Does having a higher degree guarantee, in and of itself, that a person will perform better in ministry than one with a basic required degree? Does a pastor with a Ph.D. give more of himself or is more productive in ministry than one with a M.Div.? Does he have greater influence on the spiritual outcomes in the lives of members of a local church than others with lesser educational achievements? Is it educational achievement or the Holy Spirit that blesses the ministry of a pastor?

How pastors are paid can be confusing to many. The range of pastoral compensation can be incredibly broad; from richly to poorly compensated pastors. This broad range does not appear in Scripture for those ministering in the church. Were the priests on different levels of compensation?

There is little biblical evidence what the apostles or pastors were paid. We do know they were not wealthy. We know they were worthy of compensation. Much of what churches took in went to proclaim the Gospel and meet the needs of the hungry, widows, and persecuted Christians.

Throughout time, more clergy appeared to suffer financially than those who prospered. Many required other financial support. Some added part-time or full-time occupations along with their ministerial duties.

A more recent trend that appears to affect pastoral compensation today, a phenomenon coming into the church from cultural influences: Pastors are being compensated according to the degrees they’ve received. If a pastor has more than the regular seminary M.Div. degree, such as a Th.M., or a Ph.D., compensation is raised accordingly by each advance degree received. Since there is no biblical reference to the impact the amount of education has on how pastors are compensated, from whence does this notion originate?

This practice appears to originate from the academic and business worlds where individuals are valued relative to degrees earned. A question worth posing is how did a worldly standard and practice come into the church? Does it even belong? Should highly educated Paul have expected more than fisherman Peter? Why should pastors putting in the same time in pastoral care, sermon preparation, visits to the sick, performing marriages and funerals, and sacrificing personal and family time be valued and compensated unequally. Is this practice wise? School districts can testify that teachers with more degrees are not necessarily better teachers. CEOs in the business world with MBAs do not necessarily perform better than CEOs without them.

I’ve had the privilege of serving on pastor search committees. Unfortunately, some of these search committees were seeking pastors who appeared much like Chief Executive Officers. Isn’t this a far cry from the servant-heart leadership model given in the New Testament for shepherds? Arguably, this is an unhealthy approach with unhealthy expectations. One pastor remarked how stressful it was, when the search committee appeared to diminish his time spent in prayer and sermon preparation. The world’s business model is now defining the role of pastors/shepherds.

This more recent trend represents a new concept of paying people according to what and how many degrees they have received rather than for what tasks they are expected to do. The ability to receive advanced degrees can relate to privilege and provision. Not everyone can afford the cost of an advanced education—a reality that cannot be denied. Those who work to provide for themselves with such have something not all possess, including financial backing, scholarships, moral support, encouragement, and other provisions. I, as many others, worked my way through college. The encouragement I received from others that I could make it to the end often buoyed me up. Summer jobs and a campus job enabled me to pay for my college education. I recognize both the privilege and provision these circumstances afforded me. I’m keenly aware others did not receive what I received, which is little in comparison to those who were more financially able to pay for their education.

Does having a higher degree guarantee, in and of itself, that a person will perform better in ministry than one with a basic required degree? Does a pastor with a Ph.D. give more of himself or is more productive in ministry than one with a M.Div.? Does he have greater influence on the spiritual outcomes in the lives of members of a local church than others with lesser educational achievements? Is it educational achievement or the Holy Spirit that blesses the ministry of a pastor? The privilege of receiving a higher education should not be disparaged. But is the higher education in itself worthy of greater compensation than for those who have not received a higher education?

A comparison in Christian service enables us to see how this appears and why it can be suspicious taking place in churches. Missionaries are also ministers, messengers, and servants of God. Missionaries serving under their respective mission organizations tend to receive comparable remuneration as their fellow missionaries. Most mission organizations compensate their missionaries equally across the board. There are the natural compensation differences related to the cost of living in the various countries in which they serve. A missionary serving in Japan or France may receive a higher cost of living amount than those serving in the Amazon rain forest or the Nepalese mountains. However, the relative value of compensation for their mission service is not ordinarily based on number of degrees received.

Hopefully, no one is in the pastorate primarily for the money. The expectation should be that they’ve been called by God, have been gifted by the Holy Spirit, have the requisite spiritual equipping, display a love for Jesus Christ, and desire others to know and grow in Christ. All deserve livable wages so they can provide for their families. Pastors are prophets—not profiteers. Compensation based on an inordinate fixation on higher degrees can promote a distraction from the priority of ministry.

My intent in addressing this issue is not to disparage the search for greater knowledge or seeking further education; achieving more can be a reward in itself. Any of us fortunate enough to go beyond basic elementary and secondary education do well to recognize what a privilege we’ve received in growing through learning. But we need to keep it all in perspective: Does acquiring more degrees deserve greater reward or compensation at the expense of the church’s overall ministry?

Helen Louise Herndon is a member of Central Presbyterian Church (EPC) in St. Louis, Missouri. She is freelance writer and served as a missionary to the Arab/Muslim world in France and North Africa.