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A little light on cash this holiday season… or all year round? Pastoring, in many cases, is not a well-paying business to be in and sometimes pastors need to have an extra source of income to supplement a low salary at the church. As Dave Ramsey says, there are two sides to the equation: income and outgo. Perhaps your income is low because you’re fresh out of college and this is your first pastorate, you are in small church that can’t afford a full-time pastor’s salary, your position is only part-time, or the church flat out isn’t paying you enough. On the other hand, maybe your present lifestyle is exceeding your income, you have debt because of school loans or poor choices in the past, or life happened and you’re having to pay medical bills from a serious illness. For whatever reason, you need to earn income from another source and your spouse is already working or is staying home to care for your family.

As an aside, let me say that pastors should be paid well and, if possible, be able to support his family adequately with his income alone. It is generally accepted, except in those churches that believe they should keep their pastors humble, that a pastor should earn an income representative of those in his congregation. 1 Timothy 5:15 (ESV) states, “Let the elders who rule well be considered worthy of double honor, especially those who labor in preaching and teaching.”

Following are some guidelines you can try to follow when looking for ways to supplement your income as well as specific sources of extra income.

Guidelines for extra income

• Regardless of your pay and whether you’re full-time or part-time, lack of income is not an excuse to not give 100% of yourself to your ministry. An extra job shouldn’t take you away from the demands of pastoral ministry.
• It should be flexible enough to allow you to handle emergencies and care for your congregation. Pastoring is a 24 hour on-call job and you want to be available to deal with any situation, any time.
• When possible, avoid positioning yourself as a salesman, coworker, supervisor, or another business relationship to your people. You are their pastor, not their shoe salesman or shift manager. Introducing a business relationship in addition to the pastor-parishioner relationship will create awkward situations that could jeopardize your ministry.
• If possible, your extra income should be an outflow of your giftedness, talents, and abilities. If you need to, or want to, earn extra income, do something you’re good at that you enjoy doing.
• This should be a short-term solution. If you’re spending more money than you make, change your lifestyle and/or get out of debt as soon as possible.

Sources of extra income

• Seek responsibilities within your denomination’s governing organization.
• Do some writing, such as books, magazine articles, local newspaper pieces, christian education curriculum, and blogging.
• Teach a class in your local school district, a Bible class in a Christian school, or as a substitute.
• Create something and sell it on ebay, in craft shows, or in a local artisans shop.
• Deliver newspapers early in the morning.
• Start an itinerate preaching/speaking ministry.
• Load/unload trucks at FedEx or UPS.

Do you have an extra source of income outside of being a pastor or have any ideas for earning extra money? Share them in the comments below.

Tags: Pastor, Money