Pastor, here’s how to answer “Pastors shouldn’t be paid.”

You’ve heard it at a budget meeting, in a parking-lot conversation, maybe from a board member who thinks he’s being practical: “Pastors shouldn’t even be paid. They don’t do anything anyway. Get a real job and preach on the weekends.” I hear it all the time, and it’s pure nonsense. It isn’t a pay debate. It’s a sermon of the serpent. Here’s what’s underneath it, and how I answer it as a pastor.

What anarchism is

As I use the word here, anarchism means anti-institutionalism in the church: the belief that spiritual authority has no legitimate structure, so pastors shouldn’t really hold an office, and they certainly shouldn’t be paid for the work. It sits right next to the lesson on authority, because both say the same thing in different clothes: the structure God gave the church doesn’t actually count.

So when someone says “pastors shouldn’t be paid,” they’re rarely making a careful argument about church budgets. They’re coming against the institution of the church and the role of pastor itself.

The serpent’s question

Every one of these sayings carries a version of the garden question, “Did God really say?” This one asks: “Did God really say the worker deserves his wages?”

And the answer is yes. He said it plainly. The serpent’s goal hasn’t changed: drive a wedge between the pastor and the people, and drive a wedge between the pastor and his full devotion to shepherding his congregation. The serpent wants the people to resent the pastor.

Step 1 — Go to the text

Paul doesn’t leave this vague. “The elders who direct the affairs of the church well are worthy of double honor, especially those whose work is preaching and teaching. For Scripture says, ‘Do not muzzle an ox while it is treading out the grain,’ and ‘The worker deserves his wages’” (1 Timothy 5:17–18). He makes the same case in 1 Corinthians 9, where he says the Lord commanded that those who preach the gospel should receive their living from the gospel (1 Corinthians 9:14).

These are men set apart for the Word of God: to teach the Bible, to shepherd, to do what God called them to do. Don’t take the grain away from the ox. If you’re heading into a compensation conversation, teach 1 Timothy 5 to your board first. Let Scripture set the tone before the spreadsheet does.

Step 2 — Ask what’s being projected

Very often this comes from a congregant’s own financial insecurity: “I work hard, and he gets paid more than me,” plus the old line that “pastors don’t do anything.” So gently ask the question underneath. Is this your own career insecurity talking? Is it a low view of pastors?

That low view of pastors has to stop. When I was a missionary, I remember going on vacation and feeling like if I posted a single picture, I’d lose support, because some people carry that small thinking: “What is he doing on vacation? I’m not on vacation.” That’s not an honoring attitude. It’s a suspicious one.

Step 3 — Picture the family behind the salary

Anything that harms a pastor, takes money out of his account, or hurts his family, I will always come against. We should want our pastors fully funded so their families are blessed, their kids are blessed, and they love being in ministry. If there’s a medical emergency, the pastor should be able to pay for it. One day he should be able to retire, not stand in the pulpit at 75 because he can’t afford to do anything else.

I want the kids who grow up in a pastor’s home to be able to say, “The church took care of my family.” And a well-paid pastor can preach the truth without worrying about losing his income. We should be glad when our pastors are blessed. We should be glad when they have a car that works.

Step 4 — Take your own side, and model honor

Pastor, there are times you have to take your own side when it comes to salary. If you’re considering a position and the board carries this mentality (“we don’t even think you should be paid to do this”), don’t pastor there. Enmity in the hearts of the board toward the pastor’s livelihood won’t stay in the budget meeting.

And if you lead the church, be transparent about how pastoral pay is set and reviewed. Suspicion grows in the dark. Then honor your own staff publicly. Model the very thing you’re asking the church to do.

Call it what it is: anarchism, and harmful to the men of God who preach every Sunday. Do not muzzle the ox. A church that honors its shepherds is honoring the structure God gave it.