I’m in the midst of a big overhaul/consolidation of Free Range Priest, Trexo, and Substack Seminary, but I wanted to keep up with ‘Ask Father Cathie’ - the first Wednesday of each month at noon Eastern.
This is usually just for paid subscribers, but in this time of transition I’m making it available for everyone.
Next ‘Ask Father Cathie’ is live July 1st at 3:30pm
if you’re ‘stuck’ in your ministry: Ask!
The question
Dear Fr. Cathie:
I’m a Cage Free chaplain, considering an offer from an organization to start in a chaplain role for a $2,500 YEARLY stipend.
How could I make it work and be reasonable for me, while also recognizing it could lead to greater opportunities?
Think ‘Cage Free’
Start with what the job actually is – specific tasks, scope, and outcomes.
Instead of: ‘will you be our chaplain for $2,500 a year?’, ask ‘what ministry can we do together for this stipend?’.
Task-based ministry vs. assumptions about what we do
Organizations and ministers often skip the part where we talk about what the job is!
Instead, we just ‘do what ministers do’ - which can lead to misunderstanding the frustration when both parties don’t have the same idea of what ministers do!
‘We’re not paying a priest to pray!’ – how this lead to a Cage Free Ministry breakthrough.
Ministers should NOT work for free!!
If you ‘don’t need the money’ and don’t ask to be paid, you undercut the ministers who do need to pay their bills.
Offering ministry for free teaches people that ministry is not work, and it’s not valuable.
Change starts with us, minister friends
Most congregations and organizations are not sure what to think about compensation - and have often been conditioned to believe that ministry is ‘spiritual’, therefore ministers don’t need to be paid.
Over-functioning - doing ‘everything’, all the time, and not being compensated appropriately leads to exhaustion, resentment, and eventual breakdown for both minister and community.
This is what Cage Free ministry is
Building a way of serving out of multiple clear, paid contracts: small congregations, organizations, chaplaincy, consulting.
That’s how I do it with the small congregation I serve (and have for the last decade), plus consultancy, teaching, speaking, and online ministry.
Advice for the Cage Free Chaplain
Be the consultant: help the organization see how this stipend can create specific ministry tasks now…
And show them how growth could lead to new opportunities to share God’s love, and draw others into community..
Your ministry is priceless. That’s exactly why you can’t afford to give it away.
Next ‘Ask Father Cathie’ is live July 1 at 3:30pm
if you’re ‘stuck’ in your ministry: Ask!
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