The participants in this salary survey, conducted by the CTi research department, were randomly chosen on an “nth-name” basis from the subscriber lists of LEADERSHIP and YOUR CHURCH. The 10,000 names came roughly 80 percent from YOUR CHURCH and 20 percent from LEADERSHIP. Altogether, 3,977 usable surveys were returned and tabulated, giving a healthy 40 percent response rate.
Here are some facts about the respondents used for this article:
38 percent are senior pastors (overseeing at least one other ordained minister); 62 percent are solo pastors.
98 percent of the senior pastors and 96 percent of the solo pastors are male.
The median age is 45.
69 percent have a master’s degree, and 15 percent have a doctorate.
The church’s median attendance for senior pastors is 246, for solo pastors, 90.
54 percent live in a church-supplied parsonage, and 46 percent arrange their own housing.
46 percent live in a small town or a rural area, 30 percent in a suburb of a larger city, 17 percent in a metropolitan city, and 7 percent live in a farming area.
Where to get more information
The complete findings are published in The 1992 Church Compensation Report, which lists salary, benefits, and reimbursements for not only pastors and other pastoral staff, but also for youth pastors, Christian education directors, music directors, choir directors, organists, business administrators, secretaries, bookkeepers, custodians, and more.
For most positions, the report gives both salaries for full-time employees and hourly wages for parttime staff. It cross-references compensation by such factors as area of the United States, type of community, Sunday attendance, church budget, and denomination.
In addition, the report provides fill-in-the-blank worksheets to help church leaders tabulate relevant statistics for various positions in their church. Also included are articles on setting pay, lowering a pastor’s tax liability, and understanding a total compensation package.
The complete report, all 272 pages of it, is available by calling 800/722-7744 or by sending $49.95 to:
The 1992 Church Compensation Report
Christianity Today, Inc.
465 Gundersen Drive
Carol Stream, IL 60188.
Copyright © 1992 by the author or Christianity Today/Leadership Journal. Click here for reprint information on Leadership Journal.
