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Where Do Evangelicals Stand on CEO Compensation?

Some evangelical CEOs defend their large salaries while others opt out.

Andrea Useem | posted 10/01/2008 07:34AM

In the spirit of this week's question on how different religious groups relate to the massive financial troubles on Wall Street, I spent time this morning digging through resources on how evangelicals ...

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Margaret Nahmias

Posted: October 05, 2008 2:46 PM

Why do you mean by large Does this include stock options and other non- cash compensation because that inflates the majority of executive salaries. Non-cash compensation is eaiser to regulate. For example the government could caps the amount of options that a executive receives yearly. As long as they earn their keep I have no problem with them making a lot of money, but the Christian executives should be allowed to exercise their conscience. if they feel they are being paid too much. However keep in mind that is a matter of perception.

Bob Mason

Posted: October 03, 2008 12:24 AM

I don't believe it is immoral for a Christian executive to accept what the board offers. It is quite another matter for one to demand an ultra-high financial package. If the compensation is market-appropriate and the executive powers are exercised for justice for the company and justice within the company for its other employees, then I don't see a problem Where I think a Christian executive can shine is in what he/she does with that compensation. I believe that any of us who make more than we need, need to prayerfully evaluate how much we need to to provide for ourselves and our families and use the rest of our income for further expressing our love for God and for our neighbors as ourselves. What a testimony a $20 million dollar executive would have if (after taxes of $7million) at least $12 million went to mission and charitable causes, leaving $1 mil for living, retirement planning, etc.

Tom C

Posted: October 02, 2008 6:17 PM


who cares what anybody makes! All of earth's rewards are meaningless at the end of our life where permanent reward based on our obedience is the real measure. Christ has freed us from even caring about this stuff, and jealously towards those with their temporary reward

Mark Eaton

Posted: October 02, 2008 4:59 PM

Christian CEOs, Ministers, and Evangelists should not accept excessively large salaries. All believers in fact. This issue is symptomatic of our lack of understanding of God's plan for the world. High compensation is not a "reward" from God for doing his will. The earlier poster's reference to Rev. 2 is clearly skewed. Study the word and see when/why the rewards from Christ are given. At the Judgement Seat of Christ for deeds done in the body. Past tense. Not today. Christians should do everything with our witness in mind. If a new believer finds out that my compensation is overly large, it may cause that person to stumble. The fact that this question arises shows that immature believers can be confused about it. Not to mention the temptation large amounts of money has. Remember that Christ said it was easier for the camel to go through the eye of the needle than for a rich man to enter heaven.

dunbar smyth

Posted: October 02, 2008 12:40 PM

I am not surprised that your fine article reprinted in Christianity never opened up the reality that the good Lord's coming intervention at the end of the age is prompted by the global economic system -- her trader princes in bed with the political "kings", selling the body politic. Do the faithful not need to be aware that He resorts to his arch-enemy, the coming "Great Victor" to destroy it? That Christians are too enmeshed in the system and too weak to do the task? This operation will be the greatest deception, one assisted by the deputies of the very oligarchs who will have drafted F---- the Victor out of his retreat to Palestine to salvage looming military disaster. Similarly, four decades earlier, America will be brought down as a federal entity because of the corruption of her trade and commerce. Her sages have indeed rowed the ship of state into open waters. Time to get real about Babel.

John Richardson

Posted: October 01, 2008 8:56 PM

Should Christian CEO's accept large salaries? Absolutely! There is nothing inheritantly wrong with money. The call to the rich young ruler (to give everything away) is not a prescription for believers, it is simply a description of one man's struggle with material wealth. God tells those who have been faithful with a little bit that they will receive more...and "him who overcomes and does my will to the end, I will give authority over the nations" (Rev. 2:26). So, money and possessions are not the problem. The problem is greed and the misconception that this is "my money." Money - and large salaries - are a great resource for the kingdom of God as long as God is allowed to stay on the throne.

stan baldwin

Posted: October 01, 2008 8:16 PM


It's hard for me to believe there's even a question. No! No! No! evangelicals should not be at the fat trough. Jesus had severe words for people who fare sumptiously while the beggar lies hungry at their door.

Charles de Jongh

Posted: October 01, 2008 6:22 PM

What really concerns me more than the general question is that many CEO's appear to receive large salaries and bonuses even when they fail. Surely, they should receive salaries and bonuses that match their performances; especailly when the 'victims' of their failures are 'ordinary' citizens seeking to make ends meet. It seems abhorrent that CEO's can get large bonuses and payouts when so many people can suffer because of their poor and sometimes even criminal decisions and strategies. I would suggest a system akin to that of many sales people: a basic retainer and thereafter strict performance based bonuses, based on the performance of the company in terms of its 'ordinary' customers or investers. That would make the CEO's take far greater responsibility for the grassroots impact of their choices and decisions. A last word, "What would be pleasing to God?"

Herbie

Posted: October 01, 2008 5:22 PM

If it was me being offered a large salary, of course I would take it! Seriously, who wouldn't! If God blessed me with good fortune, 10% would directly go to tithe and the rest would be given to organizations. Whatever is left I would live on. Example. $10/hr. (that's a lot for a college student), $1 to tithe, $5-6 to charity or missions, whoever needs it most, and the rest for Ramen! Basic equation, and it can be proportionalized to fit any salary. Just because God blesses you with money doesn't mean you can't have it. He GAVE it to you. And sure, it can tempt the most holy saint into becoming greedy, but God doesn't provide what He knows you can't handle. HERBIE

Mike	Posted: October 01, 2008 4:33 PM

I think the authors here hit on a good solution to this problem, namely finding moral fund managers. Recently, I have seen that ownership and management have been too far removed from each other. When all the companies became corporations and are owned by large fund groups, then management no longer has to deal with the average person. Furthermore, since the fund managers and the company boards and CEO are generally from the same social class they are blind to needs outside their own social structure. I get so tired of fiscal conservatives defending these huge payouts because it just the free market working. In reality the market has stopped working because the consumers, owners (me and you in our retirement plans), and management are so far removed from each other that no one considers larger moral issues in their decisions. When CEOs are paid huge bonuses even when their company is failing, it is a clear indication that market forces are not working properly.

R. Muzzarelli

Posted: October 01, 2008 3:00 PM

The compensation package offered by a for-profit corporation may be somewhat negotiable but is ultimately controlled by the board and the stockholders. A Christian should not automatically decline a large compensation package. A Christian should not be considered worth less compensation than a non-Christian. However, the Christian should be most likely to distribute the compensation in a charitable manner. There may also be ways to accomplish that distribution with tax advantages. When God allows us to receive a financial blessing, I believe He intends it for us to be able to be a blessing to others and the Church, beginning where we are at the time. We can also witness by our giving.

trisha

Posted: October 01, 2008 2:51 PM

This article needs to be way more indepth. Exactly how are CEOs compensated and why that methodology? What is the historical context of CEO's salaries and how has this changed? How do the thousands who are middle managers in businesses attempt to be a good employee-serve our "master" well but look out of the injustice of our economic system. Andthe bottom line to individuals who work for business-help us to understand how CEOS and top indivduals pull in literally hundreds of million of dollars but the company then goes bankrupt. For myself, 2008 brought 3% raises to my staff-which with the price of gas and healthcare-meant we paid them less than we did last year. We figured out our CEO could have gotten about 7-8 million less of his 50plus million and all the company employees could have had a 5-7% raise. So was he really worth getting 10 million more at the expense of all the other employees? No, it was not-typical HR response is "CEO" salaries are not open for discussion!

pete dayton

Posted: October 01, 2008 2:27 PM

Corporately, I don't believe that Christian CEOs should accept exorbitant salaries and bonuses. It may, however, ultimately depend on how one chooses to disburse the funds ,i.e. charitable contributions to Christian ministries and the poor. While some Christian organizations may not be inclined to accept lottery money, accepting bonuses or increments might be an easier decision. Another example that I have personally been a part of is redistribution of bonuses, in particular, to co-workers and other employees.

Gary Budinger

Posted: October 01, 2008 12:03 PM


Here may be the lowest-paid Christian CEO of a for-profit operation in the country - http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/26945672/

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