The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1913-02-18
A living WAGE for the Minister.

To the editor of The Banner:-
Apropos of my article, "Congregat-
ienalism" which appeared in The
Banner recently, also the fine-spirited
reply to same by Rev. Clifford H.
Smith of Burlington, ask the read
er's attent On to the following editor
ial which appeared in 1.-THE Congre-
gationalist" February 18th which
speaks for itself:
1.-The gospel of an adequate COM
pensation for the minister Is begin
ming to be heeded-at least In some
places. AS news has come to The
Congregationalist and Christian
World from local churches this win
ter we have been impressed with the
frequency of items chronicling In
crease in pastors salaries. 1t is an
encouraging showing compared with
previous years and indicates a graft
flying degree Of prosperity among the
churches. 1t reveals not only the
financial ability to do justice to the
man in the pulpit, but also the
growth of a disposition in that d.
rection.
Evidently some laymen have been
| thinking of their pastor as human
| being, not merely as hired man, OF
his physical necessities, of his grow
| ing children, of the obligation upon
I him to entertain strangers and
! friends either announced or "un-
awares," of the public expectation
| that he and his household maintain
certain standard in dress, of his long
/ ing for books and congenial fellow
| ship and for little journey about the
world now and then. These laymen
have simply put themselves in the
place of their pastor and sought to
understand his economic problem.
AS consequence they have acted
promptly and generously. And the
| added compensation is coming back
| to them in the greater efficiency and
! contentment of the man chosen as
| their spiritual leader.
"Other churches are going to take
the same important step. 1t will have
| to be taken to protect the integrity
and conserve the power of our
church life The too prevalent rest
| Iessness among ministers Is directly
| traceable to inadequate salaries.
That explains many designations and
changes as well as the occasional
| abandonment of the ministry alto
! gether in order TO pursue some secu-
| lar or semisecular calling. Some of
these ministers who resign, when in
terviewed frankly state the reason
and sometimes publish their house.
hold expenses in detail, showing the
limited appropriations for the neces-
saries of life and the narrow margin
between themselves and want. But
most ministers do not cry aloud in
the streets. They bear their cross
n secret, bravelv h~t ~ is a cross
which the laymen of the church could
n many cases, remove.
THE inadequate ministerial salary
also explains to a considerable degree
The reason why so few choice young
men in our colleges are contemplat-
ing the ministry as a life work. They
know that il they go into Y NJ. C. A.
or social settlement work they will
be able to take care of themselves
and their families properly. 1t is not
hat they are unwilling to make sac
riflces or that they are commercially
minded, but they are keen enough to
| otc NudA lEC anu
cents which church members put up
On the ministry reflects to some ex-
tent at least their estimate of it and
It's worth to themselves and the com
munity.
Ease this heavy burden. brethren
| Of the pewsi A hundred dollars ad.
vance may put new heart into many
a discouraged pastor. But do il not
for his sake only, but for the honor
| and good name of the Christian
church. Economic injustice in any
| sphere of human life hurts him who
IS responsible for it quite as much as
the victim. Let us either give up en-
| tirely the idea of a paid ministry and
| go back to the days of the friars and
mendicants, or let us do Justly and
honorably by the men whom we have
asked to be our leaders in the things
| Of Christ and who need assurance
| that their confidence in us is not mis-
| placed"
| | wish to state. in explanation Of
this excerpt and my other article,
that there is no intention to find
fault with ministers salaries in this
village, but only the desire to help
conditions throughout our state, re-
garding the extremely low average
of ministers salaries in the Congrega-
tiOnal denomination II T H p