At the end of Nehemiah 12, there is actually a picture of priests and the Levites getting compensated from the supplies gathered for the temple. It turns out that if a pastor ever wants to argue for better pay, there's actually some scripture they can reference to support their argument. Who knew.
On that same day men were placed in charge of the rooms that housed the supplies, contributions, firstfruits, and tenths. The legally required portions for the priests and Levites were gathered from the village fields, because Judah was grateful to the priests and Levites who were serving. [...] So in the days of Zerubbabel and Nehemiah, all Israel contributed the daily portions for the singers and gatekeepers. They also set aside daily portions for the Levites, and the Levites set aside daily portions for Aaron's descendants. (Nehemiah 12:44,47)
When I read this, I think about the type of compensation a pastor deserves. I mean, if pay and benefits are supposed to represent the market value someone has to your organization, how do you characterize the value of a good pastor? I've had the benefit of listening and learning from multiple pastors at BGBC from Larry Frakes, to Greg Webber, and now from Frank Johnson. (Clearly a star-studded cast.) I definitely didn't always agree with the decisions of these individuals but I respected how multi-faceted their job became.
I gave an analogy during pastor appreciation month that I'll repeat here. Imagine being a teacher who is exhausted after an afternoon of mentoring students and working with individuals after class just to get an e-mail from a parent accusing you of "not caring about students" because they're mad at a bad test grade. Imagine being a police officer who is getting yelled at by a speeder for "only wanting to steal people's money" right after you were at the scene of a car crash involving a dead child. Imagine being a doctor who has studied for many, many years and knows exactly how to treat a patient's ailment just to have the patient claim you don't really know the best treatment since "it's their body, not yours".
Now imagine dealing with all of that in one week. That is what it often feels like to be a pastor. Pastors spend countless hours with many individuals who need compassion and encouragement just to have other church members claim they are too absent. They sacrifice their time, money, and energy working with those in crisis just to have others judge their motives in leading the church. They have their judgment and calling questioned by individuals who don't truly see them as a part of "their club". Welcome to pastoring.
I've spoken a lot with Frank and Doug on many issues over the past few years. I shamelessly admit that there are moments when I've felt a bit like a third wheel, especially when I see what these guys have to deal with on a regular basis. At BGBC, I've watched Frank bend over backwards to help meet the needs of individuals, spend time with those who need encouragement, and work with motivated individuals who have new ideas just to see others slam him for not doing what they expect him to do. During the process of serving at BGBC and leading our new church, Doug has been beat up over all kinds of issues ranging from legitimate grievances down to petty annoyances. In each situation, I've watched how he tackles the issues with a Christ-centered mindset and a desire to see harmony prevail... though not at the expense of "truth".
So here I ask, what is that sort of job worth? How much compensation does someone like this deserve?
The Well isn't at a point where we can start compensating anything and it's very premature to begin having these sorts of conversations. However, from all of us to these two senior pastors, we owe a tremendous amount of respect and gratitude. The Israelites realized that among all the important tasks for restoring the temple was recognizing and honoring their spiritual mentors and leaders. Many of us already interact with Doug and Frank regularly, but please never forget to take the opportunity to thank them for answering God's calling and serving the flock. They are our shepherds; what use is an individual sheep without direction from a shepherd?
DAILY PRAYER A Prayer for Pastors Father, you have put people in our lives who will guide us, help us grow, and execute a spiritually led vision that will reach countless individuals. Help us to hold humility in our hearts and discernment in our minds to know when you are working mighty works through these pastors. Give them wisdom, give them compassion and comfort, and give them boldness to execute your will in our households, in our community, and around the world. We also ask that when these pastors go through trials that you will equip them with the people and resources necessary to move forward confident in your calling that you will be glorified in the end. In your name we pray, Amen.
Comments