Pastors Don’t Do It For The Money, But Having Enough to Retire Would Be Nice

Bless Your Pastor campaign raises awareness around the financial strains of ministry.

When Brandon Shields left his full-time position as a pastor in West Palm Beach to start a church several states away, he did what most church planters do: He allotted his family as little money as possible to get by while in the fundraising stage.

As his home and salary shrank to what he believed to be appropriate size for a church planter, his children and expenses grew—and so did his anxiety over finances.

Shields has plenty of company; surveys have shown the vast majority of clergy, around nine in ten Protestant pastors in the US, experience financial stress.

Many churchgoers—and pastors themselves—assume these kinds of budget balancing acts come as part of the job. Just as churches must wrestle with the tension between generosity and being good stewards of the resources God has given, pastors too must work out how to provide adequately for their families while striving to live simply.

But in the end, American Christians might be surprised to learn how many pastors struggle to make ends meet, and how much those financial pressures can weigh on their personal lives and ministry careers.

With October being Pastor Appreciation Month, the National Association of Evangelicals (NAE) launched its Bless Your Pastor campaign to raise awareness about the state of clergy finances and provide resources for thoughtful ways churches can support their leaders.

“Over 70 percent of pastors know pastors that have left the ministry just from the stress of it, either the personal stress or the financial stress, and over one-third have said they themselves have considered leaving the ministry just because it’s too difficult on their family, especially with some of the financial challenges they face,” Brian Kluth, ...