it’s true that most congregations are small - mine is. they could never afford to pay me full time. or even half time.
but they do pay me appropriately- because they pay me for the work I do: 2 Sundays a month worship leader and other specific tasks they contract with me for .
they get the ministry they need and I get paid humanely - and can easily do more work elsewhere.
I think we need to change this conversation from ‘small churches can’t afford clergy so clergy work for vey little’ to ‘clergy do the work we’re called to do in the ways congregations can afford’.
As a formerly bi-vocational priest, who now has a part-time parish and the luxury of a secular pension and Social Security, I like the metaphor of contractor ministry. One reality of small parishes is that the number of hospitalizations, deaths and other parish emergencies is correspondingly small. In the past six years I have had only three funerals of currently active parishioners. My earlier parishes never requested an hourly accounting and they knew I could not receive phone calls during my secular working hours (as I was a full-time bus driver). Furthermore, I never lived closer than 20 miles from the church building, so I was never asked to check if a door was locked or to wait for service personnel to perform repairs. They could not expect full-time service and accepted what I was able to provide. In addition to consistent worship leadership, they appreciated my input with Vestry, Finance, and Parochial Reports and my connections to neighboring parishes and the diocese. (On the other hand, I used to describes myself as redefining bus ministry. My secular employment presented ministry opportunities far beyond the parish walls. I did hospital visits and even funerals for bus passengers and co-workers, who had no church membership. And no, I did not impose ashes on passengers when they boarded my bus on Ash Wednesday.)
Despite the post WWII suburban expansion of the church, the relative abundance of clergy (Baby Boom and the ordination of women) provided sufficient clergy for many smaller churches to have their own clergy and for weekly Eucharist to become expected after the 1979 BCP was released.
Actually, parishes with a low ASA and a small budget have a long history in the Episcopal Church. The guidance of full-time clergy was often an unavailable luxury. While cities and wealthy patrons supported cardinal parishes with multiple full-time clergy, rural areas often were part of multi-point ministries with ordained clergy who might only preside once a month (or were missions of large nearby parishes who provided some limited clergy leadership). (Over sixty years ago, I knew one priest who taught Latin part-time in the local public high school to supplement his parish salary.) Ministry was not delegated to clergy; everyone was included. Music might be provided by volunteer instrumentalists, as well as volunteer choristers. The norm of Morning Prayer on Sunday meant that worship could be lay led; Eucharist was not expected. Most fellowship, outreach and pastoral care were directed and performed by laity. So long as donations covered utilities and repairs, the parish could be a Christian witness to their community.
I know of several congregations served full-time by pastors (many of whom are my friends!) who are not paid an appropriate salary, but who dismiss this with “I just don’t worry about it because my spouse has a job with a good salary and benefits/I went to seminary after retiring from the military so I have a nice pension from that/I’m just happy to give them the gospel and they pay me what they can/whatever other well-intentioned reason they have for accepting pay below their worth. Most of these congregations are small and wouldn’t be able to pay appropriately anyway, and so this feels like a Christlike sacrifice, serving His people without counting the cost.
And yet, I continue to think about these sweet congregations filled with widows giving their 2 pennies, etc, who will be completely bowled over when that generous, well-married, retired veteran pastor leaves and they are suddenly faced with the reality that they can’t come close to paying what a young pastor with a bunch of debt and 3 kids needs to earn. Have we served the congregation well by basically lying to them about their financial position? By not encouraging them to plan for the future or get creative about ministry options, but simply to kick the can down the road another 10 years?
it’s true that most congregations are small - mine is. they could never afford to pay me full time. or even half time.
but they do pay me appropriately- because they pay me for the work I do: 2 Sundays a month worship leader and other specific tasks they contract with me for .
they get the ministry they need and I get paid humanely - and can easily do more work elsewhere.
I think we need to change this conversation from ‘small churches can’t afford clergy so clergy work for vey little’ to ‘clergy do the work we’re called to do in the ways congregations can afford’.
As a formerly bi-vocational priest, who now has a part-time parish and the luxury of a secular pension and Social Security, I like the metaphor of contractor ministry. One reality of small parishes is that the number of hospitalizations, deaths and other parish emergencies is correspondingly small. In the past six years I have had only three funerals of currently active parishioners. My earlier parishes never requested an hourly accounting and they knew I could not receive phone calls during my secular working hours (as I was a full-time bus driver). Furthermore, I never lived closer than 20 miles from the church building, so I was never asked to check if a door was locked or to wait for service personnel to perform repairs. They could not expect full-time service and accepted what I was able to provide. In addition to consistent worship leadership, they appreciated my input with Vestry, Finance, and Parochial Reports and my connections to neighboring parishes and the diocese. (On the other hand, I used to describes myself as redefining bus ministry. My secular employment presented ministry opportunities far beyond the parish walls. I did hospital visits and even funerals for bus passengers and co-workers, who had no church membership. And no, I did not impose ashes on passengers when they boarded my bus on Ash Wednesday.)
Despite the post WWII suburban expansion of the church, the relative abundance of clergy (Baby Boom and the ordination of women) provided sufficient clergy for many smaller churches to have their own clergy and for weekly Eucharist to become expected after the 1979 BCP was released.
Actually, parishes with a low ASA and a small budget have a long history in the Episcopal Church. The guidance of full-time clergy was often an unavailable luxury. While cities and wealthy patrons supported cardinal parishes with multiple full-time clergy, rural areas often were part of multi-point ministries with ordained clergy who might only preside once a month (or were missions of large nearby parishes who provided some limited clergy leadership). (Over sixty years ago, I knew one priest who taught Latin part-time in the local public high school to supplement his parish salary.) Ministry was not delegated to clergy; everyone was included. Music might be provided by volunteer instrumentalists, as well as volunteer choristers. The norm of Morning Prayer on Sunday meant that worship could be lay led; Eucharist was not expected. Most fellowship, outreach and pastoral care were directed and performed by laity. So long as donations covered utilities and repairs, the parish could be a Christian witness to their community.
It’s not a metaphor - it’s a reality! I am a contractor clergy person.
Times have changed, though, and even larger congregations can no longer afford to continue as they have always done things.
and donations no longer cover expenses. for small churches - or for larger churches.
I know of several congregations served full-time by pastors (many of whom are my friends!) who are not paid an appropriate salary, but who dismiss this with “I just don’t worry about it because my spouse has a job with a good salary and benefits/I went to seminary after retiring from the military so I have a nice pension from that/I’m just happy to give them the gospel and they pay me what they can/whatever other well-intentioned reason they have for accepting pay below their worth. Most of these congregations are small and wouldn’t be able to pay appropriately anyway, and so this feels like a Christlike sacrifice, serving His people without counting the cost.
And yet, I continue to think about these sweet congregations filled with widows giving their 2 pennies, etc, who will be completely bowled over when that generous, well-married, retired veteran pastor leaves and they are suddenly faced with the reality that they can’t come close to paying what a young pastor with a bunch of debt and 3 kids needs to earn. Have we served the congregation well by basically lying to them about their financial position? By not encouraging them to plan for the future or get creative about ministry options, but simply to kick the can down the road another 10 years?