Can My Family Live on a Pastor’s Salary?

My husband Scott and I had been married for just over a year, and our first son was only two months old when Scott left a well-salaried job to study to become a pastor. Despite our high hopes for this new and exciting season of our young family’s life and the encouraging support of our church, family, and friends, it didn’t take long for me to wonder how we would pay our bills. When Christmas came, we had less than a hundred dollars in our shared bank account, and I fretted over finances and our future. School costs were covered, but how would we pay our grocery bill, let alone the rent?¹ Could my family live on a pastor’s salary?

That was the first time my faith had been stretched to trust God to provide for our family, and it wouldn’t be the last. For many people, ministry life is a faith venture—especially when it comes to finances—as pastors and their families prioritize the Lord’s work over personal gain.² Even if becoming a pastor doesn’t mean a salary cut, it’s usually a commitment to serve Jesus Christ and his people over chasing our culture’s definition of financial security.

Over nearly two decades of marriage, with my husband serving as a pastor for many of those years, here are some biblical principles, practical tools, and questions that have helped guide us in ministry life and finances.

3 Biblical Principles for a Pastor’s Salary

Embracing these three biblical principles can build faith to live on a pastor’s salary:

1. An elder is worthy of his wages. First, there are biblical grounds for pastors drawing salaries. Quoting the Old Testament to Timothy, Paul explains that elders who “rule well [should] 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’” (1 Timothy 5:17-18). 

Some small churches employ a single pastor, while larger ones often have pastoral teams with elders filling various roles and positions. Similarly, church finances and pastoral salaries range widely. However, in the big picture, Scripture supports paying “those who labor”—who work hard in service—for the church. 

2. Enough is enough. Wisdom teaches that enough is enough, and sometimes “enough” is even better for our own hearts. Early in our relationship, Scott and I discovered that during our single years, each of us had prayed separately that God would make Proverbs 30:8-9 true for us:

           “…give me neither poverty nor riches;

           feed me with the food that is needful for me,

lest I be full and deny you

           and say, ‘Who is the LORD?’

or lest I be poor and steal

           and profane the name of my God.” 

Even before the Lord led Scott to pursue pastoral ministry, we asked our heavenly Father to provide what “is needful” for us, our daily bread (see Matthew 6:11). When we crave more (which we sometimes do) and when we fear we won’t have enough (which we sometimes do), this verse gives us guardrails to depend on the Lord. 

Note this doesn’t mean we don’t think about the future. We also ask the Lord for wisdom to plan for enough when we can no longer work to provide. 

3. God is our generous provider. Paul rejoiced when the Philippian church sent him a generous gift, but he had already learned to be content in various circumstances, including hunger and need. What was his secret? “I can do all things through him who strengthens me” (Philippians 4:13). 

Ultimately, ministry families hope in God, our generous provider. Just as he gave his Son Jesus to pay the just penalty for our sins (see John 3:16 and Romans 5:8), he “will supply every need of [ours] according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:19). As King David wrote,

“I have been young, and now am old,

           yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken

           or his children begging for bread.” (Psalm 37:25)

Rather than a church board or budget, pastors can trust the Lord to meet needs and “work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men” with the hope of an eternal reward (Colossians 3:23-24). 

Two Practical Tools

Keeping these principles in mind, some practical tools help my husband and me steward our limited finances: conversation and a budget. A few years ago, a family member helped us rank our top ten financial priorities, discuss them, and plan accordingly. It has made a real difference. 

Scott and I function as a team in navigating the challenges and surprises of life on a ministry salary. Our finances are transparent to one another; we meet regularly to discuss them, and budgeting for our shared priorities makes decisions to spend and save easier. We also confess our temptations to one another and the Lord and pray for God to provide. 

Some Questions to Consider

It’s alright to be poorer by someone else’s standard, especially if you receive less because of the relative need of those you serve. Also, sometimes church circumstances call for shared sacrifice. Other times, situations happen in which you may quickly be without a church home, ministry, or church pay. These all call for faith plus evaluation. In different seasons of ministry life, my husband and I have asked these questions:

• Do we truly believe God is our generous provider, who loves us and will care for our needs (see Matthew 6:25-34)?
• How do we spend and save in smart ways—reduce debt, use a budget, and shop sales?
• Is it a season for one of us to pick up part-time work in addition to our other responsibilities? 

For someone considering pastoral ministry for the first time, it’s worth asking if there are financial obligations that ought to be addressed first. Similarly, even accounting for sacrifice, what is a realistic salary required for your family to serve in a particular location?

Perhaps more than anything, the generosity of God’s people has built our faith for life on a ministry salary. During Scott’s pastoral training year, church friends bought all our son’s diapers. Since then, we’ve been given furniture, food, clothes, and even cars. So many times, God has faithfully provided for our needs, not just in a salary but also through the gifts of the very people we serve. What’s more, we’re grateful for the many intangible blessings—like friendships and shared memories—we experience. These are things that money can’t buy, and they remind us of God’s heart to care for us. 

©2024 Katie Faris. Used with permission.

1. This opening illustration is adapted from chapter 8, “Learning to Talk,” in my book God Is Still Good: Gospel Hope & Comfort for the Unexpected Sorrows of Motherhood (Wheaton, Illinois: Crossway, 2022), p. 109. ↩︎
2. See Dr. John Piper’s book, Brothers, We Are Not Professionals: A Plea to Pastors for Radical Ministry, Updated and Expanded Edition (Nashville, TN: B & H Books), 2013. ↩︎