Parsonage Living

Over the past few weeks, I have had several people ask me about the value of a parsonage for me and other clergy.  People have asked me if I would have preferred not being in a parsonage.  Wouldn't it be better to just have the money instead of living in a parsonage? Doesn't it feel like the church is also your landlord?

I have enjoyed living in a parsonage.  I have a house that I could not have afforded to live in.  I can enjoy several rooms that I can make into my own and still have the typical rooms within a house. I have enjoyed the many amenities that are available for me within the parsonage so that I can truly focus on being a pastor.  As in a personal home, there are still small things and big things that need to be addressed within the parsonage. Have no fear, I do clean the parsonage and also maintain a number of things; but when the gutters start to fall off, the drive way needs to be repaired, or windows need looking after, I know that I can call the church members to handle it.  In many regards, it becomes a caring for the caretaker.

As for having the money instead of living in the parsonage, I could have taken the money.  During the negotiating of a contract with a congregation or parish, a pastor can decide not to live in the parsonage thus allowing the congregation or parish to rent it out to some other tenants who are not the pastor and their family (if they have one).  However, this also ensures that the people care for the pastor.  Part of having a parsonage is to care for the pastor and help them take care of some of the maintenance of taking care of a home.  This allows the pastor to have more time with their family or do other work for the church which can make a healthier pastor.

Having a parsonage means that the pastor is able to live within the context of the people without having to search for a home.  Their focus can actually be to settle and get to work sooner rather than locate a home, set up all the amenities, and care for other things within a home. The pastor could also simply commute into the community by living in a neighboring town, but that also means that the pastor is not really part of the community or close to get to know others in the area.  Along with that, a pastor is able to focus more on the community rather than the home itself.  Within my current setting, I would probably live in Fargo and commute to the community of Kindred (only 25 minutes) for certain events and Sunday morning worship.  Reasoning is there is more for my age group to do and more people who are where I am at in life.

If the feeling becomes that the pastor or the family feels like the church is also their landlord, than perhaps a contract should be revisited if the pastor should live in the parsonage or the congregation should revisit why they have the parsonage for the pastor.  For in many regards, the parsonage is something that the government has allowed churches to have so that they can better care for the pastor that is serving them. The pastor is suppose to help the church, it's members, and the community as a whole to be a better place.  Now if any of things are out of line, perhaps it is important to revisit each area.  

Perhaps instead of "should we have a parsonage?" we should be asking, "why do we have a parsonage?"

I am reminded of the life of Jesus, he did not own a home but people would open their home to him.  He traveled from village to village, to cure the sick, cast out demons, teach about the Kingdom of God or share the Gospel.  Jesus stayed and lived with the people.  The parsonage, in many regards, is the congregation not opening up their home but having a home that they open up for the one whom they welcome.  They care for that home just as it was their own to care for the one who also takes care of them.  A pastor, priest or church leader is not meant to stay for a long time (yes it does happen) but they come and go to share the good news, give a new perspective and also remind the people to welcome a stranger, someone outside of their community into their own.