Are Pastors Salaries Biblical? (Video)

TitusTwoWife · Sunday at 9:39 PM

In the video he goes into
-Average salaries of pastors
-Why pastors salaries are unbiblical
-Why we should support the poor rather than tithe
-Possible objections like "the workman is worthy of his wages".

Yesua888 · Monday at 4:14 AM

TitusTwoWife said:
In the video he goes into
-Average salaries of pastors
-Why pastors salaries are unbiblical
-Why we should support the poor rather than tithe
-Possible objections like "the workman is worthy of his wages".

Everything on Earth run by the beurocrats / elite is about Money, and we have to live amongst all of this! However, we are able to do something, each one of us.
I agree that we should support those who are in need, first hand.
Most of the large "charity" organisations do not give our donations to the needy (or a minute portion maybe); Instead it goes to the organisers / founders, to exorbetant homes and salaries, to travel expenses, to extravagant living expenses etc.
If more of us would go to our local church or town halls, and donate our unwanted items there, this would make a huge difference (especially surplus food).
Even St Vinnies, Red Cross and the like, are businesses and money laundering is rife. Why should we give our unwanted goods to a business, when we can give directly to those that we see are in need, in our own towns. Even leaving items on the verge, goes to a good cause instead of the Council Tip.

bobinfaith · Monday at 5:50 AM

Good morning, TitusTwoWife;

1 Timothy 5:17–18, "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'". - ESV

1 Corinthians 9:14 (ESV): "In the same way, the Lord commanded that those who proclaim the gospel should get their living by the gospel". - ESV

We should commend the young man for his efforts and views regarding Minister salaries but he is in error and needs to study further the Scriptures and application according to exegesis in the then times and now times.

The graph would largely be based in most 1st world countries which will include thousands upon thousands of Churches. Most are autonomous and pay according to the offerings they can afford in most cases. If a Church can afford a sizable salary, give all the praise to God for His Church. If a Church can only afford the minimum salary, we still give God all the glory for His Church.

Example;

My former salary in the accounting field would be mid range and aligned in the chart presented in the video. When I was ordained as a Senior Pastor my salary dropped significantly. I had to serve as bi-vocational (hold down my accounting job and pastor after work) When the Church offerings increased I was given a humble raise until I could retire from my accounting career and serve without the aid of my accounting salary. This was in 2015.

My wife worked until she retired in 2022 but my salary was still much lower after my accounting career. But the KEY was the Lord provided His provisions to meet all our needs, expenses, food, clothing and maintain a comfortable nest egg for the future. THE LORD IS TRULY FAITHFUL!

Through prayer we maintained a low debt ratio.

Again, let’s commend the brother for his efforts and views in this video. But from my experience and this kind of discussion with countless other Ministers inside and outside of America the Scriptures do support God’s provisions for our labor.

God bless you, TitusTwoWife, and your entire family.

Bob

TitusTwoWife · Monday at 10:13 AM

bobinfaith said:
Good morning, TitusTwoWife;

1 Timothy 5:17–18, "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'". - ESV

1 Corinthians 9:14 (ESV): "In the same way, the Lord commanded that those who proclaim the gospel should get their living by the gospel". - ESV

We should commend the young man for his efforts and views regarding Minister salaries but he is in error and needs to study further the Scriptures and application according to exegesis in the then times and now times.

The graph would largely be based in most 1st world countries which will include thousands upon thousands of Churches. Most are autonomous and pay according to the offerings they can afford in most cases. If a Church can afford a sizable salary, give all the praise to God for His Church. If a Church can only afford the minimum salary, we still give God all the glory for His Church.

Example;

My former salary in the accounting field would be mid range and aligned in the chart presented in the video. When I was ordained as a Senior Pastor my salary dropped significantly. I had to serve as bi-vocational (hold down my accounting job and pastor after work) When the Church offerings increased I was given a humble raise until I could retire from my accounting career and serve without the aid of my accounting salary. This was in 2015.

My wife worked until she retired in 2022 but my salary was still much lower after my accounting career. But the KEY was the Lord provided His provisions to meet all our needs, expenses, food, clothing and maintain a comfortable nest egg for the future. THE LORD IS TRULY FAITHFUL!

Through prayer we maintained a low debt ratio.

Again, let’s commend the brother for his efforts and views in this video. But from my experience and this kind of discussion with countless other Ministers inside and outside of America the Scriptures do support God’s provisions for our labor.

God bless you, TitusTwoWife, and your entire family.

Bob

The two verses you mentioned are referring to food, water, and clothing, not a salary. The ox needs food to survive as it works the field. In the same way, ministers have the authority to get food and clothing and have their needs met from ministering the gospel. No where in Scripture do the Lord or the apostles and disciples receive salaries but they did take food.

1 Timothy 6:8
King James Version
8 And having food and raiment let us be therewith content.

Yesua888 · Tuesday at 7:06 AM

TitusTwoWife said:
The two verses you mentioned are referring to food, water, and clothing, not a salary. The ox needs food to survive as it works the field. In the same way, ministers have the authority to get food and clothing and have their needs met from ministering the gospel. No where in Scripture do the Lord or the apostles and disciples receive salaries but they did take food.

1 Timothy 6:8
King James Version
8 And having food and raiment let us be therewith content.

A difficult one ... ?
Those were the days ... ?

David · Tuesday at 9:00 AM

The Bible is clear on this. When God lays out the pattern, He keeps it plain, and what He builds does not look like a corporate ladder with salaries, perks, and retirement plans attached to the pulpit.

Jesus sent His men out with nothing in their pockets but trust in God. He said, “The laborer is worthy of his food” ~Matthew 10:10, not a contract, not a compensation package. Then He tightened it even more: “the laborer deserves his wages. Remain in the same house, eating and drinking what they provide” ~Luke 10:7. That is daily provision, not accumulated wealth. That is dependence, not security built on money.

Paul walked that road with dirt on his hands. He did not just preach it, he lived it. He told the elders straight, “I have coveted no one’s silver or gold or apparel… these hands ministered to my necessities” ~Acts 20:33-34. He worked so the gospel would stay clean, so nobody could point and say he was in it for gain. Then he laid down the principle for everybody, “If anyone is not willing to work, let him not eat” ~2 Thessalonians 3:10, and he kept the standard low and honest, “having food and clothing, with these we will be content” ~1 Timothy 6:8.

Now Scripture does not deny support. It says, “the Lord commanded that those who proclaim the gospel should get their living by the gospel” ~1 Corinthians 9:14. But look at Paul. He had the right, and he laid it down. “We did not make use of this right… that we may not put an obstacle in the way of the gospel of Christ” ~1 Corinthians 9:12. He chose the harder road so the message would not be questioned. That tells you something about the heart God honors.

When it speaks of elders being worthy of “double honor” ~1 Timothy 5:17-18, the context stays grounded. The same passage quotes, “The laborer deserves his wages.” That is provision, not elevation. Respect, yes. Care when needed, yes. But not a system where the shepherd lives high while the flock struggles low.

Peter drives it home with no wiggle room: “Shepherd the flock of God… not for shameful gain, but eagerly; not domineering… but being examples” ~1 Peter 5:2-3. The moment ministry starts chasing money, it stops looking like Christ and starts looking like a business.

And Scripture warns what that turns into. “In their greed they will exploit you with false words” ~2 Peter 2:3. That is not a side issue. That is a mark of false teaching. Jesus saw it in the temple and flipped tables, saying, “Do not make my Father’s house a house of trade” ~John 2:16. He did not reform it. He confronted it.

So what is the pattern when you strip away everything men have built on top of it? Men who preach the Word, content with what meets real needs. Men willing to work, if necessary, so the gospel is not for sale. A church that cares for true needs, especially the poor, instead of pouring its strength into maintaining a system.

The modern model where ministry becomes a career path with high salaries and comfort at the top does not come from the text. It comes from men reshaping the work into something safer, more stable, and more profitable.

But the gospel was never meant to be safe, and it was never meant to be for sale.

David · Tuesday at 9:10 AM

This conversation reminds me of a sermon I heard that sticks with me.
The sermon exposes a deep problem in religion: people using God as a means to get something, instead of honoring Him as the end. Reidhead builds this from Judges 17, where a Levite agrees to serve Micah as a priest for “ten shekels and a shirt.” That becomes a picture of people who are willing to “serve God” as long as it benefits them.

He argues that much of modern Christianity has been corrupted by this same mindset. Instead of being centered on God’s glory, it has been shaped by humanism, the idea that the purpose of everything is the happiness of man. This shows up when people come to God for personal gain, whether that is comfort, success, or even just escaping hell.

Reidhead challenges the idea of “success” in ministry. By human standards, men like Noah, Jeremiah, and even Jesus would be seen as failures because they did not produce large visible results. But God does not measure success that way. The real question is not results, but faithfulness and whether God is being honored.

He then exposes a major issue in evangelism. Many present the gospel as a way to make life better or to avoid punishment. But that appeals to selfishness. True repentance is not about fear of hell alone, but about recognizing the seriousness of sin against a holy God. A person must see that they have offended God and deserve His judgment, not just that they want to escape consequences.

A key turning point in the sermon comes from Reidhead’s own experience in Africa. He realized he had been motivated by human-centered thinking, trying to “help people,” rather than serving God for His sake. God corrected him with this truth: the ultimate purpose of missions is not man’s benefit, but God’s glory and the worthiness of Christ.

The central message is simple and sharp:

Christianity is about God’s glory, not man’s happiness. Humanism says everything exists for man. True Christianity says everything exists for God.

He presses this home by warning that many people are still “Levites,” serving God for personal benefit. But true faith looks different. A person comes to Christ because He is worthy, not because of what they will get. Obedience, surrender, and even suffering are embraced because God deserves it.

The sermon ends with a call to reject “ten shekels and a shirt” Christianity and to live for one purpose: that Christ receives the reward of His suffering.

Listen here:
Ten Shekels and a Shirt by Paris Reidhead | SermonIndex

Are Pastors Salaries Biblical? (Video)

TitusTwoWife

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