What Should Your Pastor Make?

Here's the uncomfortable truth: most churches set salaries based on what they've always paid, what a deacon heard another church pays, or whatever the budget can handle after the building fund. That's not a compensation strategy. That's how you lose good pastors.

Is your Senior Pastor underpaid compared to churches your size? Is your Youth Pastor's salary competitive for your region? You don't know — because you don't have the data. And without data, every compensation conversation turns awkward fast. Board members feel guilty. Pastors feel undervalued. Nobody wins.

This calculator pulls from survey data across churches nationwide. Not averages from secular job sites. Not salary ranges from megachurches that don't reflect your reality. Real numbers from churches like yours — filtered by role, size, and location.

Board member preparing a budget? Pastor building a case for a raise? Church plant assembling your first comp package? Start here. Two minutes, zero guesswork.