Our backstory.
My bestie and I have been friends for ten years in August. She grew up a pastor’s child and watched firsthand how wealth can lead a pastor down the wrong path. She has worked for a nonprofit where the CEO refuses to make a certain amount because the goal isn't to get rich, but to reach those in need. My bestie has experienced life with much wealth and almost left homeless at one point. She has since then paid for her own wedding in cash, lives debt-free, and makes a combined annual salary with her hubby of $60,000 a year.
My parents became Christians shortly after emigrating to this country. They have owned land, have traveled back and forth from Brazil almost every year, and have been active members of two churches—one when they first came to this country for several years, and the second shortly after moving, where they have been for well over twenty years. Mom and Dad have worked the same jobs for almost thirty years. Both our parents managed money poorly. We both manage finances very differently than our parents, and we live debt-free. I made roughly $10,000 less than my bestie and her hubby’s combined income.
We both recently lost our jobs and spend our time looking for work and tanning.
We have literally become tanned Brazilian babes, but I digress.
Our thoughts
I say, pastors and nonprofit leaders should make six-figure incomes. I think if the church or organization can afford it, the salaries should be aligned with the size of the church or organization. I don't think I should decide whether or not they are paid based on what they need vs. want. My bestie disagrees. She believes pastors and leaders/CEOs of nonprofits should not be making six figures. They can comfortably live with much less. Why do they need a mansion, or a yacht? Some nonprofits give as much as 95% of every dollar donated, while others give as little as 35% of every dollar given. At what point is paying for admin/salaries not worth the donors’ donations? But that's another point.
Your vote?
Side note: We are primarily discussing matters of the heart. Money influences everyone differently, money changes people differently, and thankfully we are all on the board today to cast a vote. Regardless of your belief system, do you vote yes or no to cap salaries for both nonprofits and pastors? Would you vote differently for a church pastor than for a nonprofit?
