Pastor's Salary?

[VCViking]

I posted this in "ask a pastor" but wanted to do so here.

What should a Pastor make annually?

A fellow brother in the Lord goes to a church where the Pastor makes about $80,000 a year. The median income for that area is about $64,000 and the church has about 200 members. His salary was voted by the church so he could be full time. He is married with 3 young children.

My friend thinks this is a big problem. I do not.

1 Timothy 5:17-18 clearly shows that his Pastor is being paid less than double.

17-Let the elders that rule well be counted worthy of double honour, especially they who labour in the word and doctrine.
18-For the scripture saith, thou shalt not muzzle the ox that treadeth out the corn. And, The labourer is worthy of his reward.

I tried researching it briefly on the internet but all I get is comparing a Pastor's salary to a secular equivalent, which there is none. Most show Pastor's being paid around $40,000 which I think is shameful.

What do you think?

Christians only please.

Thanks.

[kobuk]

80,000 in salary supported by 200 people probably has only about 40 regular contributing heads of houshold. That 80-grand salary is a pretty high burden in my opinion. I used to be a caretaker of a Southern Baptist Church and so i saw some of the bills associated with running a church of about 200 regular attendees as well. I've no doubt the total operation budgit including everything was over 200,000 per year. Which included pastor's salery and previous pastor's benefits, insurance, parsonage etc.

A lot of workers like cab drivers and store clerks earn less than 20,000 per year. I think any pastor should remember the Apostle Paul's policy. While it is a fact that a pastor can if he chooses accept a wage and be in accordance with Scripture, it's also true that sometimes some portion of those wages can present a burden on others if very high. Paul built tents to offset that factor.

If a Pastor with 200 members also recieves a payed for parsonage and other allowance, i think wages should reflect that. 40,000 should be plenty. We must also remember the Great Commission. Some sacrifice is required to spread around what limited funds we do have to plant other new Local Churches and REPRODUCE the reach of the Gospel over another geographic area through the setting up of another Pastor with another congregation.

Strategy should be employed. Is what we do effective in fulfilling our Creator's directives?

[BigNorsk]

Well I don't see why it would be considered a big problem.

Let's see how it adds up.

Your statistics aren't precise as to what they mean and it's possible to selectively quote to make almost anything seem reasonable.

For instance the $64,000 median income doesn't give a unit, per capita is a lot different than per household, and median is not the average, usually the average income is higher than the median which is just the point where half make more and half make less.

And the 200 members is quite different if that is average attendance or if it's everyone with a relationship or what.

I'll run the numbers figuring the median income is per household and assuming the median is also the average which will tend to underestimate congregational income and I'm assuming the 200 is the number regularly attending.

If the attendance reflects the normal pattern for the US then there are about 77 households represented. Sometimes churches have a lot of young families with a lot of children and that would be high, sometimes they have a lot of widows and singles and that would be low but assuming they are the average 2.6 people per household.

Then at $64,000 cash annual income that represents. $4,900,000 in gross income.

At that point the $80,000 annual salary represents 1.6 percent of the congregation's income that's likely low because of the average income being more than median, if the rest stayed the same he's probably actually closer to 1%..

Doesn't really seem out of line.

Marv

[kobuk]

Worth every penny if that Local Church has a true Fundamentalist Preacher. A man who is not stupid about evil and who is filled by the Holy Spirit and therefore is not found busy comprimizing with the cults but is rather sending missionaries to them. And teaching us how to witness to mormons, catholics and JW's on our doorsteps.

[annie1speed]

When it comes to how churches spend 'God's Money' we should look at the whole picture. I believe what is appropriate for the preacher's salary depends on what else the congregation is involved in. If all the money is going to the preacher and nothing is left over for benevolence, missions, neighborhood outreach, education programs and saving for future physical growth, then it needs to be evaluated. Bottom line is what are you doing to spread the borders of the kingdom?

Some preachers do their job better than others, and deserve more money. However I believe their lifestyle should be at about the same level as the makeup of the church. The preacher does not need to be more affluent than the rest of the congregation, but he shouldn't have to live like a pauper either.

I do NOT believe the size of their family should play any part in deciding how much the preacher makes. What preacher would like a cut in salary when his children are grown and leave home? But the size of the family is used often to justify more pay for the preacher who has lots of children.

Annie

[david01]

In my experience, most church budgets (and this means all types and denominations of churches) consist of two items - salaries and buildings. Usually less than 5% goes to other things such as missionaries. Once the mortgage on the building is paid then it is decided to either build a newer (and usually bigger) building, extensively remodel the existing building, or make major additions to the building. When the budget increases (with or without an increase in members) it is typical procedure to add more staff to the church, without decreasing the pastor's salary. One of the most extreme examples of this is Trinity Church on Wall Street in New York City. This church has no members at all (and hasn't for decades). It owns most of the land in the area and collects rents which pay for the salaries of a large staff who tend to the building and arrange for religious events and concerts. The bottom line is that we are in a culture where our focus is on tithing to pay our pastors' salaries and build the biggest buildings we can. Is this what the New Testament church did? I think not.

[annie1speed]

You've got me thinking now. I wonder what %age our salaries are of the church budget. Ball park it is 30-35% for salaries, about the same for building and upkeep. The rest is for our missions, education and other church programs. The primary work, the primary purpose of the church is evengelism. So according to my husband the preacher's salary is an important part of the work of the church......the secretary is overhead. :P Don't hit me - I'm just kidding.

Annie

[flaja]

http://www.biblicalrecorder.com/news/9_4_98/baptist.html (http://www.biblicalrecorder.com/news/9_4_98/baptist.html)

This article is almost a decade old, but it is all I have been able to find on this issue.

In my opinion pastors are overpaid and then some. Where I live you will have a hard time getting a pastor to answer the phone or acknowledge a personal letter. In 2005 my uncle died unexpectedly and I inherited a fair amount of cash. I want to establish a non-profit college prep Christian school and I could afford to build a school/church facility if I had access to land to build on and a volunteer labor force. Local churches aren’t interested and neither are the hundreds of churches I have contacted out of state. Most pastors simply ignore me and the few that are interested want me to give them the money with no say in how they spend it.

I have been looking for a pastoral position that will allow me to use my inheritance and I have offered to either serve for a while without salary or use my own money to support church functions. Of the dozens and dozens of churches with open pastoral positions that I have contacted via letter and email over the past year, no more than a half dozen have even acknowledged my existence.

[flaja]

I wonder how salary figures change when a pastor’s entire family works for the church. There is a local independent Baptist church that has a (laughable) Christian school. I interviewed for a teaching position at this school a few years after I got out of college. I saw a brochure that the church put out for parents and found that the teacher’s pay was $19,000 a year. My job was going to be teaching part of the day and preparing course material for the church’s associated theological seminary; I was expected to work year round even when students were on vacation. What the pastor offered me in salary was only $250 a week and by the time I had to give back my tithe of 10% (something that is unbiblical for Christians), I was going to make just a dollar or so over minimum wage.

But, yet I was going to be the only employee of this school that was not part of the pastor’s family: Pastor was the principal. His wife was the secretary. His son and either daughter or daughter-in-law, were the only teachers.

[lismore]

Hi there:wave:

Just wanted to throw this in, but what about a Pastor working in the tentmaker ministry?

:)

[No Swansong]

Interestingly the best preachers I have ever personally known were either bi-vocational, or paid less than the average income for the area. I don't know if there is a correlation or not.

[ImperialPhantom]

I don't think that the pastor and staff should be lowballed to the highest degree possible in the name of Christ. Pay him what he's worth, and pay him enough that he can be a full time Pastor and still raise a family.

[tamtam92]

My grandfather was a pastor and didn't want to be paid more than the one with the lowest wage in the church. He raised 3 children.
The fact is, a pastor shouldn't have such a feeling for money that he cares to be paid more than necessary. The less he's paid, the more money for the missionnaries and other charities. Yet he should have a decent wage.

Anyway, i don't feel so easy with the fact that pastors have regular wages. I don't really know what to think. What i know is that the love of money is a root for problems (free translation from french, hope it's undertandable). But to say that twice more money than average corresponds to double honour, is a strange way of considering honour. It could be just like, you're paid twice more, now do you job well please.

Honour isn't money -- you honour your pastor by praying for him, helping him each time you can, and working with him for the growth of the church and the glory of God. Money is like a disease in it, it should just be used when needed.

Hope it makes sense. Forgive my poor lately suffering english.

[IamRedeemed]

I agree with you. I believe his salary by no means is extravagant and worthy of
any raised eyebrows of any kind. This idea that men of God are to be paupers,
I believe comes from a religious spirit rooted in possibly Catholicism,
with the vow of poverty and all.
(which in itself I believe comes from a misinterpretation
of Scripture, with the parable of the rich man.)

Paul's ministry had plenty of money. He was always giving as he was always getting to give.
He even had to correct some because there was such an abundance because
of cheerful givers that some men opted not to work and collect the
Church's welfare and Paul rebuked them.

The only reason Jesus told the Disciples not to take anything with them
is because God would provide.

Well, I would say God is providing for your Pastor as well.
If his needs are being met and he has need of nothing,
God has provided, and He is worthy of those provisions.

My problem comes when there is an abundance, but not a lot of giving back.
There is no reason, if a Church has wealth that a member should be begging for bread.
That is when I think that a shame and a crime has been committed, against God and man. jmo


I posted this in "ask a pastor" but wanted to do so here.

What should a Pastor make annually?

A fellow brother in the Lord goes to a church where the Pastor makes about $80,000 a year. The median income for that area is about $64,000 and the church has about 200 members. His salary was voted by the church so he could be full time. He is married with 3 young children.

My friend thinks this is a big problem. I do not.

1 Timothy 5:17-18 clearly shows that his Pastor is being paid less than double.

17-Let the elders that rule well be counted worthy of double honour, especially they who labour in the word and doctrine.
18-For the scripture saith, thou shalt not muzzle the ox that treadeth out the corn. And, The labourer is worthy of his reward.

I tried researching it briefly on the internet but all I get is comparing a Pastor's salary to a secular equivalent, which there is none. Most show Pastor's being paid around $40,000 which I think is shameful.

What do you think?

Christians only please.

Thanks.

[PreachersWife2004]

For us pastors' wives, it can be somewhat of a double edged sword. I would love it if my husband was making more money - as it stands right now I can make almost triple what he gets paid. I have no degree, yet he holds a masters degree. Granted, it's a master of divinity, but it's still recognized.

My husband doesn't make enough to support his family. Now, we all know that normal jobs don't give out raises to a guy simply because his wife pops out a baby, but his salary has not changed AT ALL the last five years. Not even a cost of living raise, and we live in Detroit, where it costs nearly $6000 a year for car insurance for two cars.

Where the sword comes in is that I've had to work myself to help provide for the family. This has made it difficult because I've had to be away from my babies, and also because there are always comments made about me working - our congregation is full of older women who stayed in the kitchen prepping dinner, who didn't have to go out into the workforce.

Fortunately, being a pastor allows my husband to be able to stay home with the children, so when I am working (which is not now because of my "delicate" condition) we don't have the kids in a daycare.

I don't have a problem with a pastor getting paid a higher amount. While 80k seems a little high, if that's what the congregation is willing and able to pay him, then it shouldn't be a problem, and like IAR mentioned, the pastor should be giving back to the church.

In our case, we figured out that with our monthly offerings, we're actually paying about 35% of our own salary...yikes, and yet, we do it happily because we're still giving to the Lord and it's being returned to us.

[Vambram]

Amen, PreachersWife, and may the Lord continue to bless you, your husband, your family, and your church.
:hug: :)

[BlackSabb]

For us pastors' wives, it can be somewhat of a double edged sword. I would love it if my husband was making more money - as it stands right now I can make almost triple what he gets paid. I have no degree, yet he holds a masters degree. Granted, it's a master of divinity, but it's still recognized.

My husband doesn't make enough to support his family. Now, we all know that normal jobs don't give out raises to a guy simply because his wife pops out a baby, but his salary has not changed AT ALL the last five years. Not even a cost of living raise, and we live in Detroit, where it costs nearly $6000 a year for car insurance for two cars.

Where the sword comes in is that I've had to work myself to help provide for the family. This has made it difficult because I've had to be away from my babies, and also because there are always comments made about me working - our congregation is full of older women who stayed in the kitchen prepping dinner, who didn't have to go out into the workforce.

Fortunately, being a pastor allows my husband to be able to stay home with the children, so when I am working (which is not now because of my "delicate" condition) we don't have the kids in a daycare.

I don't have a problem with a pastor getting paid a higher amount. While 80k seems a little high, if that's what the congregation is willing and able to pay him, then it shouldn't be a problem, and like IAR mentioned, the pastor should be giving back to the church.

In our case, we figured out that with our monthly offerings, we're actually paying about 35% of our own salary...yikes, and yet, we do it happily because we're still giving to the Lord and it's being returned to us.


I am just curious. How many people are in your church, and how many hours a week does your husband work? Just out of interest.

I feel a bit bad for a lot of pastors. It seems to be all or nothing. There's a lot of wealthy, money grubbers and then there's a whole heap more that are struggling. Somewhere between the two there has to be a balance.

[PreachersWife2004]

We have a membership of 102 and my husband works about 40-50 hours a week between church work and visits. I find it amazing just how much work he puts into such a small church - I came from a church that had a membership of 1500 or so, with two pastors.

[Albion]

We have a membership of 102 and my husband works about 40-50 hours a week between church work and visits.
It is possible to pastor a church and not be paid anything, but it is not possible for a family man to pastor a LARGE church (such as yours), including all the visits and counseling that congregation members usually want, without being paid a salary.

This idea that men of God are to be paupers,
I believe comes from a religious spirit rooted in possibly Catholicism,
This, by the way, is in error. Catholic priests ARE paid a salary and do not take a vow of poverty (unless they are members of a religious order, which few parish priests are).

[desmalia]

I don't think it matters so much exactly how much a pastor is paid (within reason, of course), so much as what he does with the money. Church budgets vary greatly, depending on attendance, membership, area, cost of living, etc. etc. I do believe that a proper attitude for a pastor is one of willingness to sacrifice. But that certainly does not mean that every pastor will have to live in rags either. It boils down to the attitude and heart of the shepherd. That is what matters.

[plmarquette]

If Ephesians 4.11 and 1 Corinthians 12.28 are correct..God set some in the church to lead ...

If you pay 40-60.00 for a doctor, dentist, mechanic, etc. for an hour of their time... why should a pastor get 10 or 15.00 for the same amount of time ?

Do the dentists come to the hospital at midnight to comfort you ...do the doctors hold your hand at the wake or funeral ... does the mechanic help you & your wife and kids over some problem... are they on call 24/ 7 365?

Would you invest 20-30-40,000.00 for a degree from a divinity school to take a job for 15-20,000.00 a year and flip burgers evenings to pay bills?

[PreachersWife2004]

Would you invest 20-30-40,000.00 for a degree from a divinity school to take a job for 15-20,000.00 a year and flip burgers evenings to pay bills?

Thankfully, many answer with a resounding YES! :)

[IamRedeemed]

Fortunately, Pastors who have actually been called as shepherds
don't go into it for what they can get, but for what they can give.
Imhybo though, if a Pastor has to flip burgers on the side, then
he has a disobedient as well as an ungrateful congregation.

[Time2BCounted]

i wonder if he would be willing to do it for free... or work elsewhere so he could do it for free?

To me this is the better question

[IamRedeemed]

Interesting question, for sure.

Sad to say, but if all Pastors were to be weeded by that standard,
I would imagine there would be many empty pulpits.


i wonder if he would be willing to do it for free... or work elsewhere so he could do it for free?

To me this is the better question

[No Swansong]

Fortunately, Pastors who have actually been called as shepherds
don't go into it for what they can get, but for what they can give.
Imhybo though, if a Pastor has to flip burgers on the side, then
he has a disobedient as well as an ungrateful congregation.



Or perhaps my friend a small poor one.

[No Swansong]

i wonder if he would be willing to do it for free... or work elsewhere so he could do it for free?

To me this is the better question
I have met many who fall into both categories.

[PreachersWife2004]

The problem is that pastoring IS a full-time job. It's not just a Sunday morning thing. I'd like to see how many doctors could hold two positions at once - with their call schedules and the like I imagine it's close to impossible unless one doesn't mind never sleeping.

WELS tried having a couple of their seminary graduates start in tent ministries, where they were pastors but also had part time jobs. They found out very quickly that it does not work.

[PreachersWife2004]

Or perhaps my friend a small poor one.

Yes. This is correct. My congregation is by no means rich. They absolutely pay Matt what they can afford to pay him. Our church has faithful givers, and some go beyond the call.

Another pastor in our area refuses to make more than the average of his congregation. He says that he should be making what his flock makes. And he serves a poorer congregation than we do. Granted, he is a bachelor and does not have a family to support, though.

[No Swansong]

The problem is that pastoring IS a full-time job. It's not just a Sunday morning thing. I'd like to see how many doctors could hold two positions at once - with their call schedules and the like I imagine it's close to impossible unless one doesn't mind never sleeping.

WELS tried having a couple of their seminary graduates start in tent ministries, where they were pastors but also had part time jobs. They found out very quickly that it does not work.
It is not my intention to be contentious but I hzve known several bi-viccational pastors who were wonderfully successful.

[No Swansong]

wow my typing is terrible today folks sorry.

[PreachersWife2004]

It is not my intention to be contentious but I hzve known several bi-viccational pastors who were wonderfully successful.

So have I. I don't know what kind of churches your guys served, but my friends served smaller congregations that did not require too much non-Sunday work. Hospital visits were rare, and there weren't any extraneous bible classes. They also worked jobs that allowed them to work from home as well...AND their wives worked.

It CAN work under the right circumstances, there's no argument there.

And I know you're not trying to be contentious! ;)

[No Swansong]

I've never served any congregation larger than 120 regular members. Additionally I had a mentor so I can't really complain. It was not an unreasonable expectation, even working EMS.

[PreachersWife2004]

I've never served any congregation larger than 120 regular members. Additionally I had a mentor so I can't really complain. It was not an unreasonable expectation, even working EMS.

With the WELS, it's kinda like feast or famine. You'll find that some churches have small memberships, like ours. We have less than 100 members. My home church, where I was at before I got married, had 2500 souls. The average WELS church in WI probably has 1000 members.

Right now, Matt is responsible for hospital visits for ten of our members. He has two students in catechism but they can't have class together because they are in two different sections and their schedules don't match. He has four adult bible class students right now, and while he tries to teach them all together, it rarely works that way and he is often doing 2-4 classes every two weeks. He also attends choir practice which I keep telling him is optional but he feels compelled to practice. Twice a month he has meetings to attend (that is SMALL compared to most churches, too).

So his time is truly taken up by his church work, add to that the fact that he has to be the main caregiver at home right now because of my pregnancy, and he has ZERO time left.

He may be able to pursue something after this last baby is born - but again, I have the ability to make more money than he does so for us it makes more sense for me to go out and work and he be the stay at home parent.

[IamRedeemed]

Yes, brother, there are exceptions to every generality. And please
don't think I was despising humble beginnings. Even the poor widow
gave her two mites, and she was not despised but her giving blessed
above the rest.

God bless!


Or perhaps my friend a small poor one.

[Time2BCounted]

It is not my intention to be contentious but I hzve known several bi-viccational pastors who were wonderfully successful.
I have to agree

I frankly dont believe the ministry was intended to allow one to live 'cooshie'. Paul worked so he wouldnt be held accountable financially though he knew he could partake. I personally know men that wouldnt be preaching if they couldnt be making that money too. On the other hand i knew poor men who gave of themselves entirely. I have known churches so poor they couldnt pay a man more then 10 or 20 bucks a week. I've known men that would take no pay.

[No Swansong]

With the WELS, it's kinda like feast or famine. You'll find that some churches have small memberships, like ours. We have less than 100 members. My home church, where I was at before I got married, had 2500 souls. The average WELS church in WI probably has 1000 members.

Right now, Matt is responsible for hospital visits for ten of our members. He has two students in catechism but they can't have class together because they are in two different sections and their schedules don't match. He has four adult bible class students right now, and while he tries to teach them all together, it rarely works that way and he is often doing 2-4 classes every two weeks. He also attends choir practice which I keep telling him is optional but he feels compelled to practice. Twice a month he has meetings to attend (that is SMALL compared to most churches, too).

So his time is truly taken up by his church work, add to that the fact that he has to be the main caregiver at home right now because of my pregnancy, and he has ZERO time left.

He may be able to pursue something after this last baby is born - but again, I have the ability to make more money than he does so for us it makes more sense for me to go out and work and he be the stay at home parent.
You and your growing family are most certainly in my prayers.

[PreachersWife2004]

For some, it is possible that they can work and not take any pay.

For others, it doesn't work.

I simply ask that one's pastoral merit not be judged by whether he wishes to be paid for his job.

To clarify, too, just in case, I'm not saying that anyone is doing that here. I have seen it though...

[No Swansong]

Yes, brother, there are exceptions to every generality. And please
don't think I was despising humble beginnings. Even the poor widow
gave her two mites, and she was not despised but her giving blessed
above the rest.

God bless!
I made no such assumption my friend. I only wished to offer an alternative situation.:wave:

[PreachersWife2004]

You and your growing family are most certainly in my prayers.

Thank you. We need all the prayers we can get. Three babies in three years. We took the whole "be fruitful and multiply" thing a little too seriously!! ^_^

This little guy is our last, though, mainly because health issues. My body is already protesting this pregnancy, and my doctor is sure that it wouldn't tolerate another one. Yes, we put our faith in God, but sometimes God gives us huge signs to follow!!

Our "growing" family has caused some contention amongst people when talking about salaries sometimes, too, unfortunately. There are some in the church who think they should be paying Matt more (they should, actually, he's well below synod code) but there's some who counter that just because he's married doesn't mean he gets a raise. It's put my husband on the hot seat on more than one occasion, because he himself has NEVER asked for a raise.

[No Swansong]

For some, it is possible that they can work and not take any pay.

For others, it doesn't work.

I simply ask that one's pastoral merit not be judged by whether he wishes to be paid for his job.

To clarify, too, just in case, I'm not saying that anyone is doing that here. I have seen it though...
Unfortunately so have I. Not sure if I have seen it here or not though

[PreachersWife2004]

Unfortunately so have I. Not sure if I have seen it here or not though

I've not seen it here yet, but I see it starting to seep in.

For whatever reason, many people believe that pastors should be shepherding out of the kindness of their hearts and that getting paid is optional.

Yes, pastors serve a most pressing need, and they work for the Lord, but doesn't everyone, really? Doctors get paid quite handsomely for the lives they save, and maybe rightfully so, and not too many complain.

I have heard people say that pastors who want to be paid more really aren't interested in doing the Lord's work, but that's not always the case.

[IamRedeemed]

I am pretty sure I can include Time's heart and intentions
in this when I say that none of us would even expect a
Pastor to serve for free. (Or even that they should endure such a test, God forbid).
If he were financially able to God bless him!
But I know I was and I am pretty sure Time was just talking
about having a shepherd's heart. God has not called His
servants to poverty.

Our Heavenly Father owns the cattle on a thousand hills,
and His children should not (not that they don't, but for some it may
be they perish for lack of knowledge, or that they have not because they ask not)
be begging for bread, as our Father is Jehovah Jireh our provider
and He provides all our needs (not according to our limits) but according
to His riches and glory. Paul said, "I wish that you would prosper
even as your soul prospers." If we have prosperity, but our souls
lack, what have we gained? Nada Rather than that God would
increase our ability to give, as we are refined in His fire and
made perfect for service, in Christ. amen.

Truly the inhabitants of the Kingdom of God, should not
be begging, but rather equipped to give to those in need
whatever it is they have need of.

God bless!

Unfortunately so have I. Not sure if I have seen it here or not though

Quote:
Originally Posted by PreachersWife2004 http://www3.foru.ms/images/buttons/viewpost.gif (http://foru.ms/showthread.php?p=40544245#post40544245)
For some, it is possible that they can work and not take any pay.

For others, it doesn't work.

I simply ask that one's pastoral merit not be judged by whether he wishes to be paid for his job.

To clarify, too, just in case, I'm not saying that anyone is doing that here. I have seen it though...

[PreachersWife2004]

IAR, I agree with you. Please accept my apologies, though, since it does seem as though I was singling out Time, which I didn't mean to. I meant in the thread as a whole. Some of the other posts seemed to drift that way...but not all the way.

Fortunately for us, while we are not well-off, we have a roof over our heads, we worship in freedom and not in fear, and we have a beautiful family. I'm sure there is no amount of money that could ever replace what wonderful blessings God has given us!

[IamRedeemed]

Amen PW. No problem on the other. I just thought I would clarify
for the both of us just to make sure that no one misunderstood
or took it the wrong way.

God bless

IAR, I agree with you. Please accept my apologies, though, since it does seem as though I was singling out Time, which I didn't mean to. I meant in the thread as a whole. Some of the other posts seemed to drift that way...but not all the way.

Fortunately for us, while we are not well-off, we have a roof over our heads, we worship in freedom and not in fear, and we have a beautiful family. I'm sure there is no amount of money that could ever replace what wonderful blessings God has given us!