Pro's & Con's of Paid Ministry

Pro's & Con's of Paid Ministry

Reverend Dr. Maggi Dawn, a singer/songwriter-turned-Anglican-priest, suggested a few weeks back that I write something on the pro's and con's of fulltime, paid ministry (as opposed to being bivocational). She also requested that I hold off until she returned from her vacation, which (judging by her recent return to her blog) appears to be over.

Please note that I am not against the idea of being paid to do pastoral ministry, nor am I defiantly defending it. There are pluses and minuses, and what individuals decide to do with this will vary.

(In the silence of the warehouse -- no radio, remember? -- and the 'alone time' during my lunch breaks, I have lots of time to think about these things, which I'm kinda enjoying.)

Pro's	Con's
Being paid full time means you can focus exclusively on ministry during the week.	Working a "regular job" allows you to stay firmly rooted in the "real world" (like my 'weekend job', as Justin refers to it, of playing in a Celtic rock band)
Getting a regular paycheque... nice!	People treat you strange: "You're paid to care for people; deep down, you don't really."
You have time to build "unity" with other pastors/churches by attending city-wide meetings.	You waste a lot of time at "important" meetings but have none left over for the work of the ministry.
You have lots of time to pray, prepare, plan, evaluate, and develop programs.	You don't learn how to involve more people in the process, which you have to do when you have a "real job" that doesn't leave you all the discretionary time that full-time pastors have.

This list should be viewed as a 'work in progress'. Feel free to add more pro's and con's in the comments.

Probably the biggest advantage I can see to not being a full-time, paid professional pastor ('professional' in the sense of "getting paid") is in the area of credibility. People, including church people, tend to instinctively distrust official clergy.

• They just want our money.
• They're on a power trip.
• They want to control me.
• They think they're more spiritual than the rest of us.
• And so on...

Take away the position, the paycheque, and the power, and suddenly "pastoring" is about gift and calling. Caring for people. Being a good example. A good husband (or wife), and parent. A true friend, who knows when to talk, when to keep quiet, and when to buy the beer. Living incarnationally, just like that other guy -- what's his name again? -- oh yeah, Jesus.

John 1:14: "The Word became flesh and blood, and moved into the neighborhood."

Thoughts?