I pastor a rural church of about 180 members. Most are low income. We reach out to our neighbors, making a difference one-by-one. I think the idea of pay scale is misunderstood by many both ‘in’ and ‘out’ of the church. I believe salaries should be comparable to that of the people who are part of the church, but also comparable to other professionals’ wages. Plus consideration for experience, length of tenure and responsibilities. As a small church pastor, compared to 1,000 member churches, I know the expectations of a senior pastor’s job must be far more demanding than mine. So I understand the larger compensation. However, the exorbitant salaries that some mega church pastors receive seems simply messed up. I have read of very little accountability regarding mega church pastor’s salaries. Sometimes the Board Members are family members who decide what to pay their father or mother who are the Senior Pastors. If I pastored a 20,000 member church I think my salary should increase due to the skill set I would need, my training, etc. But I like to think I would have integrity, like Rick Warren, to consider what my real needs are when considering what a fair salary would be. We as pastors should be provided for, according to the policy of the particular church we are employed at. Having said that, my biggest gripe with tv evangelists is the way they solicit money from thousands with little to no benefit going to a hurting world from those donations. It’s a controversial topic. If you are part of a small church or mega church, let your thoughts be known. We are all part of the Body of Christ.