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It's hardly a secret that organized religion can be a very lucrative business model, but the sky high compensation package offered to the new senior minister of Riverside Church—which has a long history of advocating social justice—has some congregants raising hell. The Daily News's Juan Gonzalez reports that a group of dissident church members filed suit in Manhattan Supreme Court last week to stop Saturday's installation of Rev. Brad Braxton, who's been hired with a $600,000 annual compensation package.
That number includes $250,000 in salary, an $11,500 monthly housing allowance, private school tuition for his child, a full-time maid, entertainment, travel and "professional development" allowances, pension and life insurance benefits, and an equity allowance for Braxton to save up to buy a home. Zounds, we're really in the wrong racket. But yesterday Manhattan Supreme Court Judge Lewis Bart Stone refused to stop the installation, adjourning the case until after a special May 3rd meeting between church leaders and congregants.
The plaintiffs maintain that only a tiny group in the leadership had details of the contract when they all voted on Braxton. Virl Andrick, a 25-year member of the church's budget and planning commission, tells the News, "If the members of the church had known what his total compensation was when we voted, we wouldn't have chosen him." And another plaintiff, a member of choir, wants to know, "Where's the social justice in this? We have an economic crisis in the country, and none of the church staff are getting raises this year, but a few people at the top are getting these huge salaries?" But doesn't everyone else get a really great reward in Heaven?
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wow, Can I work for God?
Beware of false prophets/profits
I'm surprised they're bringing a lawsuit. This is pretty common in the church world. Successful church equals high pay with plenty of perks. Not that I don't think it's wrong, but then, I pretty much see all organized religion as an evil scam.
Can we please discuss what truly important here: That fly ass robe
do they also get tax benefits? as in non taxable income and whatever tax free benefits the Church gets.
"$250,000 in salary, an $11,500 monthly housing allowance...and an equity allowance for Braxton to save up to buy a home."
Let's see, he has $11,500 to spend a month on housing, and brings in ~$15,000 a month (after taxes), and he still can't save to buy a house?
Federal tax laws allow religious institutions to provide full-time clergy with housing ("parsonage") and it's not subject to income tax (although it is still subject to Social Security and Medicare taxes). They can either provide actual housing or a cash allowance that the clergyperson can spend on housing.
The $11,500 is probably not a cash allowance, but the fair rental value of housing the church provides him. The "equity allowance" would presumably be designed to put him in the same position economically (ignoring taxes) as if instead of living in church-provided housing, he bought a place and built equity in it with that $11,500/mo. I'm not an accountant, but it's probably separate from the salary because it is still considered "parsonage" and therefore not included in his taxable income.
If the $11,500 is in fact a cash allowance, however, then I don't know why they'd throw in an equity bonus as well, since he could take that $11,500 and buy a place instead of renting.
All of that said, the total package does seem awfully high. But the church will probably spend more money fighting the lawsuit than they would save by paying this guy less. What the "dissident" church members should do is reform the process by which these decisions are made so it doesn't come as a surprise to anyone next time.
What happen to that whole vow of poverty thing or is that only for the gullible Catholics.
Be not too hasty to trust or admire the teachers of morality they discourse like angels, but they live like men.
samuel johnson - rasselas
"But doesn't everyone else get a really great reward in Heaven?"
You mean the same kind of reward of 40 virgins for suicide bombers?
My o my but that brother has a big package.
God pays well
Does God offer a competitive 401(k) with matching program because that's what I'm looking for.
Look at it this way, this church is a business, same as IBM and Walmart. It owns a 22 story church building, that doesn't pay real estate taxes, thousands of members, and probably hundreds of employees. It's big business. If it were a private company, the package offered might be in-line with it's need to recruit a CEO. Normally salary and benefits for a clergyman would reflect the congregation's ability to have the candidate live as well as most of the membership. This means a salary and the perks. If they're hiring someone who can raise a lot of money, increase membership, and manage the help as well, then he may be worth it. I'm not making excuses, but the good Rev will probably have his hands full.
I love this quote:
The profession of shaman has many advantages. It offers high status with a safe livelihood free of work in the dreary, sweaty sense. In most societies it offers legal privileges and immunities not granted to other men. But it is hard to see how a man who has been given a mandate from on High to spread tidings of joy to all mankind can be seriously interested in taking up a collection to pay his salary; it causes one to suspect that the shaman is on the moral level of any other con man. But it is a lovely work if you can stomach it.---Robert Heinlein
Hey, I can't find any information on the net, Does anyone have the HR rep for God? I just updated my resume. I am a good catholic and I don't molest children.
Sorry, Catholic clergy are probably the least well paid of God's agents. That no sex thing is a downer, too.
ohhhhhhh rejected again. I want to work for God, he is generous employer.
I'll work for cheap if i have guaranteed retirement in Heaven.
Hot robes, really. Catholics just aren't sufficiently smart about living large like fringe Protestant churches do.
As long as people keep falling for this woo-woo, they kinda have no reason to complain. After all, isn't it a matter of faith?