The members of Riverside Church in Manhattan are mad.
They recently learned that their new pastor, Rev. Brad Braxton, will be receiving more than $600,000 in annual compensation.
According to a story in the New York Daily News, the congregation voted for Braxton last fall and he's suppose to be installed as the new senior pastor on Sunday.
But a few in the 1,500-member congregation are trying to hold up the installation and have filed suit in the Manhattan Supreme Court. They feel that his compensation package is outrageous considering the country's economic crisis (and the fact that some church staff have not received raises).
Braxton's compensation package includes:
$250,000 in salary.
$11,500 monthly housing allowance.
Private school tuition for his child.
A full-time maid.
An allowance for entertainment, travel and professional development.
Pension and life insurance benefits.
An equity allowance to buy a home.
Some church members are also upset that Braxton hired a new second in command at an annual salary of more than $300,000.
Man, I'm in the wrong business.
Some feel pastors are like CEOs or presidents of large companies. And we know how much CEOs get paid (some get tens of millions of dollars a year).
Do you believe the church members are wrong to try and stall the installation of Braxton after they voted for him in the fall?
Do you think Braxton should forego some of his compensation package because of the economic crisis?
Do you think he should give raises to the church staff that have not received raises?
Should pastors lead lavish lifestyles?
What do you think of Braxton's compensation? Do you think it's too much?
3 comments:
Didn't they know what his salary was going to be when they hired him? They don't have a "this is what the job pays, like it or lump it" policy? Where can I get a job that doesn't have a set salary so I get to dictate how much I make?
I guess ascetic piety is passé...
That is way too much, but the congregation should have stipulated his salary during the interviewing process. Should pastors live lavish lifestyles? Well, they shouldn't live like paupers; however, if most of their congregation is poor, the pastor shouldn't be pushing a Bentley to Sunday morning services. Being a pastor is a full time job and they should be compensated based upon the membership of the church. Why does this man need a salary of $600,000 or an annual compensation of that amount?
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