Compensation conversations: Doing what you can get paid for
09-01-2023
Money can be a touchy subject. Many people shy away from the topic, including those in ministerial roles. Yet, “doing what you can get paid for” is one of four principles that McCormick has been sharing within its academic and cultural programs. Leading Change invited Dr. Itihari Touré, associate dean for Curriculum Development and Assessment, and Rev. Dr. Laurel Koepf, director of DMin Programs, to have a conversation about valuing the principle “doing what you can get paid for” and how it can be helpful to anyone who is discerning their vocation and purpose in life.
Dr. Touré: There are many ways that people can think about and discern decisions about entering ministry…or even the goals or purpose they want to pursue in life. At McCormick, we’ve been emphasizing four principles that can assist in that process – doing what you love, doing what you are good at, doing something the world needs, and doing what you can get paid for. That fourth principle is the one I’d like for us to focus on because I believe it’s often overlooked. I know you joined our McCormick community just a few months ago…were you familiar with those four principles before coming here?
Dr. Koepf: I hadn’t been exposed to discerning vocational call and purpose in those terms, but they reminded me of Richard Niebuhr’s work around the four aspects of call. He suggested that we are first called to be a Christian, then there’s the secret call…you sense within yourself a desire to serve the church. The providential call is when you recognize your gifts and finally, there’s the ecclesiastical call, that’s the church’s call…confirming your gifts and ministry. That ecclesiastical call is not just words spoken over you, but also actions taken for you by the church. Within the church’s affirmation and call to ministry, there is an expectation that they will provide fair compensation to its ministers. As part of our professional growth, we will want to be equipped to talk about financial concerns in ways that are theologically informed and motivated.
Dr. Touré: One of the challenges I’ve seen as I’ve shared the principle, doing what you can get paid for, is that many people have a limited list of places to go to find financial resources. Churches that have been established for years might have endowments or financially stable congregations. But what about emerging churches…or churches without those kinds of resources? What are their options?
Dr. Koepf: Everyone is learning how to resource ministries in new ways. Even the churches that had some reserves were impacted by the pandemic. No one can rest on their laurels…when we do so, we can lose our ability to know when it’s time to pivot…to move with the times. The past few years have opened pastors and congregations up to the possibility that they might have been defining ministry resourcing too narrowly. There are a lot of creativity and innovation happening because there’s a greater need to be entrepreneurial. Churches are asking, are there ways to put their facilities to greater use by sharing it with ministry partners and community organizations. Some churches are using their green spaces to grow, share and sell produce that brings new people into contact with their ministries while combating the scarcity within their communities for fresh, healthy food.
Co-vocational ministry models are allowing leaders to use their leadership, administrative, and counseling gifts and skills in other professions. Ministry is not just what pastors do within the walls of the church. There are many gifts that ministry leaders can bring to the world for which they can be paid. When we think broadly about what ministry can be…when we think broadly about what an individual feels called to do, we can expand the settings in which they can do that work, contribute to our world, and be compensated for their efforts. Religious leaders can be incredible resources to their communities in ways that don't only include church leadership.
No one, especially religious leaders, must feel as if having a vocation or interest outside the church is taking them away from the church. We live out our ministry in everything that we do. Whatever we do is for the glory of God.
Dr. Touré: I think it’s safe to say that over the past few years, we’ve experienced a shift in the ministerial landscape. You mentioned the trauma of a worldwide pandemic, and there’s also been an increase in political polarization within our country, and growing anxieties about global relationships. Churches have had to rethink everything. How do you envision McCormick’s Doctor of Ministry program helping its students address these new realities?
Dr. Koepf: There are two things we can depend on – constant change and the unchanging love of God. Along with the challenges you named – and there are many more – I see an increased interest in Doctor of Ministry degrees across theological schools. The DMin is an advanced professional degree that many faith leaders seek when they are looking for new and practical tools for offering ministry. In our current context, one of the best ways we can support religious leaders is to provide the kind of knowledge that will help them become leaders who can be nimble, able to shift with the times, and who can think creatively. We had no idea that the pandemic and other challenges were headed toward us nor how they would affect attendance patterns, a congregation’s financial resources and everything else. As we create communities of practice, I believe our graduates will be able to address the current shifts and be ready for a constantly changing world by adapting the processes and strategies they receive here to help themselves and their congregations to be prepared to meet future shifts that are sure to come our way.
Dr. Touré: What is McCormick’s distinctiveness? Why choose McCormick?
Dr. Koepf: In our DMin program, learning comes not only from the curriculum, but also from the community. It’s learning that takes place in a diverse context that includes students and instructors from many cultures, denominations, interests, experiences, passions, and parts of the world. That’s one of the things that makes McCormick distinctive and makes being here exciting.
Another major strength we’re building on is the work we are doing around problem- and project-based learning and around design thinking that is based on a student’s individual gifts and passion. These models are not teaching how to fix one thing that’s wrong right now. It’s knowledge that becomes a resource for whatever comes next. Leaders who have that ability…who have broadened their professional skills, knowledge, and experiences will have a role to play in a world that is increasingly diverse. Innovative leaders will add value to any congregation or vocation they choose. The curriculum, the community, and the formation model that we offer at McCormick is aimed at helping our students identify the intersection where what they love, what they are good at, what the world needs and what they can get paid for meets.
Dr. Itihari Touré
Dr. Laurel Koepf