The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1894-08-01
EARNINGS OF CLERGYMEN.
Statistics Showing that, as a Glass,
They Are Reasonably Well Paid.
New York Sun.

New York Sun.
Some very interesting facts in regard to
the pay Of preachers in the United States
have been collected by Mr.. H. K. Carroll
for the August number of the Forum. The
extensive Investigations made by the author
of the article, covering as they do the rec
ords of all the chief denominations, show,
as might have been expected, that the sal
aries paid by city churches are much
higher than those paid by rural churches,
and that the average earnings of a clergy
mar are considerably larger in the North
ern than in the Southern States. On the
whole, nevertheless, it seems that country
ministers make as good a living as coun-
try doctors. and are better off than coun-
try school teachers; while those urban SAL
aries which are regarded as the prizes of
the profession are higher than those of
college professors, or than those of judges
of the federal and most of the State courts.
The salaries of bishops are considered
separately by Mr.. Carroll, for the obvious
reason that their average income exceeds
that of the great body of the clergy, just
as the average income of the bench exceeds
that of the bar. In the Protestant Episco-
pal Church the pay of bishops varies from
s., 900 a year, with $500 for official and trav-
cling expenses. in the case of the episcopal
heads of missionary jurisdictions, up TO
$l2,5 500, with an allowance for house rent.
There is only one salary of the latter size,
however. Another Episcopal bishop has
SS,d5O and a mouse one mas Se'0oO. TWO nave
the central West, only $1,000. 1t appears
that in most cases a house is provided
gratuitously, and often an allowance of
81 loo or less is added for a secretary or for
expenses. The conclusion reached by Mr..
Carroll is that 5000 may be taken as the
average salary of an Episcopal bishop. The
pay of Catholic bishops is estimated at
from $1,000 to 5000 a year; archbishops, on
the other hand, receive about $4,000. To
che - H. afbn
list Episcopal Church North is given a sal
airy of about $500, plus $l,5W for house
rent. As they are ltlnerant, thelr traveio
are betrayed independently of their sal
aries. In the Methodist Episcopal Church
South the bishops receive but $500 for all
purposes, including travelling expenditures,
as we'll as house rent and salary. There are
in the various denominations. including the
Roman Catholic Church, about 2O bishops;
their average income is 5000, which is con-
siderably more than that OF college presi-
dents, whose average earnings are only
Turning to the pay of ordinary clergy
men, we find that in one of the Protestant
churches give Their rectors $4,000 apiece,
together with a house; another Sy,OOO, ana
four $1,000 each. Three-fourths of the
churches in the same diocese pay less than
eshS%rches pay 5000 apiece. on one $500. one N
other salaries range from $1,000 TO 1880.
In the Presbyterian Church the average
salary OF a pastor Is between Sl,VOO anu Sl,-
200 a year, but there are eight or ten pas
torates which pay $4,000 a year or more;
six of these are in New York city, and one
of them gives its preacher $4,000, besides
the use of a parsonage. In the. Southern
Presbyterian Church, on the other hand,
descent from this figure to SlOO. or even
less. The average salary of Congregational
are paid in New York and Brooklyn. one.
Congregations Church in the former city
gives s2. 500; three in Brooklyn give $4,000
aoI Ofhar- in prnnklyn a e NM an1 e. -
500: in Boston two churches paw $500
apiece. Materially lower are even the high
odist Episcopal Church, North, but a single
gether amount to 5000, and there are but
tween $500 and $500; In the
I ranges from from 5000 to 5000. Outside of'I the
cities the incomes Of Methodist ministers
range from $3.50 downward, many a place
paying only $500. with a house. In the
Methodist Church, South, a few pastors re-
ceive as much as $1,000 a year, and none
not above $500. The earnings of Baptist
preachers are as a rule very small. In one
Northern city a Baptist salary of $4,000 is
paid, and in the same place five other Bap-
fist ministers receive $1,000 each. In New
York and Brooklyn not more than four get
as much as 5000 apiece. In the South $,-
600 is about the highest salary paid, and
that is given only in Baltimore, Louisville
and Atlanta. Among the Lutherans the
largest salary recorded Is $6,OD, and that
only in a single instance; there are not
very many salaries amounting to $1,000. But
ii is the custom of the Lutherans TO pro-
vide a parsonage, and the perquisites are
relatively large. in some asses exceeding
the salaries. The pastors OF the Dutch
Reformed Church are we'll paid, quite a
number of them getting from 5000 TO So
600. Ii is stated. finally. that some Jewish
rabbis receive as much as $4,000 in salary,
besides perquisites.
The statistics laboriously compiled by
Mr.. Carroll should put an end to the cur
rent notion that preachers are. as a class.
undergrad. There is no lack of prizes in
their profession, and they are sure OF a
support commensurate to their merits.