Pay Scale for a Baptist Pastor

Bapstist pastors are paid to preach and teach the church congregation.

Baptist pastors are among the top 50 percent of all clergymen nationwide in terms of annual compensation. These pastors preach Sunday sermons on a weekly basis and may lead the congregations in other capacities as required by their church. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, over 42,000 clergymen were employed throughout the United States in 2010.

Average Salary

Baptist pastors in the Southern Baptist Convention made an average salary of $55,829 per year, as of 2010, according to Drew Nichter of the Western Recorder. This salary was similar to the American Baptist Churches of Connecticut, which reported an average salary of $59,589 per year, as of 2010, for a solo pastor with a master's degree. These salaries were higher than the average salary reported for all clergymen nationwide in all types of churches who made $48,290 per year in 2010, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Pay Scale

The pay scale for Baptist ministers and other clergy nationwide typically ranges from $24,210 to $77,390 per year, as of 2010, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The bureau reports that those in the middle 50 percent of the pay scale made between $31,780 and $58,360, with a reported median salary of $43,970 per year. This places most baptist pastors in the upper half of the pay scale and American Baptists like those in Connecticut in the upper 25 percent of the pay scale.

Education

Various factors like education can affect the salaries earned by Baptist pastors. For example, the American Baptists Churches of Connecticut reports that a solo pastor with a doctorate will earn $63,988, as of 2010, compared to the $59,589 earned by those with a master's degree. Senior pastors in churches with more than one pastor made an average of $81,927, while those with a doctorate made $94,552.

Other Factors

Other factors also affect salaries made by Baptist pastors. The Western Recorder reports that bivocational pastors in the Southern Baptist Convention earned an average salary of $18,971 per year, as of 2010, indicating that many of these clergymen generally work only on a part-time basis. The American Baptist Churches of Connecticut report that, on average, male pastors earned more than female pastors. Pastors sometimes are offered additional compensation packages in the form of health insurance, life insurance or even retirement plans. The Western Recorder indicates that these packages raise pastor pay by over $10,000 per year in the Southern Baptist Convention.

References

• Bureau of Labor Statistics: Clergy
• Baptist Press: Pastor Compensation Keeps Up with Inflation; July, 2010
• American Baptist Churches of Connecticut: Fair Compensation for Clergy
• Kentucky Baptist Convention: Summary Report by Position for All States
• Jared More: What is the Average Pay for a Full Time Southern Baptist Pastor or Staff Member?; 2010
• Western Recorder: Kentucky Pastors See Increase in Salaries; Drew Nichter; 2010