Teacher Pay v. Clergy Pay
Updated: Jul 9, 2019
Much has been said and written in recent years about the low pay of public school teachers. Yet I read in a magazine last week the situation regarding clergy pay is even worse.
About a century ago, the average public school teacher made about one-third what a clergyman made. (There were not many clergywomen in those days.) Today the pay of school teachers and of clergy are about the same, even though most teachers have bachelor's degrees and most clergy have master's degrees. It is not hard to figure out why most denominations are having trouble finding clergy.
When I was serving in San Antonio, congregations were encouraged to pay pastors what middle school principals made in their community. The situation has changed dramatically over just the last decade.