Should Pastors Be Fairly Paid?
Paul writes to Timothy: "The elders who direct the affairs of the church well are worthy of double honour, especially those whose work is preaching and teaching. For Scripture says, 'Do not muzzle an ox while it is treading out the grain,' and 'The worker deserves his wages.'" (1 Timothy 5:17-18)
I remember feeling very uncomfortable preaching on this passage last year! I didn't want to be accused of using the pulpit to try and bump my salary. If there’s one thing I despise it is when ministers coerce people into giving them more money by promising them more blessing if they give more. That sort of thing is evil.
What Does "Double Honour" Really Mean?
These are the types who take the phrase "worthy of double honour" which Paul uses here to mean that pastors should get at least double an average salary. That is rubbish! The point here is not that the minister must be rich. If you ever find yourself at a church where the minister seems to be pursuing riches... run for your life! Unfortunately, many churches shower their minister with riches, and that is certainly wrong.
On the other hand, if you're ever at a church where the minister seems proud of being poor, that's dangerous too. An elder, Paul says, should be fairly compensated for the work he or she does.
Why Fair Pay Goes Hand in Hand With Hard Work
Notice how Paul ties this to work. The two Old Testament Scriptures he quotes are pictures of hard work – an ox treading out grain and a worker earning his wages. If your minister is working hard, spending time preparing well-researched and Spirit-led messages from Scripture, and caring and visiting and calling and messaging and counselling the flock... be fair, and compensate him or her rightly.
Unfortunately this isn't always the case with ministers. Someone once wrote in a magazine called The Atlantic that the ministry is "the one profession which a lazy, incompetent or unprincipled man can exploit for his own advantage and through which he can bluff his way for a lifetime."
That’s even more likely now in the age of Artificial Intelligence. I do use AI in some ways, but never to create teaching or preaching material for myself. I believe that this would be unethical. Ministers should preach and teach and use the tools at their disposal to help them, but not to do the work for them.
Saying Thank You to Those Who Care for You
When you bring your tithe or your offering to your church community, it’s only fair that a portion of it go to the minister who is leading the church through preaching and pastoral care.
Of course, in many cases these days, we have ‘bi-vocational’ ministers, who take a smaller stipend from their church but then also work a job during the week. My church blesses me with one day every week to spend here in the studio, and your donations for my music and devotional ministry online allows me to care for my family without over-burdening my church. Thank you!
Whoever your minister is, follow Paul’s words here. Care for them by providing a fair wage for the work they do. It's the godly thing to do, and it's your responsibility as a churchgoer.
Paul says a church should honour its hard-working ministers with fair compensation. Think of someone who serves you spiritually, and do something practical this week to bless them.