Asking for a raise soon? If you’re a staff member at a church, there may come a time when you wonder, how do I ask for a raise? For some reason, asking for a raise when you work for a church or nonprofit can bring up all kinds of uncomfortable feelings, ultimately leaving team members feeling isolated.
Most executive pastors realize that you need and want to be well remunerated for your work at the church, but how do you go about asking for a raise? What kind of approach should you take? Is there a better time for asking for a raise than another? How should you approach what could be a potentially sensitive subject?
Your Guide to Asking for a Raise
1. You need a raise.
You’re at the point where you’re seeing a gap between the amount of compensation and the amount you need to live, and your current salary isn’t cutting it. You’re wondering if the time to ask is now.
Before we move on with this conversation, remember that it’s just money. You need to step back from the anxiety you may be feeling about asking for a raise and try to be as objective as possible. Sounding stressed out or too powered up at the beginning of this conversation will only make it more difficult for both you and your executive pastor.
2. Your church doesn’t have unlimited resources.
In fact, there are limited resources at your church. During the budgeting process, your executive pastor and leadership team aren’t scheming up ways to squeeze maximum effort out of you for minimum remuneration. The truth is there are many factors they are considering as they figure out how much to pay you for the work you do. Leadership has to balance out the financial needs of various people, departments, building expenses and all the other things it takes to run a church.
Another element to consider is that once you engage in this conversation, your executive pastor will be thinking not only about you but also about others on the team who earn a similar salary. Your leaders understand that if they make a significant change in your salary, they’re going to need to make changes across the board. Your salary is part of a group of salaries at the church—a point worth acknowledging as you begin this conversation.
