As a minister I have the honor of performing rites and ceremonies for people at a variety of stages of life: baptisms, blessings, marriages, funerals, etc. I usually enjoy planning and leading these events. But lately I've had a rash of folks shocked that as a minister, I would have a fee to do some of these services. So lets talk about why I have fees.
To start with, if you are a member of my congregation you do get my services as a part of my contract with the congregation as long as they are spelled out in the contract. Generally if you're a member of the congregation I serve, it is expected that I will preform baptisms, blessings, funerals, weddings, etc for you because I want to remind you of God's continuous blessing in your life and especially at important moments in your life.
However some folks are shocked that there would be an honorarium suggested for the minister. The reality is that these blessings, weddings, funerals, etc. are extra work in our weekly schedules and routines. Most weddings are on Friday nights and Saturdays. These are times that we usually have off. Ministers have to adjust schedules, give up free time in order to be there. If there's a funeral we have to add that into what we do normally to keep the day to day things happening in the church. Another reason an honorarium could be suggested is because I don't reuse the same wedding service each time. I like to make things personal for each situation. I don't want to say the same things over and over again because that's boring to me. Many clergy, myself included, also want to make your special event special for you. We know you and want these moments in your life and therefore we want you to be reflected in the services. That's not always easy but we can try.
If you are not a member of my congregation and you ask me to provide you with a special service/blessing please remember that you have not contributed to my congregation and therefore you are not contributing to the funds that pay my salary. So when you are asked to compensate the minister, you are being asked to help pay for me. You are helping to compensate me for my education. In my denominations, a master's degree and continuing education are requirements for ordination and maintaining standing (allows me to officially sign you marriage licenses legally). This requires money to pay for these things. Let me frame the cost to become a minister in my setting this way: I am required to have as much if not more education than a lawyer. When you use a lawyer you're paying for their level of education, expertise and experience. Why is it not the same for the minister?
Ministers do not go into ministry to get rich and famous. We don't expect to get huge sums of money. But it would be nice to get a little help with finances from time to time.
To start with, if you are a member of my congregation you do get my services as a part of my contract with the congregation as long as they are spelled out in the contract. Generally if you're a member of the congregation I serve, it is expected that I will preform baptisms, blessings, funerals, weddings, etc for you because I want to remind you of God's continuous blessing in your life and especially at important moments in your life.
However some folks are shocked that there would be an honorarium suggested for the minister. The reality is that these blessings, weddings, funerals, etc. are extra work in our weekly schedules and routines. Most weddings are on Friday nights and Saturdays. These are times that we usually have off. Ministers have to adjust schedules, give up free time in order to be there. If there's a funeral we have to add that into what we do normally to keep the day to day things happening in the church. Another reason an honorarium could be suggested is because I don't reuse the same wedding service each time. I like to make things personal for each situation. I don't want to say the same things over and over again because that's boring to me. Many clergy, myself included, also want to make your special event special for you. We know you and want these moments in your life and therefore we want you to be reflected in the services. That's not always easy but we can try.
If you are not a member of my congregation and you ask me to provide you with a special service/blessing please remember that you have not contributed to my congregation and therefore you are not contributing to the funds that pay my salary. So when you are asked to compensate the minister, you are being asked to help pay for me. You are helping to compensate me for my education. In my denominations, a master's degree and continuing education are requirements for ordination and maintaining standing (allows me to officially sign you marriage licenses legally). This requires money to pay for these things. Let me frame the cost to become a minister in my setting this way: I am required to have as much if not more education than a lawyer. When you use a lawyer you're paying for their level of education, expertise and experience. Why is it not the same for the minister?
Ministers do not go into ministry to get rich and famous. We don't expect to get huge sums of money. But it would be nice to get a little help with finances from time to time.
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