Silas22
Puritan Board Freshman
Allow me to vent a bit before asking a question.
My family is struggling financially; which has been characteristic of being in the ministry for the past 8 years, and honestly I am tired of it. I am tired of having to choose between paying the bills on time and buying groceries. I am tired of not being able to afford health insurance. I am tired of being forced to use a credit card to buy necessities such as diapers and milk at the end of the month. I am tired of rationing gas so that I can afford to drive back and forth to school. I am tired of having to borrow from my parents at 30. I am tired of not being able to afford a babysitter, or even have a date night with my wife.
A couple months back I did something I never thought I would ever do, I applied for food stamps and was accepted. I am thankful for the assistance, but even the amount provided isn't enough. I am ashamed every time I pull out the card, hoping that nobody notices that I am paying with EBT.
I'm not saying this out of pity; I certainly do not want to play that game. Honestly I am just angry. I am tired of it being "expected" that ministers/seminarians must live in abject poverty. I am tired of the expectation that seminarians must live off loans until they earn their degree. In some respects I feel like I've been treated like a doormat-simply because of my calling and my age. Something is definitely amiss when a pastor has to take part-time minimum wage jobs on top of his annual salary in order to keep the lights on. At 30, I know I am still a young man, but honestly I do not feel like it anymore. I've waited tables, sold coffee, cleaned toilets, sacked groceries, done landscaping; much of the time alongside teenagers and young adults, just so that my family can have a little extra cash. Honestly, I feel a little embarrassed explaining to people why I have to work 2-3 jobs when they know I am employed by the church.
Allow me to be even more transparent than I already have been-sometimes I worry that I've wasted my adult years going to college and now seminary, studying Christian history, theology, and the languages; and yet never learned a manual trade. I can't seem to apply for better paying jobs because I do not have the qualifications nor experience. Don't get me wrong, I love my Christian education, and am thankful to God for blessing me with the schools I've been in. However, I also see many of my peers launching into successful careers and I worry that I will never be able to provide for my family in the same manner. Especially since many churches cannot afford to pay a pastor a decent salary.
Honestly, life is not bad, and I know that I've got it better than most. Pastoral ministry is just hard-in more ways than one! If you're curious I served in the SBC for 7 years before beginning at Covenant Theological Seminary this year. My family and I are transitioning to the PCA, which makes things even more difficult because we do not have a sponsoring church (The SBC isn't necessarily thrilled about losing one of their own).
My question is this: what are some valuable trades that work well with the pastorate? I have considered learning computer programming, doing online writing (for pennies it seems), becoming an HVAC specialist like my father, etc. The Apostle Paul was a tentmaker by trade, what are some trades that have worked well with you?
Please know that I have NOT written this post desiring support. I honestly just need some encouragement/exhortation and advice on "tent-making".
My family is struggling financially; which has been characteristic of being in the ministry for the past 8 years, and honestly I am tired of it. I am tired of having to choose between paying the bills on time and buying groceries. I am tired of not being able to afford health insurance. I am tired of being forced to use a credit card to buy necessities such as diapers and milk at the end of the month. I am tired of rationing gas so that I can afford to drive back and forth to school. I am tired of having to borrow from my parents at 30. I am tired of not being able to afford a babysitter, or even have a date night with my wife.
A couple months back I did something I never thought I would ever do, I applied for food stamps and was accepted. I am thankful for the assistance, but even the amount provided isn't enough. I am ashamed every time I pull out the card, hoping that nobody notices that I am paying with EBT.
I'm not saying this out of pity; I certainly do not want to play that game. Honestly I am just angry. I am tired of it being "expected" that ministers/seminarians must live in abject poverty. I am tired of the expectation that seminarians must live off loans until they earn their degree. In some respects I feel like I've been treated like a doormat-simply because of my calling and my age. Something is definitely amiss when a pastor has to take part-time minimum wage jobs on top of his annual salary in order to keep the lights on. At 30, I know I am still a young man, but honestly I do not feel like it anymore. I've waited tables, sold coffee, cleaned toilets, sacked groceries, done landscaping; much of the time alongside teenagers and young adults, just so that my family can have a little extra cash. Honestly, I feel a little embarrassed explaining to people why I have to work 2-3 jobs when they know I am employed by the church.
Allow me to be even more transparent than I already have been-sometimes I worry that I've wasted my adult years going to college and now seminary, studying Christian history, theology, and the languages; and yet never learned a manual trade. I can't seem to apply for better paying jobs because I do not have the qualifications nor experience. Don't get me wrong, I love my Christian education, and am thankful to God for blessing me with the schools I've been in. However, I also see many of my peers launching into successful careers and I worry that I will never be able to provide for my family in the same manner. Especially since many churches cannot afford to pay a pastor a decent salary.
Honestly, life is not bad, and I know that I've got it better than most. Pastoral ministry is just hard-in more ways than one! If you're curious I served in the SBC for 7 years before beginning at Covenant Theological Seminary this year. My family and I are transitioning to the PCA, which makes things even more difficult because we do not have a sponsoring church (The SBC isn't necessarily thrilled about losing one of their own).
My question is this: what are some valuable trades that work well with the pastorate? I have considered learning computer programming, doing online writing (for pennies it seems), becoming an HVAC specialist like my father, etc. The Apostle Paul was a tentmaker by trade, what are some trades that have worked well with you?
Please know that I have NOT written this post desiring support. I honestly just need some encouragement/exhortation and advice on "tent-making".