for a second term, Donald Trump was signing and selling bibles.
http://godblesstheusabible.com/

Hi Nathan,

From first hand knowledge,

"with the salary set at nearly $60,000." I think you are behind the times there a little. The cost to a parish for a full time priest is more like $125,000 pa. Made up of $85,000 salary plus supa, a rectory (house), car, petrol account, mobile phone, insurance. And those costs are not met by the diocese (Bishop) but by the parishioners themselves. Also the parish is expected to pay the upkeep costs of the parish, although the diocese has ownership of the church precinct (land and buildings) also the local parishes contribute towards the running costs of the diocese. On top of that the parish also pays admin costs associated with the parish, a part time office person if required, and maybe a part time cleaner as well.

Unless of course you are that Hillsong church, which I believe is not a church at all in Australia, but 17 registered charities (very profitable).

A Christian minister needs a Bachelor degree in Theology or Ministry. Three years full time study.

The average stipend received by a minister is $60k - $70k. Not huge in this day and age.

It is not a 9-5 job, and there is much more to it than preaching a sermon on Sundays. Weddings and funerals. Counselling. Charity work. Committees. Involvement in community affairs. If he/she has a spouse, the spouse is also expected to provide voluntary services in the parish.

Now, you might regard the bricks and mortar of religion as just another bureaucracy, and people in ‘dog collars’ bureaucrats, but that is another matter.

Ministering to Christians, and often non-Christians, is a professional ‘proper job’. It’s gob smacking that anyone could be so naive as to think that it is something else, and that being paid to do it is wrong. It’s good that God has mercy on idiots too.