A3 Salary differentials for Christian staff

A case of worldly thinking?

First published on this website in January 2002 and last updated in November 2023

Synopsis

A plea for clear thinking on how groups of ‘Christian workers’ should be paid. The focus is on the differentials between people’s salaries and the argument is that many churches and mission agencies are following the world’s thinking when it comes to remuneration.

1: Salaries as we know them

How we make up a remuneration package and six reasons why the world creates differentials between salaries paid to different groups of workers.  The six are:

• responsibility
• status
• incentive
• skills/qualifications required/gained
• value to the organisation
• the market place.

2: Introducing some Christian thinking

The six reasons examined in a Christian context and the idea of stipend considered to contrast with the idea of reward – five biblical principles outlined.

3: Three case studies

• Clergy in the Church of England
• UK office-based staff in an international mission agency
• A real-life attempt to follow the principles of this article

There is further comment in a supplement to this article at A3a on the Church of England General Synod report ‘Generosity and sacrifice’.

This article has been updated in November 2023 but the author admits some of the statistical data is now somewhat dated without current research available to enable a complete update. However, the principles defined still stand.