The second church the Lord called me to was moderate with respect to Spiritual gifts, believing in all of them, but not allowing them to add confusion to the public meetings. It was also very evangelistically oriented. My regular duties included Men's Ministry, Small Group Ministry, some Counseling, Ushers, Greeters, Facility Maintenance, Mocha Ministry (believe it or not) and whatever else came up. I managed a staff of 7 employees and about 150 volunteers. I was on call 24 hours a day. In addition to this, for 2 years, I managed a $ 2.5 million building project from design through occupancy. As you might have guessed, this was a pretty large church, with average weekend attendance of 1,300 people. If you're considering a ministry position as your primary income source, consider this: Someone with 2 degrees and these responsibilities in a California business would receive over $ 8,000 per month in salary and benefits. My salary (no benefits) grew from $ 1,000 to 2,200 per month over my 4 year tenure...the most I've received in over 15 years of full-time ministry. The janitor I supervised had a higher salary than I did. Sadly, my experience is typical in the Christian world. Unless you're in the top positions on a huge church staff, you're not likely to receive enough to feed your family. There is something seriously wrong with our system when it pays so little for dedicated professionals. In my opinion, the reason for this involves our use of expensive commercial facilities instead of homes as the primary place of worship. This more than doubles the fixed expenses of most churches and more than doubles the number of paid staff required. See our forum Leading Small Groups and our web page Church At Your House for more information on how churches could eliminate over 75% of their expenses, leaving that money to actually meet the needs in your community. I was called to this church but cautioned by the Holy Spirit that it was a pretty sick place. It was the most selfish and self-indulgent group of ministers I've ever seen. The Lord called me there to speak truth to the staff more than to serve Him in the congregation. I was often forced to choose between popularity and prophecy, leaving me disliked by all but a couple staff members. The congregation seemed to love me. While there, I learned the staff didn't mean it when they preached about ministers being servants. I learned what Jesus meant about wolves coming in to devour the sheep. I learned from that church and that denomination that Jesus meant it when He said there would be false prophets and to examine their fruit before hearing their words. Less than 2 weeks after my brother died of pancreas cancer, a meeting was called to discuss my behavior at church while he was dying. At the meeting, the Senior Pastor complained that I had not treated him with the proper honor when he came to visit my brother on his death bed. Because the Lord had told me to look for humility as a sign, the Sr. Pastor's comment ended the meeting and my tenure at that church. That pastor is now selling real estate and most of his staff is no longer in ministry. The pastor of my first church is now selling insurance and most of his staff is no longer in ministry. Let me caution the proud and selfish ministers with something you may have told your sheep (while sheering them), 'God is watching! What experiences have you had with false, arrogant or selfish ministers? Can you give me some examples of upright, though poorly paid servants of God? Do you feel someone has to have a title to serve God?
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