Part 3: Pastor's Code of Ethics and Covenant

Every profession has some ethical standards, but those of a pastor are necessarily different. We have examined the preamble and the first three covenants. You can see them below. This week let’s think about the third and fourth.

• I will advocate adequate compensation for my profession. I will help lay persons and colleagues to understand that professional church leaders should not expect or require fees for pastoral services from constituents they serve when these constituents are helping pay their salaries.

This covenant is really difficult; probably the most difficult for most pastors. No one goes into church ministry thinking they will get rich. You go into it to serve and out of a sense of calling. It is really hard to advocate for yourself or for your own raise. You hope someone else will advocate for you. Salary is a pretty private issue in our culture; I only have a guess about what most people in my church make for an annual income. Talking about my salary is difficult and revealing.

It is easier for me to advocate fair compensation for myself when I think about my compensation as a part of a larger picture. Someday any church I serve will have to replace me. If I have advocated fair compensation; the church will be able to afford a new pastor and avoid the ‘sticker shock’ that they will face when they look for new leadership. Advocating fair compensation for me is part of building a foundation of stewardship for future pastors. Fair compensation reminds people that there is value in what a pastor does and it should not be taken for granted. When adequately compensated, pastors have no need to require fees from those in the congregation whose giving is already paying their salary. If someone in our church wants me to do a funeral or wedding or other service; I am so happy to be able to do that without any thought about how much they should pay. I am their pastor and they should expect that helping them is part of my job. I think our church is currently doing a good job of compensating our pastors. I am glad recently trustees and deacons have been having conversations about the process of evaluation, cost of living increases, and merit based raises. A process helps fair compensation be a part of our church culture. It is important to note here that it is appropriate for a pastor or church to set fees for pastoral services for those who are neither involved nor support the ministry of the church.

• I will not seek personal favors or discounts on the basis of my professional status.

I remember during my last semester of seminary, we had a class with the President of the seminary. One of the enduring things he told us was that we should go into our churches and communities and change the image of the ‘poor pastor.’ He said that if we ever wanted to be compensated fairly we had to act like people who were compensated fairly. He told us not to always let other people pay, but to make sure we were doing our fair share. He warned us that people would think that because we were pastors, they were always supposed to pay. Those were wise words, and I have found that as I have not played the role of the ‘poor pastor’, people have not treated me that way either. I think that perception is rapidly changing in our culture and it is for the good of both pastors and churches.