This Week in Ridiculous Church Jobs
I've been looking for the right church to serve at for quite some time now. As I've been searching I've come across a disturbing trend: absolutely unrealistic job descriptions. Some of them have even made me laugh out loud in public because they were so ridiculous. Take for example this job description:
"We'd like you to run pretty much the entire church and we'd like to pay you poorly for all your hard work! Sound like a deal!?"
I don't understand how churches can write such job descriptions, pay so poorly for that job, and expect people to thrive in that situation.
$40,000 is not by itself terrible pay, however, when you consider the scope of this job and the fact that cost of living where this church is located is particularly high, $40,000 isn't nearly enough.
I share this post, not to throw this church or any other under the bus, (you'll notice that no names, locations, or anything identifiable about the church is mentioned) but to address a larger issue: churches setting pastors up for failure.
It amazes me how many similar job descriptions I've come across over the past 9 months. How can a church in good conscience hire somebody into a role like this?
If any place should have realistic job descriptions, competitive pay, and a concern for the longterm viability and fruitfulness of its employess, it should be the Church shouldn't it?