2005 YOUTH MINISTRY SALARY SURVEY

Group, Nov/Dec 2005 by Lawrence, Rick

EXCLUSIVE REPORT

JESUS SAID THE "WORKER IS WORTHY OF HIS SUPPORT." SO WHAT FACTORS CAN BOOST YOUR TAKE-HOME PAY? AND HOW CAN YOU TRIM YOUR HOUSEHOLD BUDGET TO KEEP MORE OF WHAT YOU BRING IN? A DETAILED REPORT ON OUR MUCH-ANTICIPATED BIENNIAL SALARY SURVEY.

The U.S. economy took a big hit four years ago after 9/11, and it's been sputtering to life ever since. Just when things were looking stable again, the Katrina hurricane disaster wiped out entire Gulf Coast cities. Economists predict that U.S. economic growth will likely take a 1 percent hit from the hurricane's devastation. In the first week after the storm, more than 10,000 people filed for first-time unemployment benefits, and that number has now skyrocketed.

All this bad news translates to downward pressure on salaries. But the good news is that our biennial salary survey of American youth pastors shows that average salaries are going up, even outstripping inflation (by a little) at a time when the rest of the American workforce is treading water financially.

In youth ministry, of course, it's never about the money. But Jesus didn't ignore the power and influence of money, and neither will we.

The Big Picture

Over the last two years the base salaries of full-time youth workers were basically stagnant, but the average overall salary package scratched its way up by about $2,500-to $39,049. That's an average 3.2 percent annual increase (beating the current 2.4 percent inflation by a nose). So most youth workers are receiving many more financial benefits on top of their base salaries than in 2003.

How do your numbers compare to the rest of the U.S. workforce? The U.S. Census Bureau reports that the average American worker's salary increased 4.2 percent, to $39,348, in 2004. Of course everyone in youth ministry, just as the residents of Garrison Keillor's mythical Minnesota community Lake Wobegon, is "above average"-but the blunt truth is that your salary isn't.

Here's some good news. Because average salaries are going up, more full-time youth workers are quitting their second jobs. Two years ago almost a third (29 percent) of full-time, paid youth workers said they had another job outside the church. That number has dropped to just about one in five (17 percent).

Men vs. Women

Salaries for women slipped by almost 10 percent from our last survey. That might be an anomaly of the survey (though the drop exceeds the poll's margin of error), but it smarts all the more when compared to the almost 15 percent increase in male youth ministers' salaries. Four out of 10 full-time youth pastors who filled out our survey were women.

What Drives Higher Salaries

What factors can boost your salary? Let's do the rundown:

1. The longer you're in paid youth ministry, the more you make. You can expect a person with 10 more years experience as a paid youth pastor to make $10,000 more than you.

2. The number of years you've put in at your current church has little to do with boosting your salary. According to our results, your total experience in youth ministry is far more important than your total years in one place. The full-time, paid youth pastors who filled out our survey (in total, more than 300 youth leaders across the country responded to our poll) average almost 10 years (9.72) of youth ministry experience, and have been at the same church for almost four years (3.85). Part-time paid youth leaders and unpaid volunteers have stuck around the same church a little longer-4.4 years and 5.04 years on average, respectively.

3. In general, the larger your church, the bigger your salary. But a more targeted benchmark for a bigger paycheck is the size of your senior high group-for every 10 kids you add to your current average number of attenders, your average annual salary should go up by about $2,800.

4. The more degrees you have perched behind your name, the higher your salary is likely to be. If you have only a high school degree you'll make about $9,000 less than your youth ministry friend who's a college grad, and that friend likely makes about $9,000 less than the youth pastor down the street who has a master's degree. The clear message is that continuing education really pays off in the long run.

5. Where you work can cost you. Youth pastors in the West, Northeast, and South make about $4,000 more per year than their peers in the North Central or South Central parts of the United States. However, the cost of living is likely higher in those regions where salaries are higher.

Mapping the Grind

The average hours worked per week reported by youth pastors crept up slightly, from 45 to 48. That means your ministry keeps you on the clock much longer than your neighbors. The average workweek across the country is 42 hours. You're basically among the three in 10 American workers who put in at least 49 hours on the job every week. But if you subtract the number of hours spent eating pizza and drinking diet Coke...

Based on almost two decades of surveying youth pastors about their salaries, I know some of you are right now a little indignant that group is focusing on money when youth ministry is fundamentally a calling. I also know many more of you depend on this information to give you the ammo you need to relieve some of the financial stress your family feels as you live out your calling. For those in the first camp, I understand where you're coming from. For those in the second camp, please know that nothing would thrill me more than to learn our salary survey information helped you get a raise.1