Are Churches of Christ paying preachers and youth ministers fairly?

In this special bonus episode of Trends with Truth in Churches of Christ, Dr. Michael Jackson and Dale Jenkins review the findings from the previous Churches of Christ salary survey—and explain what those numbers reveal about ministry compensation, church priorities, small congregations, bi-vocational preaching, and the future of youth ministry.

The newest salary survey is now open, and your participation will help provide better information for churches, elders, ministers, and ministry families.

📊 TAKE THE NEW SALARY SURVEY:

https://www.thejenkinsinstitute.com/salarysurvey

The more ministers and churches participate, the more useful the data becomes.

In this episode, we discuss:

• What the previous salary survey revealed

• How ministry compensation changed from 2019 to 2024

• Why preacher salaries have increased

• The significant pay gap between small and large congregations

• Whether smaller churches can realistically afford full-time ministers

• The growing importance of bi-vocational ministry

• Why youth ministry compensation has risen

• The importance of retaining qualified youth ministers

• What elders should learn from salary data

• What ministers should consider when discussing compensation

• Why church members should take ministry compensation seriously

• How fair pay helps ministers support their families and serve effectively

This episode does not present the results of the newest survey. Instead, it reviews the previous survey and invites you to participate in the new one now available through The Jenkins Institute.

The survey is about more than money. It is about how churches value ministry, support ministers, care for their families, and prepare for the future.

If you are an elder, preacher, youth minister, church member, or ministry student, this is a conversation you need to hear—and the new survey is one you should take.

Subscribe to Trends with Truth in Churches of Christ for thoughtful conversations about ministry, church life, leadership, culture, and the future of the church.

CHAPTERS:

00:00 Every number has a name

00:52 Welcome to Trends with Truth

01:28 Why the salary survey was created

03:26 This is about more than money

04:22 Dale’s first ministry salary

06:16 The newest salary survey is now open

07:20 How the ChurchPay tool works

08:00 What the previous survey revealed

10:02 Are churches supporting ministers better?

12:41 The pay gap between small and large churches

14:14 What small churches should consider

15:15 The future of bi-vocational ministry

16:37 Youth ministry compensation

18:40 The importance of retaining youth ministers

20:01 What elders should learn

20:51 What youth ministers should learn

21:48 What church members should understand

23:03 Supporting ministers and their families

23:25 Take the new survey

KEYWORDS:

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HASHTAGS:

#ChurchesOfChrist #PreacherSalary #MinistryCompensation #YouthMinistry #TrendsWithTruth