Clergy are particularly vulnerable in these decades of decline, because the financial security and health of their families are hanging by a thread; and their reputation in the world is already smudged and prejudiced; the cross-sector colleagues who once defended them are gone; and the denominational bodies that once protected them are understaffed and in disarray. So it is really quite easy to victimize clergy from within the congregation.
Thomas G. Bandy (HT: AR)
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There is an odd cycle for how churches and the broader culture treat pastors. Both the prestige and financial support of pastors declines at precisely the time when we need our very best young men to enter ministry.
Thankfully our confidence comes from the LORD and not from human plans (including our own!). Nevertheless, Bandy’s comment is a helpful reminder that congregations are to hold the pastoral office in honor. Additionally, while I doubt that we are going to make much progress in closing the gap between pastoral salaries and that of typical American college graduates, we can make an effort to invest more in schools like WSC so that our future pastors will be adequately trained for the challenges of ministry without graduating with crushing levels of student debt.