Free Republic
Browse · Search
Religion
Topics · Post Article

To: jacero10
You obviously have some "issues" regarding Protestants, but I'll skip over those. What I will say is that if you think the average Protestant minister makes $100K or more per year, you are seriously mistaken. I'll give you an anecdotal example first. The minister in the Methodist church I attended while living in rural Tennessee made $22K per year. For that whopping salary, he served the three different churches within our circuit. He attended every service and preached a sermon at all three churches every Sunday. Add in all the other duties of a pastor, and you had a very busy man. But he was pretty lucky, because our circuit had a 2-bedroom parsonage where he, his wife, and their three young children lived. If he was getting rich, he sure was doing it in a strange way!

Now I'd like to relate some data from a study done by Duke Univ. in 2003:

The median salary, including housing (which isn't always provided), for Protestant pastors serving small churches was $36,000 in connectional churches and $22,300 in congregational churches. Salaries varied according to the size and location of the churches, with larger, urban churches paying more than their smaller, more rural counterparts. In addition, only 30 percent of small congregational churches provided retirement and health benefits for their pastors, compared to 80 percent of small connectional churches. Remember, too, that Protestant ministers normally have wives and children to support.

Catholic priests are generally paid less than Protestant clergy, according to the study, but those lower salaries were offset by the provision of other benefits, including health care, retirement and theological education. Of course, Catholic priests do not have wives and children to support. The range of salaries was much narrower for Catholic clergy. The median salary paid to Catholic priests varied only slightly regardless of the parish size, the survey showed. Median salaries for priests ranged from $20,883 for those serving small parishes up to $26,633 for those serving the largest parishes.

29 posted on 09/14/2007 8:17:48 PM PDT by Flo Nightengale (long-time lurker)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 27 | View Replies ]


To: Flo Nightengale
Catholic priests are generally paid less than Protestant clergy, according to the study, but those lower salaries were offset by the provision of other benefits, including health care, retirement and theological education. Of course, Catholic priests do not have wives and children to support. The range of salaries was much narrower for Catholic clergy. The median salary paid to Catholic priests varied only slightly regardless of the parish size, the survey showed. Median salaries for priests ranged from $20,883 for those serving small parishes up to $26,633 for those serving the largest parishes. Your "Duke study" is clearly bogus. Catholic priests are not paid by parish size. They are not even paid by title (pastors and associate pastors are paid the same). In each diocese every parish priest is paid exactly the same. In my diocese in northern Indiana, the priest salary is just 13,000 a year. In addition he has a two room suite and bath in the rectory and meal provided. He pays for his car and the diocese pays his insurance. He and the diocese split his retirement savings. He also pays taxes. Our priests have about 500 a month to spend on themselves when all is said and done. Catholic priests are paid according to church teaching the living wage. That is enough for the essentials plus a little more for entertainment. It is a frugal existence. If the "Duke study" does not reflect the way priests are actually paid, it really has no credibility. As for being a Catholic, yes I have dog in this race. While the Orthodox can often be as chilly toward Catholics as any Protty, any attack on their theology or practice is an attack on Catholicism as well. As you must know by now, Catholics regard the Orthodox as brothers in the Church. Protties on the other hand are not technically member of the Church but are ecclesial communities and quite defective.
31 posted on 09/15/2007 6:40:04 AM PDT by jacero10 (Non nobis domine, sed nomine tuo da gloriam.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 29 | View Replies ]

To: Flo Nightengale

I see that you have avoided addressing the heresies and apostasies now rampant in protestant churches. Gay marriage is a heresy. Pro abortion is a heresy. Teaching that Christ is not necessary for salvation is an apostasy. All the major liberal denominations (denominationalism is also heretical because it implies a religious relativism) are now falling into these errors and thus jeopardizing the salvation of their members.

You also avoided the serious problem of divorced and worse, divorced and remarried clergy.

Maybe you take this all very lightly. But the Catholic Church doesnt. Protestant relativism and casual theology are major contibutors to the dissolution of Western civilization.


32 posted on 09/15/2007 6:56:13 AM PDT by jacero10 (Non nobis domine, sed nomine tuo da gloriam.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 29 | View Replies ]

Free Republic
Browse · Search
Religion
Topics · Post Article


FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson