Happy New Year! It’s hard to believe that another year is already starting.
As we begin our time together this year, I want to ask you for your thoughts. Can pastors work in the Gig Economy? Seriously, I would really appreciate you taking a few moments to reply to this email to share your thoughts with me!
If you are unaware of what the Gig Economy is, you are living in it right now. Simply put, it’s where people are working side gigs for extra money.
You might be asking… why would someone want a side gig? Well, it’s for a variety of reasons.
- Some people do it because they enjoy it (maybe they have a special skill that allows them to do something they love and earn extra money from it).
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Other people do it because they want to reach their financial goals faster (maybe they are working through the Dave Ramsey Baby Steps and the side gigs are helping them reach their goals faster).
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And other people are working side gigs because they have no choice (maybe their full time job doesn’t provide enough money for their basic expenses, and they are forced to pick up side gigs to make the numbers work).
For most people, when they hear that someone is working a side gig for extra money, it doesn’t even phase them. It’s normal. However, this is not always the case in ministry. Some churches don’t like the idea of one of their pastors working extra jobs, no matter the reason. They believe that their pastors should only be focused on ministry, and that they are never “off the clock.” The thought of one of their pastors delivering food through DoorDash in their spare time or stocking shelves at their local grocery store early in the morning doesn’t seem right to them.
Although I understand this argument (because ministry can happen at any time and you want your pastors to be available), I personally believe that it is unwise for churches to prevent their pastors from earning additional income with side gigs. For example, at our church, we work Sunday-Thursday, which means that Friday-Saturday is our weekend. And, we also have normal business hours (aside from the occasional evening meeting, most of us are done by dinnertime each day). With that being said, I don’t see any issue with someone on our team earning extra money on the weekends or in the evenings, as long as it does not conflict with their primary duties at the church.
One final thought on this issue. If one of your pastors is having to work a side gig because the church is underpaying him (example 3 from above), I do think it would be wise for the church to adjust his salary. I personally believe that all pastors should be paid a competitive salary with strong benefits. But, assuming that is already the case, I don’t see any issue with pastors working side gigs for extra money, as long as it does not interfere with their ministry.
What are your thoughts? Looking forward to hearing back from you!
