why do ministers, pastors, rabbis, get paid, and well?

Question

shouldnt these people do their jobs for free if they are really selfless? How come some guy who writes a sermon a week and babbles a few hours of prayer get paid more than the farmer who works all week to spend his sunday hearing about how much of a sinner he is?

Answer 1

Back up Sparky.. not all Ministers get paid, not all pastors get paid. Many are self supporting. But I see by your post you know nothing about God, the bible, or religion, and have never been to church. So I will dismess your ignorant, un-educated post.

Answer 2

Have a look in the old testament for the command not to muzzle the ox when it treads out the corn. The apostle Paul talks about this as well.
I can't speak for the fellow you see where you are, but there is a lot more to the life of most pastors than babbling a few words on Sunday. They are busy meeting with people, providing counsel for life's troubles and visiting the sick and bedridden. They also get busy and help people with the work that needs to be done that they are unable to.

Answer 3

As a Christian Pastor I may be more qualified than some to answer this.
The job of Pastoring a Church involves a lot more than a sermon on Sunday.
There are hospital visits that are required.
Funerals that are required.
Marriages and christenings that are required.
Then, depending on the size of the Church, there are administrative duties, book keeping and etc.
It may be necessary to make up lessons for the Sunday School.
Then there's the Bible Study.
Don't forget choir practices.
I am, as I sated above a Pastor.
I also work a full time job as a CNC machinist.
I, am one, that doesn't take one penny from the Church as compensation for my efforts.
Please don't lump all in one pile as there are many that are nothing more than scam artists.

Answer 4

There are ministers in my family who are paid barely above part time wages for going out in the middle of the night to sit in the hospital with someone, or to jail to visit someone, or to someone's house whom they've never met just to try to help with food or utilities sometimes out of their own pocket. They have to work second jobs.

The Bible says it is the church's responsibility to take care of the man of God, and that is why they receive a salary. The job is so much more than putting together a sermon for Sunday. The preachers in my life spend a lot of time praying and talking to people. There is a real emotional toll, not just for the pastor, but for his family.

Answer 5

If you think preachers & priests are well paid, you should see the Vatican.

It must cost millions of dollars each month just to keep the doors open. And most Catholics are dirt poor.

If there was a hell, I cannot imagine the torment Catholic priests would face. Fortunately for them, the bible is a book of mythology. But, they know that since they invented it in the first place.


My grandfather was a cotton farmer and unpaid Baptist preacher nearly one hundred years ago before automobiles & tractors were readily affordable.

Not only did he spend hours on end tending his crops, he also managed to do his preacher business. Using a horse & buggy to do so. Modern day preachers who whine about how hard they have it are worse than sissies hiding behind mommy's skirt.

Answer 6

I think you ask a good question and you make a valid point. Nobody in my congregation gets paid. As a matter of fact, I am aware of 96,000 congregations worldwide which are home to various ministers and ministerial servants who don't get paid a penny.

Even the apostle Paul who served as a traveling overseer among the congregations of the first century worked at tentmaking and did not get paid.

Christ Jesus was not paid and instructed his disciples at Matthew 10:8: "You received free. Give free."

Perhaps there are some who do not feel these men are worthy of imitation.

Answer 7

Religion is actually a really big business. I'm not part of a structured religion myself and I hate seeing really all these big, fancy churches. I just know that there are better things they could have done with that money! (Some aren't that bad, though). But, even for those who are in it for spiritual reasons, the preachers and stuff would starve if they didn't get paid, or they'd have to work two jobs, which would take away from the dedication needed for the religious leader post.

Answer 8

Are you kidding me??? I'm preparing for ministry right now. By this time next year, I'll be in a church, probably making roughly $27,000 per year with a Master's degree. My wife and I make significantly more than that right now at our hourly jobs (I work retail, she works administration). How many people with a Master's degree make that little money? I know people with a high school degree that make more money than that. Trust me, good pastors are not in it for the money. You can make more being a manager at Wal-Mart than you can in ministry.

And trust me there is so much more to being a pastor than writing one sermon per week and praying. Many pastors spend a big chunk of the week visiting people at their homes, in nursing homes, in hospitals, preparing for weddings and funerals, doing administrative work for the church, which includes business meetings, organizational meetings, ministry meetings, not to mention that many pastors have a staff to manage and some are even involved on denominational levels. Believe me, a good pastor will work roughly 50 hours a week at a minimum.

Answer 9

1 Timothy 5:17 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."

Do you know how many hours a dedicated Pastor spends not only in study and sermon preparation but in counseling, visiting the sick, overseeing the operation of the church, praying for the congregation, etc.?

Many a Pastor puts in well over 40 hours a week at their job. What do you expect them to do, take a part time job at McDonald's to pay for all of their family living expenses?

Answer 10

If the Farmer is not happy with his pay or his job well he should think about becoming a Minister or Pastor extra

Love & Blessings
Milly

Answer 11

There was a time when they were not paid. But the church started to make a profit, and they saw a chance to use it to get better things for themselves so now the government makes them pay for things like lights and and gas, property tax. The truth is they are all the worst sinners and full of crap. If you want to give money to something stop giving it to the rich church and start giving it to your local schools to help students learn better so they dont have to listen to liers.