Survey Finds Economy Tough for Pastors
Pay for Protestant clergy in the United States has increased faster than inflation over the past 25 years, but the economic picture is still tough for many pastors, a survey conducted by Duke University’s Divinity School says.
Median pay -- including the value of any free housing -- is $40,000, similar to that of schoolteachers and social workers, the survey said. Roman Catholic priests, with no wives or children to support, receive a median of $25,000.
About 60% of Protestant pastors serve small churches (average attendance of 100 or fewer). Clergy in those congregations are paid less, and many churches provide no retirement benefits.
Protestant clergy often depend on spouses’ income, the study says, especially to pay off debts from seminary training or to cover college costs for their children.
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