How to actually make a living as a pastor: 7 real examples

Here are seven real life ways for a Pastor or Ministry Leader to bolster their income while maintaining focus on the church.

Here is a list of some ways a Pastor or ministry leader can make enough money, passively or semi-passively, to allow them to remain focused on their specific ministry. 

1. Write a book or e-book 
2. Start a blog
3. Get paid for Speaking Engagements
4. Start an Online Store
5. Try Affiliate Marketing 
6. Get Paid for Church gigs (wedding/funerals)
7. Counseling as a part-time job

The last thing a church leader should be concerned with is their personal wealth. However, in the world we live and serve in, the mortgage needs to be paid and your children still need clothes. The intent of this article is not to chase a “love of money”, but to allow the pastor or ministry leader to “forget the money” and focus more on the church.

This is a general overview and idea sparking, type post. In-depth how-to guides will be coming soon.

Writing a book or e-books

I heard a rumor along the way about pastors… Apparently, “there are quite a few papers due in seminary!” 

All kidding aside, it is nearly impossible to pass seminary and not be able to functionally and efficiently write long-form content based on a specific topic. To complete an M-Div (Master’s of Divinity) or D-Min (Doctorate in Ministry), a thesis will need to be researched, written, and then defended. This is the groundwork for your first book. With some editing, and re-writing for easier understanding, and a bit of formatting for the self-publishing; you have just become an author. 

It costs nothing out of pocket to publish a book or e-book nowadays. In the case of Amazon, you do both at the same time. Amazon allows for the simultaneous publishing of e-book and (POD) print on demand hard copies through their system called Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP). You can also record your own audiobook version and sell it right alongside the ebook and hard copies, directly through Amazon’s (ACX) program. 

While the book based on an obscure thesis topic might not hit the bestseller list, it costs you nothing to produce except for some time. The primary income from this book will probably not come from royalties of book sales, but from the connections and credibility associated with being a published author. The power of opening doors should now be overlooked for some of the next options on this list. Being the author of a book instantly establishes credibility and authority over the subject. 

Start a blog for yourself 

Similar in concept to the previous idea of becoming a “proper” author, a blog can generate substantial income very passively. The nice thing about blogging is that it is completely time-independent. A post that was written at 2 pm and 2 am is displayed on the reader’s computer the same way. With the fluidity afforded by blogging you are able to compound your efforts. For example, if you have a men’s retreat coming up while planning out the content for the retreat you can rabbit trail down all the little paths that a weekend in the woods will not allow.

How many times has the “flow” been stifled because you remembered that a sermon can’t be four hours long? I suggest you chase that rabbit down the trail and then just chronical the journey. Most congregations aren’t interested in long and obscure genealogy series or historical facts of the day, but your readers will be. If you write for your readers and put a little work behind it, your readers will find you. 

For every person who comes to your blog, you have the potential to make money. Most websites try to monetize solely through the little adds placed throughout the site. While those are small amounts of ad revenue are great, being able to increase your value to your readers in turn drastically increases their value to you. A motivated and engaged follower will readily follow your HIGH-QUALITY link or suggestion or even buy your own self-published book or info product. While the pennies from ads do add up, the dollars from your hard-earned credibility will tally much quicker. 

Get paid for Speaking Engagements

It is not a groundbreaking idea for a pastor to get paid to speak, this is their job. One often-overlooked option for pastors and ministry leaders is to speak OUTSIDE the church. This can be done in many different areas, such as:

• Graduation speeches
• Commencement Ceremonies 
• Conferences 
• Company or Industry Events 

These are just a few of the events and places that will pay for speakers to just talk. Often the topics can be open to the speaker’s discretion, as the event planners will do everything within their power to avoid holes in the schedule. Some events will even offer an affiliate link for the speakers to pass along. These affiliate links can generate a few dollars per ticket, up to a few hundred depending on the speaking engagement.

Along with the direct income from speaking, this also brings the added benefit of an audience’s fresh ears. While the topic may be on “How to manage workplace stress”, a pastor or ministry leader can refer back to scripture instead of some guru or random man for content. An entire speaking career, as well as a potentially awesome outreach ministry, could be designed around simply applying Proverbs to business. 

Especially now that you are a published author those speaking fees can increase 😉

Start an Online store

Start an online or drop-shipping store. This is one of the most overlooked and often looked down upon options for those in church service. When run properly, an online store can have little to no interaction needed from you throughout the week, while maintaining a healthy income. There are a few different platforms out there that allow you to host a shop, auto-populate items, and have them drop-shipped directly to your customers. This all happens without the customer even knowing you didn’t stamp and seal the package yourself. (Have you ever ordered an item and it showed up 2-3 weeks later from China? That was dropshipping.) The nice thing about most online stores now is that the owner is not responsible to buy and hold huge amounts of product, so the risk to you is very minimal. Shopify and Woocommerce are two of the most popular resources in the industry. There are pros and cons to each of these and we can make more dedicated posts on these if there is community interest for you guys.

As a ministry professional you have the corner on the market of what the different versions of what is needed. This insight allows you to target colleagues and others serving in ministry with high-quality items that will increase their efficiency, productivity, or quality of life. If your store catered to the church administrator with different office essentials, as well as the Pastorate with various books or needed items, you are just eliminating a step for them to go out and find these items themselves. 

For example, let’s assume you were a college athlete. You know exactly what a high school or college athlete needs. You can target your store to the niche and provide them with a one-stop-shop for all their needs. 

The best thing about this is you can easily run multiple shops/websites across all of your personal interests, with no detriment to your daily routine. Dedicate a few hours a week to tending to “your income garden” and you can harvest a bounty. 

Try Affiliate Marketing

While the sound of affiliate marketing seems like cold-calling people to sell vacuums, it is far from it. Many well-known companies have affiliate programs such as; Amazon, eBay, and Best Buy… the list is truly endless. These companies will pay you essentially a finder’s or referral fee for driving traffic to them. While some programs will only pay a small amount, others will pay 30% or more of the total purchases to the affiliate. While this may sound too good to be true, think about the last review you read online… was there a link to amazon? If so, and you clicked on it, 4-8% of your total Amazon purchases within the next 20 hours went to the affiliate… for just posting a link.

This method of passive income does take some upfront effort, but that is why it is still an option. If you can get your link in front of people, you can make money. All of the previous income methods discussed can include affiliate marketing, or be used purely as an advertisement for your affiliate marketing.

** These last two topics can be seen as controversial. The key to this not being a conflict of interest is to be open and transparent with your church. DO NOT ever charge your church for something that is already your job. However, a sister church or those outside the church are welcome to pay for your expertise and skills. 

Church gigs (Life events such as weddings, funerals, dedications…)

A pastor performing a wedding or speaking at a funeral are staples of pastoral interaction with the general public. These actions are traditional for the unchurched, as well.  Without knowing why they want one, most worldly weddings take place under some variant of Clergy. If the couple doesn’t attend a church, how do they go about finding a pastor? With an afternoon or two of driving, you can drop off postcards, or business cards at all the local “spots”. The “spots” I would suggest to start with are all of the local flower shops, wedding venues, and cemeteries. 

While this may seem uncomfortable to do, it has multiple benefits. First, you can be paid for your time and effort during the performance of your duties. Second, this is a chance to share the Gospel. While many pastors steer away from anything too hard-hitting during these various “life events”, I will always personally be grateful for my pastor giving a 15-minute mini-sermon during my wedding ceremony. Third, this is a chance to speak to those in need, in a time of need. There are few times in life when people are more willing to talk about salvation or eternity, than at a funeral. You can truly speak to those people who would have never stepped into your church about Jesus. 

*Even if you decide to not collect any money for this service. I think it is an awesomely opportunity for many to perform impactful outreach. Imagine returning the young couples small wedding check and instead inviting them to church, what a powerful option that could be. 

Counseling

As with the previous option, please do not charge your congregation for counseling services. However there are others who aren’t part of your flock, that could use counsel. I see counseling as having two parts or levels. The first is a professional accredited counselor. Someone who has undertaken either a degree or formal certification course. The second and vastly more common level is that of the caring pastoral figure providing caring counsel. While no formal counseling accreditation is required, this approach should not be considered any less important. 

Professional:

If along your journey to the pulpit you have earned a degree or certificate in counseling, you have a few options. These can be approved in a full-time or part-time. The time available to you will in some cases dictate the type and depth of professional counseling work you can undertake. This is probably the most stable of the high paying options, depending upon where you land. Here are some ways to use what you have learned.

1. Working as a counselor for a company. 
2. Working as a counselor for the city/state.
3. Working for the country.
4. Working for Law Enforcement or Emergency Services
5. Teaching counseling

1. Working as a counselor for a company can take on many different facets. Often psychologists, medical facilities, or non-profits will employ counselors. These counselors will oversee employee management, handle conflict resolution, or even formal counseling sessions. While you might not have a formal office with a couch of your very own, you may take on a per-diem role to assist HR with various needs.

2. Working as a counselor for the city/state can be very rewarding. Most states have mental health programs that are completely undersupported and understaffed. This takes the utopian idea of mental health and inevitably turns it into a nightmare for many of the patients involved. You would be able to assist with or lead sessions with the absolute most in-need populations around you. 

This is also a great chance to begin a pension with a state or local government; something most churches can’t offer. 

3. Working for the country is not for everyone. The United States Military has chaplains in every branch. You can sign up and serve as a reserve officer. The limited-time commitment would not take away from your primary efforts in your local church. This is also a good way to establish a pension and benefits with the US Military. This would also allow for a great amount of outreach as a counselor for the younger generation serving the country. *Be aware of the need to be able to cater to the wishes of those with opposing faiths. 

4. Working for Law Enforcement or Emergency Services as a chaplain is along the same line as a military chaplain. Often counselors are available, if not mandated, for Emergency First Responders after certain types of calls. This is a great opportunity to serve those that serve yours! Most of your congregation will live and work in the areas covered by these first responders. Helping these responders assures that your family and congregations have those in the best mental state responding to emergencies. Again this is a way for you to be involved with state or local pensions and benefits.

5. Teaching counseling is a great way to leverage the decades of study you have under your belt. Most colleges and universities in the United States only require a Bachelor’s Degree to be a sub or adjunct faculty. A Master’s or Doctorate would definitely suffice to teach part-time classes. Often a certification and some experience can replace educational requirements. Despite what you always heard growing up TEACHERS ARE PAID WELL!!!  (At least post-high school.)

Pastoral Care Counseling:

If you have no formal degree or certification, many potential jobs will not be able to accept you as an employee or even volunteer. Thankfully, no degree or certification is required for wise, caring, consideration and advise. Many people dislike the formality and the legality of seeking professional help. This opens the door for the “lay counselor” to talk with people in a non-medical setting, ensuring nothing lands on the person’s “permanent record”. This service would be spread primarily by word-of-mouth and would cover many of the aforementioned facets of the population, although catering to the private nature of a friendly chat, as opposed to a medical eval. 

In conclusion:

There are no right answers or clearly defined “best plans” for maintaining a consistent and quality secondary income. The hope of this post is to spark some thought and consideration of your daily lives and potential future income.

Consider how much time and energy a pastor or entire elder board could dedicate to the church is going to “work” 40+ hours a week wasn’t needed. This will also hopefully be a resource for any members of your congregation that may be looking to or are forced to make a career transition.