Economic Justice For All

The bummer about being a preacher is that I have to pay attention to what I am preaching and sometimes it’s stuff I would rather not think about at all. Take economic justice for example. It’s one thing to preach about making invisible people visible and it’s another thing to think about what I personally would have to do to make that a reality. Isn’t it ironic that preachers preach about economic justice and most churches are structured in such a way that the senior or head pastor is paid the most, then the associate pastor, then the musician, then the Education person, then the office staff and then the grounds or custodial staff? Why on earth don’t we all get paid the same? Is one person’s work really worth that much more? Our custodian was on vacation during the month of December (you know that time of year where everything happens). Daily I felt her importance because of all of the tasks that were not being done as she usually did them. Should I really be paid more than she is paid? On some level it makes sense that we would structure salary according to education and experience. At the same time, is that enough to justify the pay differential? The problem is that in order for all of us to be paid the same, those of us who are getting paid more would have to be willing to be paid less. Am I willing to be paid less so that my staff is all paid the same? This is where the rubber meets the road and is probably why I have yet to hear of a church where the entire staff is paid the same salary. Change begins with me. Am I willing? As much as I’d like to stop thinking about it, I can’t. Sometimes that’s what preaching does to me. The words grab me and won’t let me go even long after they have been preached…