As Ur’s readers weighed in on Steven Furtick’s controversial mansion, it was clear that opinions on pastoral compensation vary widely. Your comments ranged from blistering critiques of ministerial excess, to defense of the pastor’s right to spend his money any way that he #*$@&! chooses. Here’s Bob Hyatt’s balanced take on the bigger issues at stake.
-Paul
Another week, another mega-pastor breaks the internet. This time it’s the $1.6 million mansion of North Carolina pastor Steven Furtick (7.5 bathrooms???). Add to that the revelation that Pastor Furtick’s salary is set not by his own church and its elder board, but by a coterie of other celebrity pastors. In any such “scandal” you have the detractors, the defenders and caught in the middle, the Church as a whole.
We’ve long struggled with the question of wealth; in particular, how should money be handled by ministers of the Gospel? The problem is that we want to maintain that wealth can be, though is not necessarily, a blessing from God that should be enjoyed, used for good, and seen as a means, not an end. But when we see what to many of us appear to be outrageous salaries and expenditures in the church, whether huge building projects or expensive and lavish living arrangements of pastors, we begin to question just where the lines are between enjoying what God gives us and flaunting it, between love of the One who blesses and pursuit of the blessings for their own sake.
Here’s how I have struggled to answer this question in my life, as a pastor.
A few years ago some investments of my time and effort began to pay off financially. I was suddenly staring at a pile of money, and a freedom that came with it that many pastors can only dream of. And if I can be honest, I struggled. Money is a challenge for everyone, and large amounts of it only increase the challenge (though I realize many reading would love to try their hand at that particular challenge). With increased cash flow came the ability to give more, to save more… and to spend more.
I did all three. But I had some questions that ruled me as I did so, because I knew that God dropping this windfall in my lap was a piece of my spiritual formation, and I didn’t want to miss that. So, I continued to ask: Am I giving away more than I am spending on myself? Am I being transparent with close friends and the elders of my community? Am I being lavish in such a way that those in my church who didn’t know all the details of this side income would begin to question where their tithe money was going and on what it was being spent?
When I was able, I reduced the amount our church community was paying me. When friends asked how much I was making on the side, I was willing to disclose that to them. I did buy a new car, but one of my considerations was the sweet spot between a nice ride and something that was not out of the ballpark for others in our church at a similar age/place in life to myself (I bought a Kia).
I’m not saying I did this all perfectly- not by a long stretch. Money definitely gained too much of a hold on my mind. And maybe that’s why in the last couple of years, that income has slowly waned. And even in that, there’s some good formation going on. I had to sell the Kia.
Because of my experiences I want to offer the following to all celebrity and non-celebrity pastors out there to chew on.
1. Transparency is good– people in your community don’t need to know how much you make, but publishing salaries is never a bad thing. Even if it’s not broken down by individual in your published budget, people should be able to see how much of the overall budget goes to pay staff. And what’s wrong with people knowing how much you make versus how much you are paying the youth pastor? The current trend towards non-disclosure agreements for staff in churches, towards hiding pastors’ salaries and towards secrecy in general is troubling, befitting the corporate world more than the Body of Christ.
2. Putting yourself, including your money, under the authority of your elders is essential– I doubt many of us have the ability to have our salaries set by a team of other pastors, but even if we did, why would we want that? Shouldn’t that decision rightly be made in the context of the very people who are, through their sacrificial giving, providing that salary? And shouldn’t the pastor’s lifestyle choices, even his or her discretionary spending be a topic for accountability, encouragement and exhortation within the elder team?
3. Asking the question “How can I bless others with the blessings God has given me?” is vital. Most pastors are by nature generous people. I really believe that. We understand that God blesses people that they might be a blessing to others. If God ever blesses you financially outside of what your church pays you, please consider cutting your pay from your church. Like him or not, Rick Warren showed an amazing amount of integrity when the Purpose Driven Life took off, and not only ceased taking a salary from his church, but paid back the salary he had received in the years since the start of the church. That’s a model I’d love to see more well-known pastors with book deals emulate.
4. Asking “How can I enjoy the blessings God has given me in the most circumspect way possible, so as not to put the church in general, or other pastors in particular in disrepute?” is important. Think before you spend. Yes, God has given you the money to steward, and you may be engaging in incredible generosity with it. Don’t spoil that by spending so much on yourself that you begin to call your character into question, even if you feel completely justified in the expense. You may have the ability, even giving away a large portion of your income, to build a $1.6 million house. That doesn’t mean you need to do it. The cost to doing so is not just financial, as I think, more and more celebrity pastors are going to be finding out.
