Pastors

A recent study has revealed a shameful truth about the American church: the average pastor earns just $10,348 a year well below the federal poverty line with 14% earning under $6,000 and only 5% receiving more than $15,000. Meanwhile, truck drivers, electricians, lawyers, and dentists earn many times more, showing plainly that church members demand much from their pastors while valuing them little. Scripture, however, commands the opposite: faithful ministers who labor in Word and doctrine are to be counted worthy of “double honor” that is, double pay (1 Tim. 5:17–18). In biblical language, honor means compensation, and what we pay reveals what we truly esteem. To underpay a godly pastor is to dishonor not only him but Christ Himself. If a man is unfit for ministry, he should leave for the church’s sake but if he is faithful, he should be honored accordingly. The question is unavoidable: does our treatment of Christ’s servants reveal honor or contempt?