How much should you pay me for my work as pastor?

It’s an uncomfortable question. I feel awkward asking it, and I doubt you enjoy hearing it. You would probably prefer that I speak on something a bit easier to discuss. Such as sex. Or politics.

But it’s an important question: How much should churches pay their pastors? This past week, I gathered with a group of scholars, pastors, and laypeople in Indianapolis, and we discussed this very question. It’s a critical issue to look at, since many pastors are struggling, financially. The median compensation for full-time Protestant pastors is just $40,000, according to a study from 2001. This sounds inadequate, I know, but it is hard for many congregations to pay much more. The majority of congregations in the United States are quite small — 71 percent have fewer than 100 participating adults, and the median annual budget is $56,000.

Here at FPC, we have a larger than average congregation, and we can pay larger salaries. And we know that higher salaries are needed, given the cost of living in this area — especially with regards to housing. But what I find fascinating about this research into clergy compensation is that it reveals something that might surprise you — American clergy have a high level of satisfaction with their positions and their compensation. 97 percent report that they are “very satisfied” with their current position, and 51 percent are “very satisfied” with their compensation.

Why is this? I’m convinced that most of us in pastoral ministry believe that we are engaged in good and important work: Preaching and teaching the Word of God … celebrating the sacraments … praying with and for the people of God. The Lord has given us gifts for the work of ministry, and the church has given us the opportunity to exercise these gifts. What more could we want?

This is the fourth of six sermons in the “Intersections” sermons series, and today’s focus is on The Intersection of Gifts and Spirit. In his first letter to the Corinthians, Paul insists that the Holy Spirit is the driving force behind the life of the church, inspiring us to make the proclamation “Jesus is Lord,” and giving us a variety of spiritual gifts to support the church’s ministry and mission. Paul does not believe that there is a “one-size-fits-all” approach to Christianity — instead there are varieties of talents that express true faith: Wisdom, knowledge, faith, healing, miracles, prophecy, discernment of spirits, tongues, and interpretation of tongues. “There are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit,” says Paul. “All of these are activated by one and the same Spirit, who allots to each one individually just as the Spirit chooses” (1 Corinthians 12:4, 11).

Notice that the focus here is on the community, not the individual Christian. It is only in the church as a whole that we see all of these important gifts at work. A Christian in isolation might have one or two gifts, but a couple of specific talents cannot accomplish everything that God desires. Focusing primarily on individuals is like trying to win a baseball game with only a catcher … or a left fielder. It simply cannot be done. Alfonso Soriano alone cannot guarantee the Nationals a victory.

Paul wants us to see that the Holy Spirit intersects with Christians in community, giving us a variety of gifts designed to achieve the common good (v. 7). Most clergy, including myself, are satisfied with our position and compensation because our work allows us to use our Spirit-supplied gifts to serve the church. We consider it a privilege to be able to put full-time effort into building up the church, what Paul calls the “one body” of Christ, and we enjoy serving you, the members of Christ’s body (v.. 12).

We clergy are aware, however, that we cannot do this work alone. Ministry is a community activity, not an individual pursuit. Michelle and I are going to be talking a great deal about gifts over the next few weeks, challenging you to identify and then pledge your spiritual gifts to the work of the church. Some of you have gifts for teaching, while others are great at encouragement. Some of you are leaders, others are givers, and still others have gifts of compassion (Romans 12:7-8). All of these gifts are important. All are needed. All are offered by the same Holy Spirit.

I want you to take some time to think, in the days to come, about the particular abilities you have been given, and to decide how your talents might advance the mission and ministry of the church. On October 15, you will be asked to make a pledge of your time and talent for the year 2007, a pledge that will be a commitment to use your Spirit-given gifts in the life of the church, the body of Christ.

At the same time, our elders will be asking you to make a financial pledge to the work of the church. A little later in this service, you will hear the first of our Minutes for Stewardship. I’ve heard it said that good stewardship is always about more than money, but it is never about anything less than money. You know that FPC has to pay it gas and electric bills, and that I have to pay my mortgage and my daughter’s college tuition bill. There is absolutely no way around these realities, as much as I might like to skip a house payment on the first of the month.

Remember: Stewardship is always about more than money — it’s about using the gifts we have been given by the Holy Spirit of God. Stewardship is about using all of the time, talent, and money we have been given to do good and important work in this world that God loves so much. If I learned anything in Indianapolis this past week, it’s that we have to take a very broad view of what we are trying to create as a community of faith. We are not simply trying to build a budget that includes a decent salary for the pastor and church staff. No, we’re trying to create a place where we can exercise the gifts we have been given, and with these talents do good and important work in the world.

Doug Hicks, a scholar who was one of the leaders of the meeting in Indianapolis, reminds me that there is more to well-being than having a good salary. This is true for me, and it’s true for you as well. It is important to be well-nourished, have decent shelter, be able to read, enjoy meaningful work, participate in cultural life, belong to community groups, make a contribution to those groups, and worship God. These are all aspects of life that I treasure, and that we all enjoy in one way or another. Our mission as a church is to join God in creating these good things for ourselves and for our neighbors, through our gifts of time, talent, and treasure. These things involve money, of course, but much more than money as well — they require all the gifts we have been given by God.

This is a big challenge for our church, as we think about our ministry and our mission. Providing food, shelter, literacy, small groups, jobs and quality worship are not simple or easy goals. But the good news for us is that our God is an incredibly generous God. Our Lord is a God of abundance, not scarcity.

- Look at the list of spiritual gifts in today’s passage of Scripture — wisdom, knowledge, faith, healing, miracles, prophecy, discernment of spirits, tongues, and interpretation of tongues. What richness and variety.
- Look at the miracle of the loaves and fishes, in which Jesus feeds a crowd of four thousand hungry people, and winds up with seven baskets of leftovers (Mark 8:1-10).
- Look at the generosity of Jesus on the cross, giving his life for our salvation, and at the abundance of the table that is set before us — bread that is a body broken for us, and a cup that is a new covenant, sealed in Christ’s blood.

Our Lord is a God of abundance, not scarcity. Ministry truly thrives when it is grounded in this reality.

On this World Communion Sunday, we look at a world in need: Children picking scraps out of a landfill in Honduras … women suffering from AIDS in South Africa … soldiers losing limbs in Iraq … small churches struggling to pay the bills in rural America. But at the same time, we see a God who has given us far more than we can ask or imagine. We see a sacrament that unites with one another, and with all the Christians of the world. We see a church baptized into “one body,” together drinking of “one Spirit” (v. 13). We see a set of gifts, given by the Holy Spirit, to be used to create a life of well-being for ourselves and our neighbors.

So, how much should you pay the pastor? That’s a good question … but really a very small one. It will be answered quite naturally as we tackle the bigger question of how we should use our many gifts to do God’s work in the world. Amen.