In this political season, it's impossible to get away from reports of the latest opinion survey or political poll. One candidate is up, another is down, and so it goes. In the absence of any meaningful discussion of issues and qualifications, the media turn political races into horseraces, with progress measured in polling data.
Of course, politics is only one area where polls are prevalent. No matter what the social issue, there's a survey out there measuring what Aunt Gertrude and I have to say about it. Now religion is one of the hottest topics for the poll-meisters, with folks like George Gallup and George Barna (are all pollsters named George?) gathering and publishing reams of data about church-hoppers ("What really bauses a Baptist to become an Episcopalian?" -- besides the happy hour, of course), about attitudes toward doctrine and practice ("Which theory of the atonement best reflects your attitudes at this moment, madam?"), and so on.
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I'll admit that, up to now, I've been a junkie for all those religion survey results. I read all the Barna books, I subscribe to Gallup's religion research newsletter, but this time they've gone too far.
According to a recent Gallup Religion Poll, a substantial percentage of Americans believe preachers should be paid small salaries. In fact, 37 percent believe that ministers should be paid less than $30,000 annually. (The actual average salary is $21,940; with housing allowance and other benefits it works out to $37,260, according to the May 1992 issue of Gallup's PRRC Emerging Trends.) In the same survey, more than 60 percent of the respondents thought that other professionals (like physicians and lawyers) should earn more than $40,000. (I suspect there were a lot more lawyers and doctors surveyed than preachers. Just a hunch.)
I've dealt with enough deacons in my day to understand that some folks begrudge every penny the parson receives. Paul may have believed that "the laborer is worthy of his hire," but he never served on the Finance Committee.
Now those folks have statistical data to show there are more of them out there. What if they get together and form a political action committee ... start picketing denominational conventions ... get elected to the Budget Task Force at our churches? The implications are frightening.
There was just one good bit of news in the survey. It seems that more than half (51%) of the teenagers surveyed consider the clergy to be among the most underpaid professions.
It's good to know that we're finally seeing some positive results from all that investment in youth ministry.