; Here are the shocking
facts about the economic plight
of our spiritual leaders
re We Starving Our Clergymen?
By AL OSTROW
Suppose that you control a major organization
with branches in every American community.
You own real estate valued at $9 billion. You have
more than 100 million regular customers who de
pend on your organization for inspiration and guid
ance. You set high standards for your 350,000 branch
managers, insisting that each be a good organizer,
administrator, program planner, financier, and pub
lic relations expert, as well as a keen Bible student,
competent orator, and capable counselor on all
human problems on call 24 hours a day.
Would you be shocked if a nationwide survey
disclosed that your branch managers are grossly
underpaid, many living on or below the borderline
of poverty?
Would it outrage you to learn that the wives of
many of your key men must patch threadbare gar
ments for their children and deny themselves most
of the luxuries and many of the common conven
iences you'd expect would accompany their hus
bands' professional status?
What would you do about it?
These questions are directed at you, the Ameri
can people, because you do control such as organi
zation. We're talking about the nation's 350,000
clergymen, serving all creeds and denominations.
Most of these dedicated servants of God are too
embarrassed to complain that they and their fami
lies are among the hardest-hit victims of inflation.
Congregations recognize that building costs have
virtually doubled in the postwar period, and yet are
willing to undertake about $800 million a year in
new church construction. But church trustees gen
erally manage to "hold the line" on ministers' salar
ies. Their wages have gone up a little but most of
the gains have been wiped out by inflation.
A survey by one Protestant denomination showed
that its average clergyman, despite pay increases,
had actually lost $348 a year in purchasing power
over a five-year period.
J. B. Brewer of Rocky Mount, N. C, discovered
that Presbyterian ministers in his area received
smaller salaries than the local dog catchers.
The official organ of the United Lutheran Church
in America reported that a successful manufacturer,
noted for paying high wages to his skilled workmen,
fought against paying a pastor more than $3,600 a
year. "What we save in salary," he contended, "we
can put into the painting fund for the church."
A pension-board survey of 3,591 Lutheran min
isters showed that 32 received less than $2,000 a
year. The pay of 178 was between $2,000 and $2,999.
There were 1,509 in the next thousand-dollar,
'Mitm i.-... ... .- BeeeeeeeeMeeBeeeeeeeeeeeaeeeeaeeeeei
bracket. Only 130 got cash salaries of $7,000 a year
or more.
Latest available statistics indicate that the aver
age American clergyman earns less than $5,000 a
year including wedding fees, transportation al
lowances, and the cash value of rent-free housing.
Is this fair compensation for professional men,
many of whom studied seven years beyond high
school for their calling? It's a fraction of the aver
age income of lawyers, doctors, architects, dentists,
and business executives. In some communities, it's
about equal to the pay of garbage collectors.
Of course, no one enters the ministry in quest of
wealth. But it costs money to feed and clothe
a family and send children through college, even
if you're engaged in "the Lord's work."
"The pay of clergymen in this country is pitiable,"
says the Rev. Dr. Samuel W. Blizzard, professor of
Christianity at the Princeton Theological Seminary.
Dr. Blizzard recently took a leave from Princeton
to study ministerial pay scales for the National
Council of the Churches of Christ, representing 30
Protestant denominations.
"I've found some spectacular salaries paid to a
few ministers," Dr. Blizzard said, "but the average
clergyman is not compensated in keeping with his
education and the demands of his profession.
"Ministers are somewhat sensitive on this matter.
Their tradition is to be defensive on the question of
their own remuneration. Most of them can obtain a
substantial pay increase only by changing churches.
There are some exceptions, but the chances of a
clergyman having his compensation increased over
a long period of service to one church is small."
Dr. Blizzard believes this problem definitely cur
tails the effectiveness of the nation's clergymen. A
man concerned about money for his son's new shoes
may have difficulty concentrating on the spiritual
needs of his congregation.
The professor proposes setting up a nationwide
citizens' committee, with local units in every area.
These units would educate the public to the need
for higher pay to maintain and improve the effec
tiveness of the ministry. In this troubled world,
where religious faith is one of the few sanctuaries
from turmoil, a decent wage for ministers seems a
small price to pay for the spiritual security received.
But don't expect clergymen to go on strike or take
any other drastic action to achieve this goal. Don't
even expect them to be outspoken about it
"The moment a minister begins to talk about his
own inadequate salary, he loses his effectiveness,"
explains the Rev. J. Kenneth Miller, pastor of the
United Presbyterian Church of Garden City, N. Y.
Clergymen's wives usually shun the topic, too,
except among intimate friends. "You know," one
minister's wife confided, "this probably sounds
awful, but our family was better off during the war,
when David took a part-time job in a defense plant.
The congregation considered it patriotic then, but
wouldn't stand for it now."
Some people seem to believe that anyone who
answers the call of the church should expect to be
underpaid, and seek satisfaction in things less tan
gible than human comforts. The answer comes from
Arthur. S. Flemming, Secretary of Health, Educa
tion, and Welfare, and former president of Ohio
Wesleyan University.
"Society," Flemming contends, "has no right to
deliberately penalize a minister and his family be
cause he is willing to devote his life to service
through the church."
Will the salaries of clergymen always remain low,
or will Americans awaken to their neglect?
To some extent, the continued power of the pulpit
to build character and morality and to provide
spiritual sanctuary from the storms of life depends
on our answer to that question.
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COVER
The charmer with the mischievous twinkle in
her eyes is film star Debbie Reynolds, who
avows, "My Life Has Just Begun," in the first
of two revealing articles by her (see page 6).
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Family
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February 14, 1960
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