Rich pastors can be a topic of controversy. Should Christian pastors be rich? Should they even take a salary? If so, how much money is okay for them to make?
We see pastors owning and flying private jets, owning 10 or more cars, and wearing flashy clothing. Is this in God’s will?
What does the Old Testament say about rich pastors?
The Old Testament tells the story of the 12 tribes of Israel. One of the tribes was the Levites. They served as the priests in the Tabernacle, and later in the temple.
I give to the Levites all the tithes...in return for the work they do while serving at the tent of meeting.
Whenever someone offered a sacrifice, the Levites took care of that, and their work was never done—therefore they couldn’t work other jobs. So God took care of them through the tithes of the other 11 tribes.
Those who dedicate their lives to God’s work should be able to be financially supported in doing so.
What does the New Testament say?
The New Testament is even clearer on this issue.
Those who preach the gospel should make their living by the gospel…
If we have sown spiritual seed among you, is it too much if we reap a material harvest from you?
Here Paul is saying, how can you put a price on the eternal investment he is sowing into their lives?
“You must not muzzle an ox to keep it from eating as it treads out the grain” and “the worker deserves his wages.”
A muzzle was something they would put on the mouth of an ox to keep it from eating the grain it was treading out. Paul is saying that’s not how it should be for ministers of the gospel, they should be able to reap material benefit from doing the work.
Biblical caution about rich pastors
At the same time, there are some cautions about this:
Whoever aspires to be an overseer must be...free from the love of money.
But people who long to be rich fall into temptation and are trapped by many foolish and harmful desires.
Final thoughts
In other words, preachers who preach prosperity theology and flaunt their material wealth are in danger of sin. Being money-hungry goes against scripture, and it can also make the poor or people with less feel like they are lower-class citizens. It’s a poor model of ministry, and it can tempt people to chase after money. It can also be perceived as financial mismanagement.
So should pastors be rich? The Bible doesn’t set a salary limit or minimum. So we can’t set a rule either. But pastors often go to school longer than people who work in corporate America, and often work harder, so there’s a good argument that they deserve to be able to make a living off that work.
So the question is not how much money a minister should make, but what are they doing with it? For example, Rick Warren did a “reverse tithe” and gave 90% of his earnings and kept only 10% of what he made from “A Purpose-Driven Life.” It’s all about being a good steward of what God entrusts you with.