I seen or heard about pastors moving on to lead other churches over the years. I've never seen one admit they are taking a position because they were offered more money. They always say "God lead them" to take the other position after much prayer.

I feel a little bit betrayed the guy is leaving and I feel like the pastor views his job as a "job" and wants more money. I mean the guy had to actively pursue a job at a different church right? I wouldn't think a church would offer a new pastor a job without interviews, visits, and even preaching at the new church as a trial. All the planning to sell his house and move. Relocate the family. This isn't something that just fell in the guys lap.  Isn't being a pastor a calling?

Sure it's a calling for many, but then it's a calling that pays the bills, isn't it? Why should he do what he's doing for less than he could?  Be happy for your pastor. Or step in and do it for free, in addition to whatever you do to keep the light on.

Religion is a business, accept that and it is easier to see why the preacher left.  I can't say I blame him. How many times has op moved for more money?

It's a business, but its also easier not to say anything because it also might be one step ahead of a scandal.

I'm Roman Catholic, so I don't have any personal experience with how pastors come to lead congregations (I almost said "are assigned.")  But a couple of things:

1) All professions have a network, and it may very well have been that another congregation came to him, not vice versa.
2) He might be going *away* from your congregation, not "to" another.  Problems with individual members?  Conflicts with other congregation ministries? Doesn't like the local school district?
3) Being a pastor IS a calling - but that calling is issued by God, not a particular group of people.  Just because God called him to serve doesn't mean he's obliged to serve you.

Maybe view it like a divorce - it sucks, but the best thing you can do for yourself is deep self examination, leading to a better choice next time?

I don't have a problem with the money thing but be honest about it! Say "another congregation is willing to pay me more than this congregation. If this congregation will match it I would love to stay." Don't say "God has placed it on my heart and another congregation needs me more that this one."

It's kind of like playing daddy to a single woman's child. I'm your daddy and love and care for you until I find something better than your momma then I still love and care for you but I gotta bounce. See ya around.

What makes you think his only reason was money?  Is there a particular reason?

You start by referring to pastors plural.  And yes, I'm sure that in the population of pastors that change congregations, some are doing it just for money.  But then you get very specific about YOUR pastor. Why do you believe he individually falls into that category?

Just venting really. I think in a way they are kind of cowards blaming the move on God. The Pastor tells all the youth that look up to him at the church that it's not his choice to leave its Gods calling. He's not leaving them because he was offered more money God just told him to. Right.

So your Church is cheap and the pastor decided that eating air wasn't very filling for him and his family and good will doesn't send his kids to college and you want to take it personally?

Would you rather he told the congregation they were all a bunch of skinflints and tightwads and didn't tithe as they should?

You don't seem too "Godly'' about a decision between him and God and in the end, that is all that really matters.

His reasons may include more $$$ but that doesn't mean he also had other reasons which may include that he didn't feel he was a good fit for the parishioners nor they for him. Or that God really may have led him elsewhere. Take that up with the Man upstairs.

Money =/= happiness.


There are plenty more areas of life than money. You are making very large assumptions.

I just moved to my second church. I was in my last church for five years. It was a small church and I worked two jobs. I loved it there and loved the people. I had planned on living and dying there. The last thing I wanted to do was move unless I knew God was leading. When I was approached by where I am now, it wasn't a simple, "more money must be God's will". I cannot tell you of the gut rending feeling I had leaving. The amount of tears shed between my family and the church. The realization that I was leaving a place I considered home. 

OP, I also have a hard time when I hear of a pastor taking a position only to leave in a month. If he is truly seeking God"s will, and this is the will of God, then that has to be obeyed. I am saying I don't  know why he is leaving. I can say that any pastor who gives his life to the ministry, especially where he is called, is going to be broken in heart. 

To this day, I still miss several people in the church. But I spent easily five months in prayer. I would say, ask your pastor why and hear him. Ask how he feels. whether he is hurt. If he answers, listen to hear if it is real. 

OP, I am sorry for your pain. One thing I never wanted to do was hurt my church. I would guess he feels the same. His heart is probably feeling like it was ripped out and shredded. Yours is feeling the same. As one said to me, if I didn't feel this way, he would question my call. 

I don't know if this helps, but you have my prayers.

This.

In 17 years I've pastored 3 churches.

Money was low on the list of reasons why I left my previous two.

I wonder if your pastor was frustrated with people questioning his motives.

Thank you sir. I'm giving it time and I will talk with him about it. It may be a very difficult situation for him as well.

My grandfather was a pastor for nearly 60 years.  Of the same church.
He was also an evangelist and a paper mill Superintendent.

He never took a dime from the church as payment, his payment came from his employment at the papermill and the couple of rental homes he had.

I don't understand pastors/preachers who think they are too good to work with their hands.

Being a preacher/pastor is a calling, a service.  Not employment.

Except Paul's admonition to support those who are our preachers..

1 Cor 9:14
14In the same way, the Lord ordered that those who preach the Good News should be supported by those who benefit from it.

I think we should take a moment to appreciate BMCBreeder's post for its profound ignorance of Scripture, the realities of ministry, and the Communistic ideals it produces, albeit with a spiritual camouflage.

First off, realize that Scripture tells us that we are not entitled to the free labor of others - I'm amazed that I even have to explain that on this site, but here we are.  If someone works for you, you're supposed to pay them.

Romans 4:4 - Now, to the one who works, his wages are not counted as a gift but as his due.

Leviticus 19:13 - 'You shall not oppress your neighbor, nor rob him The wages of a hired man are not to remain with you all night until morning.

Deuteronomy 24:14-15 - "You shall not oppress a hired servant who is poor and needy, whether he is one of your countrymen or one of your aliens who is in your land in your towns. "You shall give him his wages on his day before the sun sets, for he is poor and sets his heart on it; so that he will not cry against you to the LORD and it become sin in you.

That command extends to ministers as well.  Yes its a calling.  But if a minister doesn't eat, guess what's going to happen.

When you look at the sacrifices commanded in the Old Testament, you'll see that one portion of the sacrifice was for God & another portion was reserved for the Priests.  In other words, they made their living off of their service.

Then we get to the New Testament and find commands like:

1 Timothy 5:17-18 - The elders who direct the affairs of the church well are worthy of double honor, especially those whose work is preaching and teaching.  For the Scripture says, "Do not muzzle the ox while it is treading out the grain," and "The worker deserves his wages."

1 Corinthians 9:13-14 - Don't you know that those who work in the temple get their food from the temple, and those who serve at the altar share in what is offered on the altar?  In the same way, the Lord has commanded that those who preach the gospel should receive their living from the gospel.

So yeah, pastors should be paid.  How much is an honest question that can produce a number of honest answers.  When I consult with churches I generally encourage them to pay the median wage of their community so the pastor can live in the community and provide for his family - at least to the level of everyone around him.

Practically speaking, I started my ministry trivocationally - pastoring and working at an lgs and working at a warehouse.  There are days when I miss the warehouse - it was easier work and it paid more.  There's a reason why the ministry ranks high on the "worst jobs to have" lists.  The work itself is a grinder, the pay is always low, then on top of that you find yourself dealing with people complaining about how you get paid too much, or paid too litttle.  Get upset if your wife works or if your wife doesn't work.  Think your kids should go to public school, or should get homeschooled.  And all the other stresses affiliated with everyone wanting you to make them happy when in reality they're happiest when they have something to complain about.

After spending 10's of thousands of my own money on my education, I am now a full time pastor & do some church consulting (usually in exchange for a brisk high five).  On average I work 50 hours a week - not counting the work I take home with me at night and the fact that I'm on call 24/7.  This week our church is doing our VBS & I'll easily log 70+ hours.  The work I do ranges from spending all day under our church bus in 100 degree heat so its safe to transport kids to VBS, to being up at 5am so I can spend all day going from one hospital to another, to spending a couple hours on the phone with some random lady in one ear & 911 in the other because this random lady just swallowed a handfull of pills and wanted a pastor to pray with her while she died (she survived btw), to counseling people who want financial assistance from the church & trying to figure out if they're legit or just calling every church looking for a sucker.  

Though the hardest is getting a front seat to the worst moments in peoples lives.  I've watched more people die and more marriages self destruct, and more kids go crazy than I've ever wanted to.  That's the stuff that wears on me - even when I don't get blamed for it. And that doesn't even touch the time I spend on sermons and lessons, or mind numbing administration tasks, or working through every meeting that your city or denomination wants you to be in on.


Let me say this as a man who's worked in both bivo and full time ministry - if you're doing ministry right you're not going to have a spare 40 hours in the week to do anything else.  Yes, sometimes a bivocational ministry is a reality that some churches & pastors have to deal with.  The major challenge for those churches is deciding which aspects can be overlooked and which can't be overlooked.  Because you simply cant do 100% in both areas.

I'd see that the same way I did when one of the guys left our office for what was probably at least a 50% pay raise.  Good for him.  

Bad for all of the "flock" he was tending! I guess that was someone else worry though right?

It's all about the almighty dollar.  There are very few things that when you boil them down, peel away all the layers and look at the situation under bright lights with your jaundiced eye that do not have financial gain at the core. 

My Pastor has his own small business.
We are also a very small church.

I'd say it opens a door for another person to step in that position.
Where there is pain there is opportunity.

I don't know your denomination, but I can tell you that in the confessional Lutheran churches (LCMS and ELS are what I have personal experience with) the historic practice is not to conduct interviews or "trial" preaching as part of the call process, lest it become a popularity contest.

My pastor owns the church, doesn't get paid, and lives off his retired military pension