All I wanted to do was lend a hand

[JCricket]

Originally Posted by d-ray657

Maybe this is stretching the topic a bit, but Rob has mentioned before that he could practice his faith just fine without organized religion. I agree with him to an extent. The business aspects of building a church, supporting a staff and offering programs require business decisions and fund-raising that can get in the way of the spiritual aspects of the church. My wife changed churches after working for one, and from her description of events, I have borrowed a saying from politics and described seeing religion being made as akin to seeing sausage being made. The day to day routine is not the same as the Sunday morning ritual.

Unfortunately, anyone who is not independently wealthy who wants to "do good works" has to rely on contributions to have the wherewithal to accomplish the mission. I know in many churches the pastors have graduate training the equivalent of a Phd. The training includes counseling as well a religious studies. I believe that someone who has attained such credentials certainly deserves to be compensated like a professional. Something is out of line, however, when the business aspects of the mission overwhelm the service aspects - that's when we get Jim and Tammy and their gold-plated faucets.

It gets pretty hard to draw the line, however. Is it OK for a pastor to be paid seventy to eighty grand but not for an evangelist to rake in ten or twenty grand for a weekend camp meeting? Should a pastor make close to six figures if he is serving in a poor community. Does a pastor who is serving those who have lesser needs be better paid because his church is in an affluent community. I am not wise enough to offer an answer to these questions.
Regards,

D-Ray

I think this is where the old saying of "Let you conscience be your guide" applies.

[merrylander]

And also "The servant is worthy of his hire". I am sure there are many worthy pastors out there, we simply got tired of the organization as a whole, not any particular individual.

[d-ray657]

I dropped in the DAV thrift last night. They had signs all over the place that they are growing, check out their other stores around town. I also noticed that their prices had gone up. As bad a business man as I am, I think even I could make a go of it if my inventory was free.

Regards,

D-Ray