Home > Your Church > 1998
Pastors and Fringe Benefits
by John C. LaRue, Jr. | posted 1/01/1998
 1 of 2
Benefits are a vital part of any employee's compensation package. A recent nationwide survey conducted for Your Church takes a look at how many pastors receive benefits, and what kinds of benefits their churches provide.
The Haves and Have Nots
Previous studies for Your Church (September/October 1997) showed that senior pastors who serve in churches with other paid ministry staff usually earn more than solo pastors. New research shows that senior pastors are also more likely to receive various fringe benefits than solo pastors (see Graph 1). In every category but one, churches offer more fringe benefits to senior pastors than solo pastors (see Graph 2). But churches also contribute an average of $500 more per year for health insurance for solo pastors than for senior pastors.
In addition, more churches are providing pastors with various benefits than in 1991, when Your Churchdid a similar study. The most dramatic increases since then have been in providing reimbursements for professional, entertainment, and hospitality expenses. Fifty to 100 percent more pastors have obtained coverage for those expenses.
Graph 2:
Median Annual Amount of Fringe Benefits
|
|
Senior Pastor
|
Solo Pastor
|
|
Health Insurance
|
$4,000 |
$4,500 |
|
Auto Expenses
|
$2,400 |
$2,112 |
|
Convention/Cont. Ed.
|
$1,000 |
$500 |
|
Life Insurance
|
$600 |
$276 |
Entertainment/
Hospitality
|
$600 |
$200 |
|
Professional Expenses
|
$500 |
$400 |
|
Disability Insurance
|
$500 |
$248 |
Solo Pastors:
Amount of Fringe Benefits by Average Sunday Morning Attendance
|
|
50 or Less
|
51-100
|
101-150
|
Over 150
|
|
Health Insurance
|
$2,350 |
$4,500 |
$5,000 |
$5,000 |
|
Life Insurance
|
$316 |
$263 |
$256 |
$400 |
|
Disability Insurance
|
$236 |
$276 |
$300 |
— |
|
Auto Expenses
|
$1,800 |
$1,900 |
$2,400 |
$2,625 |
Convention/
Continuing Ed.
|
$600 |
$500 |
$500 |
$500 |
|
Professional Expenses
|
$250 |
$400 |
$650 |
$300 |
Entertainment/
Hospitality
|
$50 |
$126 |
$220 |
$300 |
Senior Pastors:
Amount of Fringe Benefits by Average Sunday Morning Attendance
|
|
50 or Less
|
51-100
|
101-150
|
Over 150
|
|
Health Insurance
|
$3,800 |
$4,355 |
$4,500 |
$3,920 |
|
Life Insurance
|
$300 |
$500 |
$900 |
$1,000 |
|
Disability Insurance
|
$250 |
$490 |
$558 |
— |
|
Auto Expenses
|
$1,800 |
$2,300 |
$2,800 |
$3,531 |
Convention/
Continuing Ed.
|
$600 |
$1,000 |
$1,000 |
$1,250 |
|
Professional Expenses
|
$300 |
$500 |
$500 |
$650 |
Entertainment/
Hospitality
|
$600 |
$400 |
$500 |
$875 |
Insurance Coverage
Pastors are more likely to receive health insurance than any other benefit. Unfortunately, our survey did not question why 20 to 26 percent of full-time pastors don't have this coverage. Perhaps most get this benefit through their working spouse or pay for it themselves.For a pastor's medical coverage, the median annual amount churches pay is $4,400. One-fourth of churches spend $2,500 or less, while another 25 percent spend $5,950 or more.
Twenty to 30 percent of pastors serve at churches that pay for life and disability insurance. Premiums for the majority of those policies range from $150 to $1,000. Our study did not indicate what kind of coverage was included.
Professional Reimbursements
More than 7 of 10 pastors have their auto expenses reimbursed, adding up to a median annual amount of almost $2,400. One-fourth of the pastors receive $1,200 or less for auto expenses, and 25 percent receive $3,300 or more. The survey did not ask how many pastors use a church-owned vehicle.
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