A recent survey has confirmed the nagging question on churchgoers' minds – pastors from megachurches do get bigger salaries but the size of the church is only one factor in gauging their pay.
In a survey released by The Leadership Network, age also plays a role in determining pastors' salaries.
"The bigger the church's size, the larger the pay, on average. You can measure 'size' through either attendance or budget. While those two variables are strongly associated with each other, in reality budget is the stronger predictor," their report stated.
The survey further explained that for churches with a 2,000-strong weekly worship attendance, seniority also plays a role in the pay difference.
On average, if three churches were led by a 40 year old, a 50 year old and 60 year old pastor, the 40 year old would get the lowest salary. The 50 year old gets a salary that is 14 per cent higher but the 60 year old gets a salary that is 1 per cent lower than the 50 year old.
Lifeway founder Thom Rainer, in a post on his website, also provided some insight into how churches determine their pastors' wages.
Among the factors that Rainer cited were the pastor's previous salary in his previous church.
He also said that experience weighs on the earnings as the more experienced the pastor is, the more likely they are to get higher pay.
Education is also one of the things that have an impact but while doctorates and other degrees are handy, fewer churches have required doctor degrees or masters' seminary degrees in recent years.
"The specific demographics to which I refer are family income levels. I know one church that used the estimated median family income of its congregation as the base to determine the pastor's salary. They would then adjust by other factors such as experience and education," he concluded.
