Due to some historical reasons, we can see the phenomenon that "churches don’t talk about money, and pastors don't get money". While affirming its positive significance, we also need to see its negative impact on today’s society.
With three children, Z, a rural middle-aged pastor, received a salary of 1,500 yuan per month, which is not enough to support his family of five.
As he doesn’t know how to do business or go out to make money due to the service in the church, he contracts some more land to cover some daily expenses, besides his own three mu (0.495 acres) land, the income of which is less than 5,000 yuan per year.
“If church leaders can realize that the future development of the church is inseparable from the increase of the salaries of pastors, church staff will get fair treatment. But if they fail to identify the needs of grassroots pastors, then even in another 10 or 20 years, the problem will still not be solved,” Z said.
A few decades ago, pastors had to support themselves as the church had no money, but now it is not difficult for the church to afford one pastor thanks to China’s economic growth.
With their children growing up and settling down to have families, rural church leaders, who do not have much economic pressure in their 50s or 60s, can’t understand the trouble of young pastors between 30 and 40 years old that have to support 5, 6 persons, including their children and parents.
For these 60-year-old pastors, with the same concept decades ago, they believe that staff members should not get a wage or get little money, as they have gone through hard times when the church didn’t need to pay much money and they relied on God to live.
Under the influence of such a concept, Z once felt preoccupied with a dilemma, as, with little salary, it was not fit for him to earn money since he would be said to “not love Lord or believe in Him but love the world”.
It was not until later that Z was released by the words of a pastor, “I tell you one thing that you have to remember. You just 'do something useful with your own hands.' Just do it boldly as long as you don’t steal or act against conscience."
- Translated by Abigail Wu
中国教会因为一些特殊的历史原因，逐渐形成了“教会不谈钱，传道人不拿钱”的风气，并且一直影响至今。在肯定其正面意义的同时，我们也需要客观的看到其所带来的负面影响。(==当summary）
Z弟兄是一名农村教会中年传道人，已经结婚多年，家里有三个孩子。Z弟兄每个月能拿到1500块钱的传道人工资，很显然，在21世纪的今天，这1500块钱想要养活一家五口远远是不够的。
Z弟兄自家有三亩地，可是三亩地满打满算一年的收入也不到5000块钱。因为是传道人，需要服事本地教会，因此也不能外出打工，又不会做生意，所以只能想办法多种点地。除了自家的三亩地之外，Z弟兄又承包了一些土地，这样可以赚一些钱，贴补一些日常生活的费用。
“如果教会领袖能够意识到教会未来的发展离不开传道人薪资待遇的改善，如果他们能够意识到现实这些基层同工生活的现实需要的话，我想教会的里面这些同工，他们就能够得到一个合理的待遇。如果教会领袖认识不到基层同工的现实需要，那么即便再过10年再过20年的时间，这个问题也仍然得不到解决。”
往前推几十年，那时候教会没有钱，那时候的传道人只能够是全然仰赖上帝，自己养活自己。可是随着这些年来中国经济的不断发展，现在很多教会养一个全职传道人从经济上来说其实并没有问题。关键在于很多教会领袖们。
在农村教会，一般的教会的领袖都是一些上了年龄的人，对于这些教会领袖来说基本上都是50多岁或者60岁以上，儿女都已经长大成人并且成家立业，没有多少经济方面的压力。但是在他们手下的基层传道人们，尤其是80后、90后这个年龄段的传道人来说，基本是上有老人下有孩子，夫妻俩可能需要养活包括自己在内的5,6个人甚至7,8个人，他们可能是负担最重的一代人。
对于60岁左右的教会领袖们，他们是很难切身体会到三四十岁这个年龄段的传道人的需要的。而且还有一点，这些60岁左右的教会领袖们，他们基本上都是从原先的苦日子那个时代走过来的。而在那个特殊的时代，教会基本没有任何开支，传道人都是凭着信心生活。很多老一辈的教会同工们他们一直是在用原先的几十年前的那种思维去考虑现在的问题。具体到教会传道人来说的话，那就是他们认为教会传道人不应该拿钱或者只能够拿很少的钱。
在这样的观念的影响下，Z弟兄曾经一度感到非常纠结：教会给他的钱数额非常有限，可是同时，好像又不应该自己去赚钱，只要去赚钱的话那就是“不爱主，不相信主”“贪图世界”。
直到后来，一位牧师的话解开了Z弟兄的心结：那位牧师说，“我告诉你一句话，你要记住。‘亲手做正经事就可以。‘，你做的事情不是偷人家，也不是盗人家，又不是昧着良心，又不是欺骗弟兄姊妹，大胆去做就可以。”
https://christiantimes.cn/news/37592/%E7%89%B9%E5%86%99%7C%20%E4%B8%80%E5%86%9C%E6%9D%91%E6%95%99%E4%BC%9A%E4%B8%AD%E5%B9%B4%E4%BC%A0%E9%81%93%E4%BA%BA%E5%9B%A0%E8%96%AA%E8%B5%84%E9%97%AE%E9%A2%98%E8%80%8C%E6%8C%A3%E6%89%8E%EF%BC%9A%E6%95%99%E4%BC%9A%E9%9C%80%E6%94%B9%E5%8F%98%E8%A7%82%E5%BF%B5%E5%96%84%E5%BE%85%E4%BC%A0%E9%81%93%E4%BA%BA
特写| 一农村教会中年传道人因薪资问题而挣扎：教会需改变观念善待传道人
Due to some historical reasons, we can see the phenomenon that "churches don’t talk about money, and pastors don't get money". While affirming its positive significance, we also need to see its negative impact on today’s society.
With three children, Z, a rural middle-aged pastor, received a salary of 1,500 yuan per month, which is not enough to support his family of five.
As he doesn’t know how to do business or go out to make money due to the service in the church, he contracts some more land to cover some daily expenses, besides his own three mu (0.495 acres) land, the income of which is less than 5,000 yuan per year.
“If church leaders can realize that the future development of the church is inseparable from the increase of the salaries of pastors, church staff will get fair treatment. But if they fail to identify the needs of grassroots pastors, then even in another 10 or 20 years, the problem will still not be solved,” Z said.
A few decades ago, pastors had to support themselves as the church had no money, but now it is not difficult for the church to afford one pastor thanks to China’s economic growth.
With their children growing up and settling down to have families, rural church leaders, who do not have much economic pressure in their 50s or 60s, can’t understand the trouble of young pastors between 30 and 40 years old that have to support 5, 6 persons, including their children and parents.
For these 60-year-old pastors, with the same concept decades ago, they believe that staff members should not get a wage or get little money, as they have gone through hard times when the church didn’t need to pay much money and they relied on God to live.
Under the influence of such a concept, Z once felt preoccupied with a dilemma, as, with little salary, it was not fit for him to earn money since he would be said to “not love Lord or believe in Him but love the world”.
It was not until later that Z was released by the words of a pastor, “I tell you one thing that you have to remember. You just 'do something useful with your own hands.' Just do it boldly as long as you don’t steal or act against conscience."
- Translated by Abigail Wu
Feature: Rural Church Leaders Should Raise Awareness About Paying Pastors
