Study lets churches gauge themselves with others

The study, which was released by Leadership Network, in conjunction with Vanderbloeman Search Group, was designed to give insight to churches that can help them be better stewards of the resources they receive.

The report's author, Dr. Warren Bird, says on of the primary goals of the research is to help church leaders know how they compare to similar size churches when it comes to salaries.

"Not that it's right or wrong, but at least you know what the lay of the land is out there for other churches like yours, Bird pointed out about the results. “What kinds of things are normal in churches our size what are not? Not just in salary, but in benefits."

Bird told OneNewsNow that the focus of the study was on churches with worship attendance of 500 or more people.

"Most surveys aren't going to include that 2 percent on the edge, so we focus just on them, hoping to serve them so they can make wiser, better, prayerful, thoughtful, educated decisions."

A free download of the executive summary reveals a number of highlights including the following facts and statistics:

• Church size is the strongest predictor of pastor salaries, far more than geography, ethnicity, or other variables.
• 3.1 percent was the most recent pay raise given to executive staff.
• 49 percent of total church budget goes to staffing costs.
• 52 percent of churches spend 10 percent or more of their current church budget on ministry beyond their own congregation.