Just in case anyone wanted to know.
Don't like it or don't believe it? Gotta be too high? Then argue with GuideStone whose is easy to understand and use.
The sum of $56,845 is for all full time senior pastors who responded to the survey in states where almost all of the SBC churches are located. It is what was reported as salary payments, housing allowance payments, and fair rental value of church owned housing but not including retirement or insurance payments.The figure does not include accountable reimbursement payments or what is generally called automobile allowance.
We are not all that poorly paid, on average.
For those senior pastors who live in church owned housing, it is appropriate to include the fair rental value as part of his compensation. Five years ago I would have said that including the fair rental value gave a distorted result, since living in a pastorium was a liability in the sense that the pastor is forced to forego building equity in his own home. Building equity in real estate? What a quaint thought.
The average teacher salary in my state, Georgia, is $52,815.
The average registered nurse salary in my state is about $61,000.
The average police officer pay is just under $50,000.
For those who think we are worth more, I don't disagree but would simply say that market forces are at work for us just like everyone else.
Answer this: Do you know of a church that needs a pastor and is offering a compensation package near the SBC average? How many viable candidates are available to that church? Probably dozens and dozens, ministers figuratively lining up to be considered. If a church has a thick stack of resumes there is not much incentive to increase the compensation package. The pastor candidate who asks for a good sum above the average will likely not find a receptive committee.
Perhaps Obama could issue an executive order that repeals the law of supply and demand.
Of course our $56,845 annual salary doesn't include intangibles such as being loved and appreciated by everyone.
Oh, one note from the compensation study: Over the past 16 years (and the study has been conducted every two years) compensation for ministers and church has increased at a rate higher than the rate of inflation.
Not all news is bad news.
[And I suspect that most SBC pastors who have several dependents and whose spouse earns no income will pay no income tax (but a ton of SECA tax) and will do a bit of head scratching over Romney's inelegant comments now made public) but that discussion is more appropirate for the Politics and Socialism Forum, not here.]