Pastoral Finances

“n a move lauded by Evangelical leaders, U.S. legislators have reintroduced the bipartisan Clergy Act. The act offers a way out for clergy experiencing buyer’s remorse after taking advantage of a special exemption in the tax code.” - MinistryWatch

“The survey findings revealed that many pastors struggle with their level of financial knowledge. Fewer than half said they were somewhat or very well prepared for financial matters by their college, seminary or first employer in ministry, while 48% said they put off thinking about financial matters because they don’t feel knowledgeable in that area.” - The Baptist Paper

Map data “comes from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. They have been tracking the median salary of clergy for at least the last 25 years and they make that data publicly available for download.” - Ryan Burge

“Whether staff-heavy or staff-light initially, most churches discover, in time, the need for a healthy blend of both paid and unpaid leaders.” - Desiring God

“When understood and implemented fully, this can be a lifelong tax advantage for all ministers. Unfortunately, there’s still a lot of misunderstanding about how it works. Here are the basics of what you need to know” - C. Leaders

“The recognition of universal struggles, however, doesn’t negate the existence of some unique financial constraints on ministry families. Every vocation has its own set of ‘occupational hazards.’ Let me highlight two that operate unconsciously in the social architecture of a local congregation.” - TGC

“The group that brought the federal lawsuit against the cash version of the clergy housing allowance has decided not to appeal the unanimous Federal Appeals Court ruling that upheld the thing. They have a clever title to this news: Appeals Court Blesses Housing Allowance.” - SBC Voices

“I believe that the Christian version of ‘Pay Yourself First’ is ‘Pay Yourself Second.’ What this means is that, after you give to God, the very next thing you should do with your money is to use it to prepare for your own financial future.” Broke Pastor