Recently a friend told me how he had felt compelled to leave a growing Midwest church after a series of below-inflation pay raises With three teenage children, he found himself unable to keep up with the rising costs of raising a family.

For years he swallowed hard and hoped things would be different next year. But they never were. Feeling increasingly discouraged and unappreciated, he accepted a call to another church.

Tragically, the church he left had been happy with his ministry. As far as they were concerned, everything was going well. They had no idea he was unhappy, and they didn't want him to leave. But by then it was too late. Not wanting to repeat the same mistake, they hired their next pastor at a substantially higher salary, a salary that would have been more than enough to meet my friend's needs.

He still might lee pastoring that church if only he had known how to negotiate a fair salary. Instead, he finds himself in another church in another city, struggling with some of the ...