The writer of the letter to the editor (Feb. 9 issue) concerning pastors’ salaries has bigger things to worry about than whether or not a pastor should be paid. I believe what the writer should be doing is learning how to leave the judging of others to God. He judged pastors as being “momma and daddy called” and basically called those pastors making $100,000 or more greedy and lazy. (By the way, there aren’t many making those kinds of salaries in the pastorate.) I’m interested to know how he gained such deep spirituality that he can determine if “momma” or God called me.
What is interesting is that he touted the King James Version (stating that “y’all” don’t use that version) as a basis for all of his harsh and unfounded ramblings. Ironically I can find no scriptural text to say a pastor or minister shouldn’t be paid. Further examination of the KJV or any other version of the Bible would show that Paul was thankful to his churches for taking such good care of him. The world’s greatest preacher, Jesus, had to eat and sleep somewhere — some of His people obviously took care of Him.
As a pastor who has been both bivocational and full time, I have a problem with someone who thinks “we are too sorry to work.” I recognize that on the career scale I’m not far above a loan shark or repo-man. But then again, I didn’t become a preacher or pastor for social acclaim. In fact, if you print this letter, I believe it will be my first time in print as a pastor. When I hear statements like this misguided individual made about pastors’ “sorry” work ethics — and he hasn’t even met most of us — then all I am left with is my own irritation and the awareness that this man is just plain ignorant and obviously angry. What would be eye-opening for this gentleman would be to ride with one of us lazy pastors for a week or two and go where we go, see what we see, hear what we hear. Perhaps he’d change his mind about us “sorry” pastors. Then again, there are none so blind as those who will not see.
Steve Johnson
Wilton, Ala.
Editor’s Note — The Alabama Baptist has run a variety of letters on this topic and believes we have covered the issue completely. This will be the final letter that we publish on this topic.
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