How to Live on a Minister's Salary

I RUN the union; my wife runs us!" a highly capable union treasurer remarked of the practical solution to their separate areas of financial responsibility. Because the minister husband is preoccupied with the finances of the church, it often becomes the responsibility of the wife to manage the money at home. And if she is not the head of the exchequer, she should at least be a competent partner in the financial management of the home.

Sometime or another most ministers' fami­lies will come to grips with the fact that their income, by worldly standards, is not commen­surate with the standard of living they must maintain to properly represent their profes­sion. This does not mean that we are under­paid or that the General Conference wage scale is unfair. Far from it! We may not have all we desire, but we have all we need, and we are well rewarded with extras such as enjoy­able trips to various meetings with expenses paid, medical assistance, et cetera.

However, it is generally true that a man of comparable executive position or a similar pas­toral assignment in another denomination, whose appearance and mode of living come under like public scrutiny, will draw a con­siderably larger salary than does the Adventist minister. This is not a criticism but merely a realistic look at things as they are, and it means that we families in the ministry must live and spend judiciously, that we must exercise the utmost faithfulness in stewardship, knowing that we "are accountable to God for every dol­lar that . . . [we] expend." (Testimonies, vol. 3, p. 401). It means that we shouldn't try to copy and keep up with the extravagant spend­ing of our worldly neighbors or prosperous members of the church who have higher in­comes. We have no money to squander. Ours is the privileged obligation to set the pace of liberality and sacrificial giving before our peo­ple. Therefore it is all the more necessary that we refrain from frivolous spending and selfish indulgence in the use of our money. As fami­lies we need to learn the joy of thrift and the satisfaction that comes from the sensible han­dling of monetary affairs.

All we possess is the Lord's, and we are account­able to Him for the use we make of it. In the use of every penny, it will be seen whether we love God supremely and our neighbor as ourselves.—Christ's Object Lessons, p. 351.

The following are a few practical sugges­tions that have been found to be tried-and­proved aids to sound family economy:

It Takes Time to Spend Money Wisely

So what if you spend the better part of a half day each month chewing on the end of a pencil, erasing and figuring on the detachable portion of the paycheck. A careful analysis at the beginning of the month will save you dol­lars. That may be the highest paying half day of your month!. "Water faucet" spending is fa­tal to family economy. By that we mean just turning on the money, taking the dollars out of your purse on a first-come first-served basis for the needs of the family. You are sure to find yourself a week from the next check with no money in pocket and pressing essentials still uncared for. Wise spending begins with a thorough study of the total needs and bills pending before the check is ever cashed. By the time your half day is as well worn as your pencil, you will already have begun to sort out the things you can do without, the items that can wait. When the check is cashed, the money in hand, and you stand on the merchandiser's tempting ground, your defense against careless purchases is well on the way to being secured.

The selection of purchases also requires time. Whether buying a home, an appliance, or some clothing accessory, it is seldom safe to

buy the first goods you inspect. On major items, compare at least three or more price sources before you decide where you will get the most value for your money. Don't be in a hurry. You may buy in haste and repent at leisure.

Shun Spur-of-the-Moment Spending

"Going shopping" in the popular terminol­ogy of "lunch out on the town," or just looking for something to buy, is a pastime the minis­ter's wife can ill afford. Her spending is not an entertainment but an art she has skillfully de­veloped. When she goes shopping it should be in search of specific items. Before setting out she has determined the quality she must have and the price limit she will pay. With this her shopping takes on guidelines. It sometimes is quite a task to equate value with cost; it re­quires concentration. Certainly it is not a reckless gala in which a cute little dress for her daughter or a new hat on a moment's catch of the eye causes her to succumb to spending—inexpensive items, perhaps, but enough to make the difference between suf­ficient and insufficient funds for the basic es­sentials during the month. A few moments of browsing in an air-conditioned dime store while waiting for her husband can soon lead to an unwary parting with three or four dollars for "stuff" that likely could be done without and not upset the family happiness. The point is, spur-of-the-moment spending disregards completely the necessary in favor of the super­ficial and excessive. The wise spender is con­cerned with needs and essentials.

Waste not your pennies and your shillings in purchasing unnecessary things. You may think these little sums do not amount to much, but these many littles will prove a great whole. . . . The amount daily spent in needless things, with the thought, "It is only a nickel," "It is only a dime," seems very little; but multiply these littles by the days of the year, and as the years go by, the array of figures will seem almost incredible.—The Adventist Home, pp. 383, 384.

Keep a List

Keeping a list is not only a time saver but a good memory aid. Our list usually contains three categories: (1) Items that are a must this month; shoes for Joe, eye examination for Sue. (2) Items we want if there is enough money; new garden hose, a new book. (3) Long-range items we will begin now to re­serve for; new suit when the season sale begins. There are two reasons for keeping such lists. First, when planning the monthly spending a list helps give priority to the most urgent needs of the family and eliminates what is secondary.

Second, giving attention to a complete list, simply glancing at the length of it, helps to prevent spending too much for any one item.

Live by a Budget—But Keep It Flexible

There are as many variations of budgeting as there are families, but a few basic principles are common to all. At the top of the list always are the tithe and offerings. Then sharing equal importance are housing, utilities, gasoline and car repair, food and household expense, school tuition and books (for families with school-age youngsters), and the savings account. These are necessities.

Some contend that it is impossible for them to save anything from their income. Regardless of how small the sum, saving is as fundamental a part of stewardship as is giving.

To a Family That Should Save Systematically.—You might today have had a capital of means to use in case of emergency and to aid the cause of God, if you had economized as you should. Every week a portion of your wages should be reserved and in no case touched unless suffering actual want, or to render back to the Giver in offerings to God. —Ibid., pp. 395, 396.

Practicing the savings habit offers only gain. Your money grows while you never turn a hand to make it do so. Not only is that 41/₄ per cent interest the easiest source of income you'll ever have, but by saving to pay cash for your purchases you avoid paying from 12 to 18 per­cent interest on a revolving charge or install­ment plan. Clearly it is a question of whether one chooses to master his own money and let it pay him or be enslaved to paying exorbitant interest to someone else.

Plan and Stick to It!

The above-mentioned necessities should not consume the entire income. If they do, some trimming is in order. The remainder of the in­come should be left flexible to meet needs that do not occur every month. Perhaps one month most of it will need to be spent on medical bills. Another month clothing may consume this miscellaneous fund. 'Washing machine re­pair, entrance fees for school, a restful vaca­tion, a special contribution to a church cam­paign—all find their place here. This is where the long-range list is needful. By looking months ahead, all these things can be met with­out a crisis. The purpose of a budget is to give you peace of mind and direction in spending, not to regiment your dollars so severely that money matters are a source of frustration. Planning is the key; and once you have planned, stick to it! When a real emergency arises, then it is time to turn to the savings account.

Avoid Installment Buying

Some may say that the money does not stretch over all the categories mentioned. Per­haps some are strapped down with installment buying. Installment payments were not in­cluded in the above budget because the wise handling of money does not include habitual installment buying. Th's method of purchasing may sometimes become necessary, but it should be kept to a minimum, for it is a financial quicksand that many couples in the ministry have entered; and without the strictest self-control they are doomed to failure. The better rule is, If we cannot pay cash, then we do without.

Abstracting and using money for any purpose, before it is earned, is a snare. . . . Be determined never to incur another debt. Deny yourself a thou­sand things rather than run in debt. This has been the curse of your life, getting into debt. Avoid it as you would the smallpox.—Ibid., pp. 392, 393.

There may be other reasons why the money does not stretch far enough. Overemphasis in any one area can ruin the whole plan. While it is true that the operation and maintenance of a car is a chief expense in the ministry, the pastor who outlines his work in advance can conserve his mileage. Rather than go across the district to make only one call, he sometimes takes a lunch and makes many calls, and sees to other business errands as he goes. In the interest of economy we may need to drive an old-model car, or at least deny ourselves some of the extra equipment on a new one. It may be that we should run the air conditioner less, eat out less often, seek inexpensive family recrea­tion, forego a few personal luxuries. It is pos­sible that we need to use more careful economy in meal planning.

Economize by Doing Things Yourself

Take inventory occasionally of the services being paid for that you might do or learn to do for yourself. Some women are excellent seamstresses. Others have learned to style and care for their own hair in a near professional manner. Fortunate is the minister who has some mechanical ability and even more for­tunate his family! Assuredly, he can save the budget many dollars in repair labor bills. A few easily learned routines can save measurably the family cleaning bills. When simple illness strikes, the practical home care we have been directed to use through inspiration may save excessive medical bills. When a physician's knowledge is needed he should be sought im­mediately, but there are people whose frequent trips to the doctor's office produce a flood of bills as regularly as does the telephone com­pany. And therein lies another dollar snare. Many calls, if planned for two days earlier, could be handled by a five-cent stamp as easily as by a two-dollar telephone bill.

Be Careful Not to Desire Too Much Too Soon

It seems to be in vogue that very young workers should maintain a home with all the furnishings comparable to older families who have had more time to accumulate belongings. This is a monstrous fallacy! In the rush to achieve status some are becoming hopelessly shackled with indebtedness.

Should we live miserly, shabbily? Should our homes and dress bring embarrassment to our congregation? Of course not. But there is a sound, appropriate, modest course to take, and that is the policy of living in a manner we can rightfully afford, of living within our income.

Leash Your Money to Your Will Power

It is a strange but sober fact that one who lacks the self-control to manage his money can seldom bring himself to manage his time wisely either. If we make the prudent spending of money a family matter, we will not only keep bankruptcy from our door but also ennoble our character and that of our children.

We Live On Sacred Money

This plain fact brings into focus a wholly different perspective in the selection of each dress, chair, bill of groceries, or plaything. Peo­ple will either assume that the Lord's coffers are plenteous enough to be carelessly wasted or as they observe the things we buy and the man­ner in which we spend our money they will see an example of dedicated stewardship.

Be Content to Live Within Your Husband's Income

Don't encourage your husband to run a used-car lot, sell cabin sites on a lake, or press him into a dozen and three other ventures on the side with which he has absolutely no busi­ness occupying his time or thought. When he was ordained to the gospel ministry he was wel­comed into and charged with a life not de­signed to make him a wealthy man in this world. But it is in your hands, dear wife, to help him become rich in the goods of the Spirit, for your industry and thrift can pro­vide an atmosphere of calm security and emo­tional well-being in the home.