Do you get what you pay for? It seems so - at least for many things. But what about ministers and Christian counselors? Are the best ones paid the most?Reinhold Niebuhr was a pastor of a church in Detroit and later a professor at Union Theological Seminary in New York. He wasn’t a conservative evangelical theologian, but he wrote these words in 1924 that are worth considering (from his memoirs Leaves from the Notebook of a Tamed Cynic). I thought they related well to my previous post about the professionalizing of Christian ministry. Obviously, the hyperlinks to the Greek dudes are mine.
Had a letter today informing me that the First ----- church in ----- has called a new pastor. After trying futilely to find the right man, who was to have as much scholarship as his predecessor and more “punch,” they decided to raise the salary to $15,000. I don’t know whether that was the factor which finally solved their problem, but at any rate they have the man they want. I suppose it is not easy to get a combination of Aristotle and Demosthenes, and on the current market, that ought to be worth $15,000. Nevertheless there must be some limit to this matter of oversized salaries.
There ought to be some questioning, too, about the growing tendency of churches to build their congregations around pulpit eloquence. What kind of fundamental ethical question can a man be eloquent about when he draws that much cash, particularly since a Croesus or two usually has to supply an undue proportion of it? I don’t know anything about the prophet of the Lord who accepted this call, but I venture to prophesy that no sinner in that pagan city will quake in his boots in anticipation of his coming.
The idea of a professional good man is difficult enough for all of us who are professionally engaged as teachers of the moral ideal. Of course, “a man must live,” and it is promised that if we seek first the kingdom and its righteousness “all these things shall be added unto us.” But I doubt whether Jesus had a $15,000 salary in mind. If the things that are added become too numerous they distract your attention terribly. To try and keep your eye on the main purpose may only result in making you squint-eyed. I hope the new prophet won’t begin his pastorate with a sermon on the text, “I count all things but loss.”
If you want to know what a $15,000 salary in 1924 is worth today, click here.
And you can read more about Niebuhr here, here, and here.
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1 comment:
I, too, struggle with the parameters of what all this means. There are some good chaplain-like pastors who don't get paid anywhere near their worth because their pulpit skills are limited. On the other hand, there are some wonderful pulpiteers who are grossly overpaid simply because they are blessed with the gift of oratory. However, too many times I've seen the cliche "keep 'em poor to keep 'em humble" as an excuse for churches to rip off their pastors. Good post. I plan on linking to this one after thinking on this one some more. It is not as easy in the real world as it looks, but it is certainly more basic than some want to make it.
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