How Much Money Should Pastors and Ministry Leaders Make?

"Let the elders who rule well be considered worthy of double honor, especially those who labor in preaching and teaching. For the Scripture says, 'You shall not muzzle an ox when it treads out the grain,' and, 'The laborer deserves his wages.'"

-1 Timothy 5:17-18 ESV

Why Does It Matter?

Should pastors make a lot of money? Should pastors make an average amount? Should pastors make a little bit of money? Should pastors be paid at all? This article will cover the different views on this topic.

This is typically considered a secondary or tertiary issue. However, in certain situations, I suppose it could arise to the level of a primary issue.

What Is It?

How much money should pastors, or ministry leaders, make? This takes wisdom. The following will cover the primary Scriptures before covering the different views.

Key Scriptures:

This Scripture seems to make it clear that the normal pattern is for pastors to be paid for their work: [1 Timothy 5:17-18 ESV] 17 Let the elders who rule well be considered worthy of double honor, especially those who labor in preaching and teaching. 18 For the Scripture says, "You shall not muzzle an ox when it treads out the grain," and, "The laborer deserves his wages."
- Here is an important reminder. A qualification for elders, church leaders, is that they are not greedy and "not a lover of money" (1 Tim. 3:3).
Jesus seems to say that it is the norm for pastors to be paid for their work, but Paul is an exception, meaning he gives up the right to receive pay in order to reach people for the sake of the gospel. [1 Corinthians 9:14-15 ESV; emphasis mine] 14 In the same way, the Lord commanded that those who proclaim the gospel should get their living by the gospel. 15 But I have made no use of any of these rights, nor am I writing these things to secure any such provision. For I would rather die than have anyone deprive me of my ground for boasting.
[Luk 10:1-7 ESV; emphasis mine] 1 After this the Lord appointed seventy-two others and sent them on ahead of him, two by two, into every town and place where he himself was about to go. 2 And he said to them, "The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few. Therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest. 3 Go your way; behold, I am sending you out as lambs in the midst of wolves. 4 Carry no moneybag, no knapsack, no sandals, and greet no one on the road. 5 Whatever house you enter, first say, 'Peace be to this house!' 6 And if a son of peace is there, your peace will rest upon him. But if not, it will return to you. 7 And remain in the same house, eating and drinking what they provide, for the laborer deserves his wages. Do not go from house to house.

Here are a few preliminary thoughts before we discuss some of the views. First, there is no biblically commanded amount a pastor should be paid. Second, a qualification for church leaders is that they should not be greedy. Third, a pastor has to provide for himself and his family somehow. Fourth, churches, and pastors, are located in different places with different costs of living. This should be considered in the equation. Fifth, a pastor should be paid a sufficient amount to be able to focus time on pastoral ministry (prayer, preaching, and pastoring) without needing to pursue side hustles (if possible).[1] So, sixth, what we are left with are biblical principles to apply to specific contexts.

In 1 Corinthians 9, Paul says: "Do you not know that those who are employed in the temple service get their food from the temple, and those who serve at the altar share in the sacrificial offerings? In the same way, the Lord commanded that those who proclaim the gospel should get their living by the gospel. But I have made no use of any of these rights, nor am I writing these things to secure any such provision. For I would rather die than have anyone deprive me of my ground for boasting" (1 Cor. 9:13-15). Commenting on 1 Corinthians 9, John Piper has said,

Now that’s amazing. It’s a strong statement, that tent-making pastors — pastors who have to work other moneymaking jobs in order to be a pastor — should be the exception, not the rule. Jesus said that it should be normal for those who devote themselves full-time to gospel ministry to be paid full-time for gospel ministry. It’s a biblical principle. In fact, in this text, it’s more than a principle; it’s a command. The Lord commanded that those who proclaim the gospel should get their living by the gospel.[2]

So, how much should pastors be paid? Practically, Ben Jolliffe adds these ideas to our modern context:

Multiply the average rent in the area by 3;
Compare to what a ten year teacher makes in the area;
Compare to the median household income;
Then, after jotting those three numbers down, he says: "My opinion is that the salary should not be lower than the lowest number and not higher than the highest number."[3]

Sadly, some churches have dramatically underpaid pastors in an effort to make them "suffer for the Lord." This has led to significant stress and debt, or in some cases, working multiple jobs in order to get by.

On the other hand, some churches simply cannot pay more, even if they desire it, and in these cases probably the only solution will be bi-vocational ministry (where a pastor works another job at the same time).

However, I'm sure many have had the same experience as me, almost falling out of your seat when you found out that a pastor, or ministry nonprofit leader, makes $500,000 per year or even $1 million dollars per year. Some pastors have become famous for having private jets, massive houses, and expensive cars. (To be clear, I'm not talking about business people, sales people, CEOs, etc. who have made money through selling a product or service. I'm talking specifically about church and nonprofit leaders who receive salaries based on the donations of people; in some cases, ironically, those donations were given to help people below the poverty line.)

Occasionally, I have personally struggled to give money to ministries, which are designed to help the poor, when I discovered the money I was donating was going to executive salaries which were incredibly high (at least by my estimation!). Shockingly, I guess you really can get rich today by helping the poor. (Here is one website that has helped me in evaluating ministries so that I can feel confident giving: https://db.ministrywatch.com/compare.php.) Thankfully, after researching different ministries, I have also discovered that some ministries are reputable; they are exactly what they appear to be on the outside. It increased my confidence in giving to those particular ministries!

According to Salary.com, the typical salaries for pastors in America is given in the list below:[4]

Median Salary: $109,115
- 10% - $71,971
- 25% - $89,672
- 50% (Median) - $109,115
- 75% - $123,664
- 90% - $136,911

However, I'm personally aware of many pastors who receive salaries in the $30,000 to $60,000 range as well.

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EXCURSUS: BOOK ROYALTIES & CONFERENCES

What are we to think about additional income such as book royalties and conferences? This seems to be a conscience issue. I know of some pastors who sign them all away; others give a significant portion away and keep a small portion; and still others keep the royalties. While there is not a one-size-fits-all approach for everyone, it is still an important issue that is worth prayer, accountability, and thought.

Moreover, pastors should think through when and how it would be appropriate to spend their time writing. Kevin DeYoung offers some interesting thoughts about pastors writing while pastoring a church,

I don’t think there is only one formula for how pastors handle royalties or how they manage writing time “on the clock” or “off the clock.” When I started writing more I asked a number of pastors I respected how they handled royalties. The responses were all over the map. It’s not a simple matter to determine how writing fits into a pastor’s ministry. On the one hand, churches usually benefit from pastors who write. It sharpens their thinking, feeds the congregation, expands the church’s “footprint,” and often enables the pastor to meet new people who become great friends and resources for the church. On the other hand, pastors must be honest that some of their writing (and all that is associated with the release of a book) is bound to take place on church time. More than that, they may sell their books to parishioners, use office staff for book related projects, and devote no small amount of their energies to a task that is not essential to the church’s ministry . . . There is no one way to work with a pastor-author, except that there should be some governing body within his church that encourages, approves, and holds him accountable.[5]

In the full article, DeYoung also talks about how his church holds him accountable in various ways (including financially).

In sum, this seems to be a conscience issue. Pastors may disagree based on their conscience and the expectations from their particular church.

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With that being said, here are the main views on paying pastors.

The Main Views on Paying Pastors

View	Description
Full-time salary	The pastor is paid a full-time salary.
Bi-vocational salary	The pastor is paid a bi-vocational salary and must work another full or part-time job.
No salary	The pastor is not paid a salary.

Application

Pray for wisdom for your church leaders concerning this issue! Research ministries and invest wisely in the kingdom!

Where Can I Learn More?

End Notes:

[1] Ben Jolliffe, "How Much Should Churches Pay Their Pastors?", The Gospel Coalition: Canadian Edition, May 3, 2024, https://ca.thegospelcoalition.org/article/how-much-should-churches-pay-their-pastors/.

[2] John Piper, "How Much Should Pastors Make?", Ask Pastor John podcast episode 1948, Desiring God, June 8, 2023, https://www.desiringgod.org/interviews/how-much-should-pastors-make.

[3] Ben Jolliffe, "How Much Should Churches Pay Their Pastors?", The Gospel Coalition.

[4] "Pastor Salary in the United States," Salary.com, January 1, 2025, https://www.salary.com/research/salary/benchmark/pastor-salary.

[5] Kevin DeYoung, "Seven Thoughts on Pastors Writing Books," The Gospel Coalition, December 3, 2013, https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/kevin-deyoung/seven-thoughts-on-pastors-writing-books/.