Payette enterprise. (Payette, Canyon Co., Idaho) 1909-1935, 1920-05-06
PASTORS ARE PAID
A STARVING WAGE
But Few Ministers Come With
in Scope of Dreaded Income
Tax; Relief in Sight.

For every minister who paid an In
I come tax last year there were 90
whose churches failed TO pay them
1 enough 20 bring them within the scope
Of this form of taxation, according 20
statement issued yesterday By DR..
William Hiram Foulkes, vice ehzirras 2
; Of the executive committee OF tae In
E terchUrch World Movement The In
I terehurch survey Of ministerial sal
I aries and relief shows that only three
| states exceed New YORK In the sal
I arieg paid TO ministers, and in this
state the average is s11ee, exactly
I $40 less than the amount fixed BY
! government economists as the mini
( mum amount On which family can be
decently maintained
Plans for increases, based on a min
| imum salary, have been Developed IN
several Of the 30 determinations which
have united in program OF co-Operz-
/ tiOn under the name Of the Inter
church World Movement The szgre-
gate budget Of the cooperating
churches shows that Of the $3.50. T7T,572
which Is 70 be sought during the week
beginning April . there Is an item Of
s20,510,2 93 for ministerial salaries and
support
The Interchurch World Movement
was wisely led az the beginning OF liz
iabors," said Dr.. FouIkes, 10 give
large and sympathetic recognition 10
the present critical situation Of The
gospel ministry with reference 70 mad
equate support In connection with
the proposed survey OF conditions ar
home and abroad Il was early deter
mined 10 make an equally thorough re-
view Of the actual conditions confront
ing the gospel ministry.
s.Inasmuch as the Interchurch Word
Nov ement did not undertake 20 sd-
minister funds or 70 deal directly with
the problems arising out Of such sd-
ministration II was wisely decided 70
place their cause upon The same high
Level upon which the other causes were
being considered. namely that OF 6
careful and thorou going survey Of
the facts"
Such g survey shows that In the
Protestant Episcopal church, which
maintains higher salary than do
other denominations, fewer than one
half OF It's clergy receive as much
as 81 500 & year. In the Congregation F
81 churches only one in five exceeds f
that total In the Methodist EpiscO- 4
pal church (NOrth) the percentage Is
somewhat smaller while the churches
Of the Northern Baptist convention par .
more than $500 s year 70 only eight 4
per cent of their clergy
To this inadequate salary standard
may be escrtbed the shortage OF min
i1ers- which IS so great that one de-
nomination reports that Il has 3s3Ss /
Congregations that are not receiving
regular pastoral care Another hiss
pos fever ministers to-day than II hsd 4
in 1914. and third lamenrs that be
cause Of insufficient salaries young
men are deferred from entering the
ministry and il has 1000 vacant pull
pits.
~As g result Of these surveys. con-
pIeted and in process. Dr.. Foulkes
adds. lit is firmly believed by the Of
fcers Of the Interchurch World Move
ment thst the level OF ministerial sal
aries viii be raised more substantially
than in response 70 any other impulse
in decades.
The lifting power OF movement
which conScientiouSly embraces the
whole world for its load. viii not fail
when II comes 70 deal with the sal
aries OF the workers The whole
hearted response Of the multiplied
thousands OF pastors all over the
world 10 the appeal Of Christ snd the
church 10 give bread 70 q hungry
world viii not fail 70 bring their II
besketsful OF fragments The miracle
Of the loaves and the fishes wosld
never have taken place II the disciples
had eaten first.
The ministers Of Christ today are
ike their fellow servants OF old This
IS no excuse. however, for selfish
and un-Christisn attitude on the part
Of the churches toward their minis
terS