Why does the Church pay seminary and institute teachers?

Question

 

Hi gramps,

I was curious about why the Church pays seminary and institute teachers (at least in Utah, I know they don’t pay every single one) and was thinking if that was paid ministry? Because our church condemns that…I don’t have doubts at all; I was just wondering why.  Thanks!

Dillon

 

Answer

 

Dillon,

One of the distinctive features of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is that most local Church leaders and teachers serve without receiving a salary.

Bishops, stake presidents, elders quorum presidents, Relief Society presidents, Sunday School teachers, and many others volunteer their time while maintaining their regular jobs and family responsibilities. They serve because they have been called to do so, not because it is their occupation.

This practice reflects an important principle: Church service should be motivated by love for God and our neighbors rather than the desire to earn money or gain personal advantages.

In the Book of Mormon, King Benjamin taught that when we serve our fellow beings, we are serving God (Mosiah 2:17). That principle helps explain why so many Church members willingly accept callings without expecting financial compensation.

However, saying that the Church has an unpaid clergy does not mean that the Church never employs anyone to perform religious or educational work.

That is where seminary and institute teachers come into the picture.

Seminaries and Institutes of Religion are part of the Church Educational System, commonly called CES. Their purpose is to help young people and young adults strengthen their faith in Jesus Christ, study the scriptures, and prepare for lives of discipleship.

According to the Church, Seminaries and Institutes of Religion employ some men and women as full-time and part-time religious educators. At the same time, called teachers also help provide this religious education.

In other words, the Church uses both volunteer service and professional employment to accomplish its educational mission.

Some seminary classes are taught by individuals called to serve in their stakes. These teachers generally do not receive a salary for their teaching service, although certain approved expenses may be reimbursed.

Other teachers are employed by the Church Educational System. These individuals may teach as their full-time occupation or work in part-time teaching positions.

Why the difference?

Think about the amount of work involved in teaching seminary or institute as a career. A professional educator may teach several classes, prepare lessons, study the scriptures and Church curriculum, evaluate student progress, attend training meetings, and fulfill other employment responsibilities.

That work can require substantial time, preparation, education, and professional skill. A full-time teacher may spend much of the working week doing these things.

The Church needs qualified educators who can devote their professional time to the program. Paying them allows them to make religious education their occupation rather than requiring them to support themselves through an unrelated job while performing those duties.

The Church also provides information about qualifications and employment opportunities for professional seminary and institute teachers:

Teaching Opportunities and Careers with Seminaries and Institutes

But isn’t that paid ministry? This is probably the heart of the question.

At first glance, paying someone to teach religion might seem to contradict the idea that the Church does not have a paid ministry. But the distinction is between paying someone to serve in a Church leadership calling and employing someone to do a professional job.

For example, a bishop does not receive a regular salary for serving as bishop of his ward. He is called to that position and continues to manage his other personal and professional responsibilities.

A full-time seminary teacher, on the other hand, is employed as a religious educator. Teaching is that person’s job, with the associated responsibilities and expectations of employment.

Both individuals may be deeply committed to the gospel. Both may spend considerable time serving others. Both may see their work as a way to serve the Lord. Yet their roles within the Church are different.

The same principle applies to other Church employees. The Church employs people in areas such as education, administration, information technology, building maintenance, and other necessary operations. Paying an employee for professional work does not automatically make that person part of the paid clergy.

It is also worth remembering that the Church’s teaching about unpaid clergy does not mean that every person whose work involves religion must work without compensation. Rather, the Church’s local congregations rely heavily on members who serve in volunteer callings.

The scriptures offer helpful principles to consider.

In Doctrine and Covenants 42:71–73, the Lord gives instructions concerning those who labor in the Church and how their needs are to be provided for. These verses provide historical scriptural context for understanding how the Church has approached supporting those performing certain responsibilities.

We also find a related principle in the New Testament. In 1 Timothy 5:18, Paul writes that “the labourer is worthy of his reward.” Although this verse is not a specific policy about seminary teachers, it illustrates that receiving compensation for legitimate work is not automatically contrary to serving God.

The important question is not simply whether someone receives money. It is what the person is paid to do and the responsibilities that come with that position. A person who accepts a calling because they love the Lord is serving in a different capacity from someone hired to perform a professional job. Both can have sincere motives, and both can contribute to the work of the Lord.

Of course, receiving a paycheck does not automatically make someone’s service selfless or spiritually motivated. Just as unpaid service can be performed for the wrong reasons, paid employment can be performed with genuine dedication and a desire to bless others.

You might also wonder why some teachers in Utah are paid while others throughout the Church are not. The distinction is not simply that Utah teachers deserve payment while teachers elsewhere do not. The Church uses different staffing arrangements according to the needs of its educational programs.

Some teachers are called through local Church leadership to teach classes in their stakes. Others are hired as part-time or full-time employees of Seminaries and Institutes of Religion.

The availability of employed teaching positions depends on the program and its staffing needs. The fact that someone teaches a seminary class does not necessarily mean that person is a Church employee.

The Church’s General Handbook, section 15, explains how seminary and institute programs are organized, including the role of called teachers and the Church Educational System.

These arrangements allow the Church to provide religious education to young people while using volunteer service where appropriate and professional employment where needed.

So, is it against LDS doctrine to pay seminary teachers? No. Paying seminary and institute teachers is not, in itself, contrary to LDS doctrine or Church policy.

The Church maintains an unpaid clergy at the local congregational level while also employing people to perform professional work, including religious education. The distinction is important. The Church does not require every person who teaches the gospel to do so as a volunteer. Instead, it relies on a combination of unpaid callings and paid employment to accomplish its purposes.

And really, that makes sense when you think about it. A volunteer who teaches a Sunday School class for an hour each week has different responsibilities from someone whose entire working week is devoted to religious education. Both can be doing worthwhile work. Both can help people develop faith in Jesus Christ. And both can serve with the right spirit.

Ultimately, the Lord is concerned not only with what we do but also with the intentions of our hearts. Whether someone serves through a calling or through employment, the opportunity remains to teach the gospel, strengthen others, and help build the kingdom of God.

So the next time you hear about a seminary teacher receiving a salary, remember that this does not mean the Church has abandoned its practice of unpaid local clergy. It means the Church has chosen to employ qualified educators to help carry out an important part of its mission.

There is a difference between being paid to perform a professional job and expecting payment simply because you hold a Church calling. Understanding that distinction helps explain why the Church can value volunteer service while also paying some of its religious educators.

 

Gramps