Research shows more than 3 in 5 pastors say their financial health is good to great. Around 1 in 4 say they’re in fair financial health.
By Aaron Earls
Overall, clergy in the U.S. say they are doing well financially, but some see problems when they look at their bank account.
A report from Faith Communities Today asked clergy to rate their personal financial health on a scale from 0-10. The median score is 7.1, which is over a point higher than the median score for the general public.
Grouping those scores into categories of great, good, fair, and poor, more than 3 in 5 pastors say their financial health is good to great. More than 3 in 10 (31%) say their finances are great, and slightly more (34%) report good finances. Around a quarter (24%) say they’re in fair financial health, while 12% believe their finances are poor.
“Older clergy, clergy in larger churches, and clergy from mainline Protestant denominations are more likely to be in better financial health,” according to the report.
Additionally, the financial health of the pastor is directly correlated to the financial health of the church. Half of pastors from congregations in serious financial difficulty (49%) report poor personal financial health. On the other side of the coin, 42% of those at congregations with excellent financial health have a great personal financial situation.
Half of pastors from congregations in serious financial difficulty (49%) report poor personal financial health, according to a Faith Communities Today report. Share on XRealities of financial stress
Those in a tighter financial spot often turn to additional sources of income. Around a quarter of pastors reported having paid employment outside of their congregations. On average, those pastors worked 30 hours a week at their outside jobs. Around half of part-time pastors have additional paid employment, but fewer full-time pastors (13%-23%, depending on the survey) also work away from their church.
In a Lifeway Research study of U.S. Protestant pastors’ greatest needs, 18% report they need to address financial stress. For 6% of pastors, this was the area of their personal life they needed to give the most attention.
Pastors of more normative-sized churches are among the most likely to say financial stress is an area of concern for them. Those leading churches of fewer than 50 (21%) and those with congregations of 50-99 (20%) are more likely than those at churches with attendance of 100-249 (14%) to say their personal financial situations require attention.
Pastors of more normative-sized churches are among the most likely to say financial stress is an area of concern for them. Share on XAdditionally, 41% of Protestant pastors said they were concerned about their family’s financial situation, according to an additional Lifeway Research study. That percentage is actually down from 53% who said the same in 2015.
A 2024 Lifeway Research study found compensation and pay packages for full-time senior pastors, staff ministers, and office personnel at Southern Baptist churches outpaced inflation since 2022. Previously, compensation and pay within Southern Baptist congregations trailed inflation significantly.
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