A new national survey of more than 250 large churches nationwide sheds some light on how much pastors at these “megachurches” earn.
While there might be no established criteria to officially designate a megachurch, the study by Leadership Network in Dallas discovered:
The average salary for a lead pastor at a megachurch is $147,000. The study said the salaries run anywhere from $40,000 to $400,000:
“A church with a budget of $1-1.99 million provides, on average, the senior pastor with a salary of $91,000. The average salary for a senior pastor at a church with a $10 million or more budget is $189,000.
“The median age for the senior pastor in surveyed churches is 49.
“Most of the surveyed churches have some debt, but the amount is equal to or less than the total amount of its annual budget.”