Pastors, church leaders encouraged to participate in biennial church compensation survey

By Roy Hayhurst, Guidestone Financial Resources

(BP) – Guidestone Financial Resources, Lifeway Research and Baptist state conventions have again teamed up for the SBC Church Compensation Survey. The survey – the largest free study focused on churches in the United States – is conducted every two years.

The survey’s results will be available in early fall, in time for many churches considering their 2025 budgets.

Churches of all sizes can utilize the survey’s results to determine comparable wages and benefits. The survey takes about 10 minutes to complete at GuideStone.org/CompensationSurvey. The survey started April 1 and goes on until the end of June.

“The SBC Church Compensation Survey provides a snapshot of what churches across our Convention are doing in paying their pastors and other church staff members,” said GuideStone President Hance Dilbeck. “We want to make sure that churches understand their responsibility to pay the right wage the right way, and so taking this information when it’s available and following best compensation practices will go a long way to help pastors as they seek to be financially secure and resilient servants to the Lord’s churches.”

Individual survey results can be contributed anonymously; survey results are not reported individually. Lifeway Research will compile the results once the survey closes on June 30. Survey respondents will receive advance notice of the survey’s availability.

Respondents should have the church’s average weekly attendance, membership and 2024 annual budget. Additional information needed to complete the survey is the employees’ yearly salary, the church’s annual contributions to a retirement plan, annual church-paid insurance premiums, annual housing allowance, Social Security offset, and the rental value and utilities for church-provided housing.