Rutland weekly herald. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1859-1877, 1873-08-21
ministerial Maintenance.

But very few we'll informed persons
pretend that the preachers of the Gospel
in Vermont are paid too high salaries,
on an average, for their services. Most
business men admit that pastors are paid
the most poorly of any class, consider
ing the capital invested in the
preparation, and the cost of meeting the
demands made upon the minister and his
family.
BY many it has been supposed that of
all pastors the Methodist preachers were
paid the most poorly, and very few
were prepared for the picture presented
by the charmen of the committee on
pastoral sustentation, appointed by the
recent Annual State Congregational
Convention at Middlebury. The chair
man, Rev. J. Gibson Johnson, of Rut-
land, recently made public some facts
by a communication in the Rutland
HERALD, in regard to the'meager average
support of the ministers of that denOmi-
nation, demanding some reform and de
vising a plan for their relief. OF the
two hundred Congregational churches in
the State but few more than One-fourth
have pastors, This must mean regu-
larly installed and settled ministers, So
called.
but sixty paid as much as $1,000
The average salary is $685." Now if of
the 200 churches, 60 paid as much
S., 900, and if some of these 60 paid as
high as 50, 600, as in one case at least
and others from 81, 500 to So, 500, and
these higher salaries go in the aggregate
to make the aggregate, then the
smaller salaries must be extremely
small indeed. The average pay of the
Congregational pastors ia Vermont is be
low that of the MethOdists, and from the
bottom of our poor pockets we pity
these more poOrly-paid pastors.
OF the 1856 Methodist churches in the
State, including those in the Troy Con-
ference, within the bounds of Vermont,
we have financial reports from 1870. The
other q, though supplied with pastors,
make no report of salaries estimated for
their preachers. .-.... ~. '.-- ...--.
Including the presiding elders, we have
reports of the salaries estimated for 1874
preachers. Adding house rent to the es-
timated salary, and averaging the rent
at $100-this being the highest rent al
lowed to be charged to the salary by the
committee above referred to in theirplan
for helping the weaker Congregational
churches from the Pastoral Sustenta-
tiOn Fund" proposed to be raised by an
appeal to all their churches for this pur-
pose-and the average salary of these
1874 Methodist ministers is $739. This is
as correct and just a manner of compar-
ing figures to find the facts in the case
as is possible from the reports of either
denomination. -'s
No donations or large rents are count
ed in the estimates of either and it is
fair to estimate the deficiencies in the
receipts below the average estimates to
be as great in one denomination as ia the
other, This just comparison gives near
ly 800 average salary in favor of the
Methodist pastors. .- Fl.
This Congregational Committee on
" Pastoral Sustentation propose in
their plan to raise funds by subscrip-
ton, annual appeals to their churches or
otherwise, and if successful to assist the
weaker churches in supporting preach
ing, provided they comply with certain
conditions Yiz:-Actual installation of
pastors salary paid by the people at
least $500; average payment by the
people at least $40 per resident church
member; no parsonage to be reckoned
more than 800; no reduction of salary
from preceding year church's salary to
be paid first quarterly and reported; adj
vanced payment to sustentatiOn COM
mittee of contribution equal to one
twentieth of church's salary pastor to
pay nothing toward meeting the above
systematic contributions to
various benevolent object, &C., &c
When the poor churches have met the
conditions proposed by the committee
then the. committee propose that All 4
salaries below that amount be raised to
nine hundred dollars. This, if success
full, will greatly increase their present
average salary,-an increase greatly
needed for the comfort of the pastors
and for the credit of the people of that
Meanwhile, let the sub
iect of ministerial maintenance be pre-
sented in its proper proportions and
light to the Methodist people, and they |
will do justly by their pastors and place
them in that financial position where
and conveniences will gladden.
heir hearts and households and make I
hem stronger for the labor of love and |
he patience of hope Christian Mes