Why are priests' paid? For preaching.?

Question

The diciples were told not to take any money.
Can you believe a person thats getting paid?
He'll tell you what you want to hear right?
I'd believe in one that has a job.
Do you know of one?

Answer 1

Priests have NO right to draw a salary for what they do. Doing so really demeans their position (not that many of them are teaching people properly anyway) and makes it more of a job than an actual responsibility. If they really cared for the flock, they'd get an actual job to care for their family's needs while also managing their time to care for the congregation. You don't draw a salary from the congregation where you're supposed to be volunteering your time and energy in giving help and assistance.

The scriptures do NOT say that a minister should be paid. Rather, it says that all of those involved in the worldwide preaching work are ordained ministers of God, so if that's true, why isn't everyone associated with the congregation drawing a salary?

Matthew 10:8 - "You received free, give free." That is the principles which must be followed when it comes to preaching and teaching God's word. The truth of the Bible was given to us freely, and it must be freely given to or instructed to others. NO ONE is to draw a salary or commission for this work.

Answer 2

Most Pastors have a second job so they can have food to eat. Some (very few) have unusually large salaries, but most do not. Most Pastors have to have a M.Div. degree, that's 90 sh after college. But yet ,most work for less than minimum wage. The Bible says that the preacher should be paid, see: Matt 10:10 the very verse you use that says "take along no money" also says that the worker is "worth his keep", which means that the people being preached to should provide for you. That is why they should not need to take money.

Edit: BTW most Pastors put in 70-85 hours per week. No one else in any job does that for 25-50 years. You need to cut them some slack.

Answer 3

I am assuming you mean diocesean priests. diocesean priests live within the parish they serve, while religious priests (called friars) live in a community with other priests. Most friars do not get paid. they live off of donations like nuns do. People are more willing to donate money to a grouup of people than one person. And, priests do alot more than preach. They are counselors, visit the sick, dying and imprisoned, and even sometimes run youth groups (or at least do alot with their parish's youth groups) and things like that. They are there for their parishioners 24/7. They are much busier than laypeople, which is part of the reason why most of the sects of the Church don't allow them to get married. They wouldn't have the time to devote to a family, because they have to be there for the people of their Church. And they have to be able to make a living too. and they don't even make that much money. also you can expand your question to all Christian denominations. Why are ministers, pastors, and reverends paid? Priests get paid for the same reason religious people of other denominations do.

Also, in response to another answer, the majority of priests are NOT pedophiles. Less than 1% of priests have been, and all were shown to have had homosexual tendencies. That is why men who have those tendencies aren't allowed to become priests. Also, most of the "little boys" were actually young adults around 18-20.

Answer 4

The disciples were told not to take any money because they were to move in and let the family they were staying with support them.

Acquire no gold nor silver nor copper for your belts, no bag for your journey, nor two tunics nor sandals nor a staff, for the laborer deserves his food. And whatever town or village you enter, find out who is worthy in it and stay there until you depart. As you enter the house, greet it. And if the house is worthy, let your peace come upon it, but if it is not worthy, let your peace return to you. Matthew 10:9-13

The Bible says that someone who works full time preaching should receive money to live on.

Let the elders who rule well be considered worthy of double honor, especially those who labor in preaching and teaching. For the Scripture says, "You shall not muzzle an ox when it treads out the grain," and, "The laborer deserves his wages." 1 Timothy 5:17-18

Answer 5

Well it use to be that they had real jobs and only did it on weekends, but now that people are giving the church all this money they needed to do something with it and instead of doing what they call God's work they get paid. Because the fact is that religion is just a NON-Profit business venture, that actually turns profit, if there was no profit how could they get paid.

Answer 6

1 Tim 5:17-18: Let the elders who rule well be counted worthy of double honor, especially those who labor in the word and in teaching. For the Scripture says, "You shall not muzzle the ox when it treads out the grain." And, "The laborer is worthy of his wages."

"Elders" here means ministers. Paul says that ministers should be paid, but he himself doesn't take any payment, exactly so that people won't be suspicious of him. It's up to the minister. If s/he wants to labor free of charge, that's his/her choice. But the community should be willing to support its minister.

I've been one. Being a full-time minister is a 24/7 job; it never stops, and it's one of the hardest jobs there is. Ministers deserve to live without anxiety about their material welfare. A community that won't pay a minister doesn't deserve one, in my opinion. The problem is also that cheap and greedy people in a community who just don't want to contribute to a minister's wages often use the argument you've given above. But their motivation is false.

Answer 7

Be logical. If everyone was as charitable as they were back in the old days, maybe the priests now wouldn't have to take money for preaching. But the way the world is now, even priests need to earn some sort of money to support themselves.

Tell me then, would you believe someone who's leeching off the state and our taxes for spiritual teaching? I certainly wouldn't.

Answer 8

To survive just like any pastor or minister. The Bible even says that the people of God should give to the church where they are fed and generously. I would be embarassed if the Pastor or preist from my church wore rags and had not a car to get to the hospitol or prison to minister!

Answer 9

I believe it is because most listeners want to hear from whom they pay. It is true a person getting paid will tell you what you want to hear. It is because, the one who pays listens to what he wants to hear. Allow me to put it this way. Jesus gets his pay from the Father, and the disciples get their pay from Jesus, but not directly from the recipients of the message and the miracles. There are preachers who get their pay from the Church. There are healers who do not exact payment for their service. I think they approximate the ideal one.

Answer 10

They are priests and preachers because they DON'T want to get a real job.
After all, where else could they work two hours a week and get paid a regular salary and molest little boys?
No where else I know of, except maybe congress...