Most Christians today accept without any question the idea that pastors should receive an annual salary from their local church. However, they may be surprised to learn that there is no Scriptural or historical evidence that the elders who pastored the local churches in the first century were given a full-time salary to meet all their financial needs and family obligations. The elders were not full-time Christian workers; they were simply elder brothers in the local church who had a responsibility to shepherd the flock, but still earned their living by working in a trade or profession like any other brother in the church. Unfortunately, many pastors in our day will not even consider shepherding a church if their expected total compensation package is not "adequate." This reveals a hireling or mercenary mentality rather than a true shepherd's heart for God's flock.
