Pastors Are People

I am so very excited to introduce you to Josh Fuentes! Josh is the Senior Pastor at Crestview Baptist Church in San Antonio, Texas. Josh has shared with me his insights and experience after reading “Pastor Are People Too” by Jimmy Dodd and Larry Magnuson.

TWP, with the help of Josh, will have a series of articles and thoughts on this topic. I pray that you will be encouraged, challenged and refreshed by the words to come! Take it away Josh!

Pastors Are People Too: Compensation Matters
(Pastor Josh Fuentes)

Paul writes in 1 Timothy 17-18, “Let the elders who rule well be considered worthy of double honor, especially those who labor in preaching and teaching. For the Scripture says, “You shall not muzzle an ox when it treads out the grain,” and, “The laborer deserves his wages.” You are called by God to be a minister of the Gospel and should be properly compensated. The word of God believes so, you believe so, and surprisingly, even your congregation believes so. Yet, the tragic reality is many Pastors feel overworked, underpaid, and left in humiliation, which eventually leads to a broken Pastor, with a broken family, and a broken church scrambling to find a new Pastor only to repeat the same mistakes. 

We can all agree, this is not the way ministry is supposed to function, but sadly, it’s an everyday occurrence, and some of you are experiencing this tragic cycle right now; however, what if I told you it doesn’t have to be this way. That you can break the cycle of humiliation and enjoy the double honor our heavenly Father promises. The good news is you can, and you should, and I’m going to share with you how through a series of blog posts that focus on: 

• Why the Church Fails to Compensate

• The New Mindset You have to Embrace

• How to Start the Compensation Conversation

• Overcoming Roadblocks

• A Healthy Pastor

Like many of you, I serve at a small church that only offered the bare minimum when it came to compensation; however, that is no longer the case. In one year, I was able to go from cash compensation with health insurance to a pay raise, retirement, insurance covered for health, dental, and eye, a health reimbursement account to cover my family’s insurance deductible, and a cell phone allowance. Plus, I am currently working with my personnel committee to implement a Sabbatical policy, and did I mention I’ve only been at my church for a little over two years? 

Yes, the Holy Spirit has moved in my life in an incredible way, and I believe he can move the same way for you too, so I pray you look forward to the next blog post. Moreover, that you be willing to ask questions. I want to have a healthy dialogue with you, so we can celebrate and encourage one another. That’s only possible by your willingness to leave comments or reach out to me personally, so let’s work together and cultivate a culture of healthy pastors and health churches together. 

Questions:

What frightens you about engaging in conversations on compensation?

If you are adequately compensated by your church, how else have they blessed you?