A Labor Of Love

A Labor of Love

by Casey Harpe

In the United States, population changes over the last 40 Ð'- 50 years have caused dramatic changes in the labor market. The population growth, along with advances in technology, has led to a completely different labor market. One major change is that our economy has moved to a service orientation rather than of production. The driving force of our economy was, at one time, production or manufacturing. The major advances in technology and higher levels of education among most Americans have caused the manufacturing industries to seek the cheaper labor of countries other than the U.S. This new landscape of the labor market has affected all types of jobs in the U.S. Our service economy has led to more and more professional positions which require those higher levels of education and training. As a result, we have seen an increase in the amount of people who go to college as well as who pursue graduate level degrees.

The population growth in America has been dramatic. According to the National Census Bureau, the U.S. population in 1950 was approximately 154 million. Presently, the number has grown to over 303 million (1). This huge growth has brought about many changes in every area of our economy. One particular area of interest is that of our nation's pastors.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, ministers are classified as "clergy" and defined as those who "conduct religious worship and perform other spiritual functions associated with beliefs and practices of religious faith or denomination. [They] provide spiritual and moral guidance and assistance to members". (2) These types of positions have historically been on a volunteer basis. It's not until recent history that they have become professional, full-time positions. There are pastors even today who are "bi-vocational", which means they have a regular job outside the church, in addition to their ministerial duties. Many small churches cannot afford to pay a high enough salary upon which the pastor can rely as the primary source of income. In the past 40 Ð'- 50 years, however, many churches have grown enough to be able to afford to pay pastors substantially higher salaries. With many households now consisting of 2 working people, many pastors can afford to rely on a smaller salary from the church because of their spouse's supplemental income.

In recent years, specifically within the past 30 years, church growth in some areas of the country has exploded and brought about a new development in American Christian churches. This type of growth is most common in large urban centers around the country. These churches are known as Mega-churches and they have 5000 or more members, with some boasting much larger numbers than that. These Mega-churches have the funds available to offer much higher salary packages to pastors, which include such benefits as health insurance, life insurance, expense accounts, paid vacation, etc. Often, in these large churches, the budgets rival those of some large businesses. Most of these churches employ large numbers of people on full-time staff and have major operating expenses.

The supply of ministers has been high, in part, because of these attractive opportunities across the country. In America, for many years it has been understood that pastors should have at least some formal education in the area of theology. For some churches, especially smaller churches, a highly educated pastor is not always available or practical. As with most occupations in America, it is understood that a college degree or a graduate degree will earn higher pay. The most common educational level among Christian pastors is a graduate degree called a Masters of Divinity. Ministers can earn this degree at a theological college or seminary. As with all Masters level degrees, an undergraduate degree is required. Because of the extra expense of higher education and length of time a future pastor must wait to enter the labor market, most pastors expect to earn a higher salary. This leaves smaller congregations with fewer options as to who they hire as pastor. Pastors' salaries tend to be higher in churches where there are larger congregations. (3) The smaller churches cannot afford to hire a well-educated pastor and are usually led by bi-vocational pastors or by the laity. The amount of education required to pursue a career in the ministry has also led to a somewhat limited supply of pastors. While there is not a dramatic shortage of pastors, there are many churches in America without a regular pastor. Most of these churches rely on pastors who come out of retirement and/or fill in on an interim basis. The high demand for pastors and a somewhat limited supply has made a career in the ministry look quite attractive to those seeking financial gain.

While most ministers would say that they don't enter the field for the money, economic stability is definitely an attractive quality of the profession. This has led to many people entering the ministry for what most would describe as the wrong reason. Pastors who enter their profession because of the attractive salary and opportunity for economic success usually find themselves struggling and coming up short of their expectations. Pastors should be people who have a sense of calling to the profession and enter it to help lead congregations, teach people their theology and doctrine, and care for and guide their members. Because of the nature of the beliefs of the church, specifically the Christian church, pastors should not be concerned with how much money they will make. This is contrary to almost any other profession and it is contrary to what is normally