Pastorium

Can I come on staff at your church? </font>[/QUOTE]Rev. Good.... you don't list yourself as Baptist and we're good SBC, non Calvinist, evangelicals but are looking for an Minister of Administration. Ours took a church in south Georgia.

 

Your response is not always true. Some pastors want to stay but the churhes only want a pastor for just two years or so. Each Baptist denomination has a very different record for pastor longevity in its churches. In the SBC its pastors stay for something like 2 years whereas the CBA about seven to nine years.

 

The pastor could buy and own rental property. Actually, it would be none of the congregations business. That way he is both building equity and creating a place to retire to in the future.

 

A parsonage is a great blessing for young pastors just coming out of seminary. Most have spent all their money on their education and have none even to pay the points or closing costs of a house.

 

living in a parsonage is great. It relieves my concern for meeting those expenses and frees me up to invest and save for a home in the future without going into major debt. The key is to be the steward of the extra money and build the equity as you go. There is no hurry in me to either gain massive amounts of property, or excessive amounts of debt. God will provide through His church.

 

Just be careful, PastorJeff! My wife and I have been living in parsonages now for 16 years---what you say sounds OK as long as you can discipline yourself to "sock" the money away and vow not to touch it----but----all it takes is one major catastrophy---a hospital stay----something---anything----on down the line---the Lord Jesus may want you to take that money you were using to "sock" away for YOUR house later on---and use it for a church building pledge---you just never know----I'm not saying you are wrong and I can see the advantages----

Personally, I am 25 years away from retirement and am thinking about it now----but we also have a good pastor friend who retired recently----never owned a house---always lived in a parsonage---and he found himself in a "fix" when he had to all of a sudden start finding himself a house!!!

Be careful, too---because too many times the church will say, "Well! We're letting him stay in OUR house---so that means we won't have to pay him as much, because he don't have a house to pay for!!" So, some churches will want to "short change" the preacher---see what I mean???

You say, "God will provide through His church!"---suppose you get a church that is mimicking the Laodiceans???? And there ARE churches out there who are!!!

 

I see your points. They are good. God may have all kinds of plans, but he has promised to take care of my needs. I don't want to be foolish about these things, but if the church is not giving it is a reflection of my leadership. I must take responsibility. That is why the letters taken in those chapters of Rev. are addressed to the " messanger" or Preacher (pastor) of the church. He was responsible.

 

I am living in the parsonage. I believe it really depends upon the church and individual situation. Pray about it.

My wife asked permission to do something in the parsonage and the ladies said " it is your house as long as John is pastor here." They have a history of having pastors there until they choose to leave or retire. God has been good to this church. They organized in 1880 and have had 3 pastors in the last 30 years. In their long history, they have had to ask only 1 man to resign. Most of their pastors spent their entire pastoral ministry there.

However, we plan to take the money we would pay for a mortgage and utilities and "make the payments to 'the bank' anyways." We also recieve a salary. The church is small, though and I am bi-vocational.

God is so good, we needed a home and did not want to go into debt to buy one, so He provided. We plan to purchase some acreage near the church next spring and build a home for ourselves when we can do so without incurring debt.