There is conversation going on at general assembly about capping the salaries of our pastors. they show this graphic and cite that we are being paid too highly. However, the injustice here is not what the graph shows but what it does not.
We have one of the hardest ordination processes in Protestantism. The amount of education required to become ordained disqualifies most people from even attempting the process. Those that are wealthy can pay their way through (they are few and far between) those who are brave take on student debt trusting in the call that God has placed in their lives.
The result for me is 100,000 in debt. Well technically it is a little more than that but I will let that nice round number sink in because it is not unreasonable. (Yes I have worked part time through the whole process but part time at a small church does not pay much.) The impact of student debt effects me and my choice for future calls.
On average I will face 2-18 months of crushing student debt payments with no means to pay. I am not allowed to look for a job until I graduate. The average search for a first call is 6-24 months. I can get 6 months worth of debt deferment. For every five pastors seeking a call there is one position open.
I am in no position to get married. I live life on a lean budget. I have a girlfriend of over two years that I love. We talk about marriage but I cannot afford a ring let alone be a financial contributor to a marriage. Furthermore, I have no idea where I might be called. Am I going to marry her only to move out of the area only to have neither of us have a job?
I can not seek a call that is innovative, experimental. The innovative stuff is fledgling. It starts small. Church planting, missional outreach, things of this nature are important but they do not pay much. I know that we as pastors are supposed to be people of principal but student debt encourages pragmatism.
The calls I do receive I will live in fear of being fired. Let's be blunt for a moment. Being a pastor can be tough. This is especially true in a denomination set on its ways. I am more likely to tempted to appease the status quo (which is resulting in a dying congregation) because I have bills that need to be paid.
So yes, we may be the highest paid on average. But we have a lot of debt to pay off. If you are a twitter person who feels similarly tell your story #ga220 #debt.
I will leave you with a question. Could it be that we are having trouble with the decline of our church because we are setting our pastors up to fail?
How much debt is it just to ask of seminarians and how are we working as a denomination to help people stay within those boundaries?
-David Derus
I moderated a Committee on Preparation, and we always asked potential inquirers about their debt load prior to seminary. It was usually a lot. Yet, we never told inquirers no to attend seminary. We never had any concrete debt-avoiding strategies for them.
ReplyDeleteThe most critical thing you mention here is the inability to take an experimental type of call. If young clergy can't do that, where will that leave us.
Thanks for raising this.