One of the hardest things for a pastor to do is go to the governing body of the church and ask for more money. When I was in this position I had mixed feeling of what it means to serve God and the giving unto Cesar what is Caesar's but also receive a living wage. Church members also do not make it easy to talk about finances. I don't even want to get started on giving.
The relationship between a pastor and the church is a covenant. One of the realities of scripture is that God has made covenants with God's people from the beginning and the one constant is that God always keeps the covenants and the people always brake them. Bad things often happen when covenants are broken.
This church they are serving has broken it's promise to my friends. I am not saying they are God but they are two of the most giving people I have ever known. They have often made decisions that were not always best for their own security but have followed where they believe God is call. In this church they have kept their part of the covenant. Bad thing probability will not happen but the relationship has changed.
I guess the crux of my frustration is why to so many faithful people find it easier to break a covenant within the church context but not in all the other parts of their lives where they would not dream of breaking promises without thought or discomfort. Such as:
- Not pay their taxes
- Not pay their utilities
- Not pay their doctor
And they would not stand for not getting paid for the work they do. I know there are people who are forced to make decisions between eating and paying the doctor, between paying rent and living in the street. For the people in this church this is not the case.
What makes me angry is that most often the people who could be more generous and have the ware with all to be giving (financially) are the first to over look the needs in front of them. I think it is because if a person has suffered they know what it is to hurt, to be without. In my experience the people most likely to tithe are the ones who could use what they are giving for basic needs (i.e. the women and two coins).
My hunch is there are a lot of people in my friends present church, particularly the one who do not see why the pastors need more money, who have never wanted for anything.
5 comments:
Interesting post. For some reason I always assumed that church's took good care of their pastors. I wonder if it's an attitude whereby everybody thinks that there's "plenty" in the offering, and so their contribution wouldn't be missed. I've seen the same attitude at the Twelve Step Meetings I've attended for years---where people give the same exact amount these days as they gave 10 years ago, even though it's very evident that the cost of living has risen (which means that members should give more to cover the cost of rent/coffee than they did 10 years ago, if you get my drift).
PT Pastor,
Of course I have a comment. I also have a question. I cannot believe that so many people turn their backs on the people who lead them in glorfiying the Lord, our father. It is terrible what has happened to your friends.
I am one of those who has struggled to just make the ends meet. I have always been charitable all the way through my difficulties. The minute I have an extra dollar, I will pick up the tab of my employees lunch. I know they have their struggles and if they save a couple of dollars not having to pay for lunch, or I even 'lend' them gas money with no intention of ever collecting from them. When they offer repayment, I turn it down.
I am a methodist and well I haven't been to church in a month. I know. That's Terrible. But right now, I am honestly working very hard to make a new company work. My partners are very well to do. But they're greedy. Very greedy. They want to fire the new hire. This girl is 9 months pregnant, newly seperated from an alcoholic/abusive spouse and has a two year old girl. There is NO REASON to fire this girl. She does an EXCELLENT job. They want more money for them. They are being complete jerks about the situation. They want money. These are the partners I am striving to rid the company of. I have about two more weeks until the buyer makes his offer. In order to keep this girl onboard, I had given up part of my salary. More than ten percent to cover her pay in full. Its 20 percent to be exact. Is that a form of tithing? Not that I won't be making my pledge to the church, my pledge card for next year just came in the mail, but I don't know that I will be able to pledge the full ten percent of my salary as it is now. I will barely be making all my bills and payments. I know the church needs it but so does this girl. So, I'm not sure what to write down on the pledge card. I hope that I can make the same pledge that I made last year. If I write in a lower number now, can I change it to a higher number later?
Sorry to bug you with this, but you ARE a pastor and you know these answers.:)
Yes, the topic of money in churches (and everywhere else) is enormously charged and difficult. I've read studies saying that people have more trouble talking about money than they do talking about sex. (I know I'm in that category!)
And, of course, this goes along with the expectation that pastors will have no boundaries and no limits, will appear instantly when needed and give 150%.
Maybe you're right that the hard-hearted have never wanted for anything. But I suspect that at least some of them are, in contrast, somehow deeply wounded in the area of money. Maybe the truly pastoral way to approach this is to see it as a call for, and opportunity for, healing.
Although, of course, it's easy for me to say that, sitting here in the comfort of my study. I'll be praying for your friends.
Billmaker,
Churches will always take more money! To ask that question says to me that you are thinking about how your actions affect the church. Unfortunately that is not always the case.
How sad. It is like breaking a promise to God and it isn't like pastors have eight to five jobs, five days a week. I believe I have a small understanding of what the job can involve. I must admit that I had the misconception that being a minister was very self-sacrificing as far as material goods. Maybe that IS true for many or most churches other than mine. I recently found out how much my minister is paid and I was absolutely shocked. Her salary and benefits FAR exceed mine and I just never dreamed that would be true, but I know that she does a lot of work for that money. I just can't imagine making a promise to a pastor of all people and then not following through. How sad.
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