# What should we give/pay our pastor for a baptism?



## plumcreekfarm

Our pastor will be baptising my three youngest children on Sunday. I can't remember what we did for our older children. It was a different church 8 years ago. What is the traditional/usual thing to do? I remember giving the Catholic preist who married us $100. but now we are Luthern and I don't know if I should or am supposed to offer him something. Please help I want to do the right thing.


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## unregistered29228

Seems like we gave our pastor $50 in an envelope, with a thank you card. But it's been a few years...


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## DKWunlimited

WOW, I've never heard of such a thing. All 3 of my kidlets were Baptised in the Baptist church and after asking others at the church they just said they had never heard of it either.


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## Loriann1971

My Dad is a retired (as if ministers ever really retire) pastor and my BIL is a pastor and I have never heard of anyone ever giving them any money for a baptism or a baby dedication. Some people do give them money for a wedding or funeral, but they never expect it as they consider it part of their job. A wedding and funeral also take much more prep time than a baptism and they aren't part of a normal church service.

While both have accepted money for weddings and funerals, I just asked my dad and he said that he would not accept money for a baptism. He said he would feel funny taking money for carrying out the great commission.


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## ErinP

> He said he would feel funny taking money for carrying out the great commission.


That was my first thought as well! 
_Paying_ someone for helping bring others to Christ. Wow... 


plumcreek a simple thank-you is more than sufficient. Baptism is the very reason pastors do what they do!


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## TSYORK

Baptisms' are part of their pastoral duties. They receive a salary from the church/governing body, which is to compensate them for all their pastoral duties. This salary is paid by the parishoner's in the form of contributions/tithes. Some of these duties are: Conducting Worship services, Study/Preparing/Delivering Sermons, Baptism, Communion, Visitation, etc.

The two ordinances given to the church were Baptism and Communion. You wouldn't expect to see every member at church presenting the pastor with two dollars everytime he gave communion, neither should he be compensated for baptising. That's what he gets paid to do.


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## uyk7

Well, if they accept money for performing baptisms then they are getting their "reward" here on earth and won't receive one in heaven. IMO, they should feel blessed for performing a baptism, even if it cost them money out of their own pocket.


.


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## Madame

Ask the pastor what the norm is there.


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## Bonnie L

In the Catholic Church it's a thanks offering - a stipend - of $5 or $10. He doesn't keep it for himself. It goes to the Church. I've never heard of anyone giving a stipend if the baptism occurs during Mass. If it is at another time, that's up to the parents.


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## mammabooh

I've never heard of such a thing either. Like others said, weddings and funerals, but never for baptisms. I'd go so far as to say that any pastor who would accept money for it has no business being a pastor to begin with.


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## LamiPub

You don't need to give the Pastor any money for a baptism. Baptism is different than weddings and funerals in that they are not considered sacraments in the Lutheran church, whereas a baptism is considered a sacrament I believe and is usually part of the regular church service.


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## FiddleKat

DH and I converted two years ago to Baptist. So we were baptised, and we never heard of giving the pastor money either. And even if we tried, he would not have accepted it. As far as he was concerned, us being saved was payment enough!


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## mammabooh

Sorry if I sounded a bit snotty in my previous post. It's just that the thought of a pastor accepting money for a baptism made me cringe.


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## unregistered29228

The minister who married us gave us a price list for his services, the organist, a church cleaning fee, use of the "fancy room" for me to get dressed. 

At my husband's childhood church, we had our third child baptized. He didn't ask for money, but it's a small, struggling church, and he used actual water from the River Jordan on our son. We felt a gift was in order. 

Yes, baptisms are part of his job, but every minister I've ever known worked many hours doing home and hospital visits, counseling people, painting the church, working with the confirmation classes. Their salary and the parsonage make for a pretty tight budget.


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## marytx

In my church, it would be considered priestcraft to take money for such a thing (can you say excommunication?), but I'm not Lutheran.


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## whinnyninny

In my church, they do all that stuff completely for free. I'm rather surprised at the idea that a pastor would expect payment for such a thing? Weddings, maybe, but baptisms... ?


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## plumcreekfarm

Thanks for all the imput! Just wondering if any Lutherns out there had any suggestions for me. Since we are new to the church I want to get this right.


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## CookingPam777

I think you should not pay anything. A card even to me would be odd but certainly a nice thing to do. It's what pastors do. In my church we get baptized and that's it.


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## Sonshine

Maybe you could ask some of the people you know in the congregation. I'm not familiar with the Lutheran church. I know that many denominations don't pay anything, but all denominations are different, so it's best to ask someone there. Sorry I couldn't help.


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## Bruenor

Head down to the local Christian book store. Pick up a book or something that you think he'll like. Give it as a gift, not as payment.


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## bluesky

My children were baptized in the Lutheran church and I made a special offering but didn't pay anything to the pastor. A gift, such as suggested by Bruenor, would certainly be appropriate.


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## EDDIE BUCK

FiddleKat said:


> DH and I converted two years ago to Baptist. So we were baptised, and we never heard of giving the pastor money either. And even if we tried, he would not have accepted it. As far as he was concerned, us being saved was payment enough!


 LOL Sounds like mine.The whole community got paid when I went under.Seriously,I never heard of paying the preacher for baptising either,but he does get a Soul Winners Crown when he gets to Heaven.:bow: Eddie Buck


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## dale

As the pastor I dont accept money for weddingd or funerals i figure that those involved has enough money going out already. Even the use of our church ix free
I cant believe anyone would want paid for a baptism.

zome one said that the pastor gets a salary. maybe :viking:but not all I get an offering 
But if you ask the pastor for the pricce of his services

dale


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## Kevingr

We're Lutheran, and we don't pay extra for a Baptism. For Weddings there is a schedule of fees for the use of the Church to cover expenses, but not for the Pastor.


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## janandkenny

Lutheran here too. No, we don't pay anyone for baptism. If you feel led to give a gift to the church in honor of or something like that, go ahead, but I have never heard of any lutheran pastor expecting to be paid for a baptism.


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## Shygal

The Catholic Church does take money for baptisms, and in fact we were told it would be 50 dollar minimum "offering".


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## Kris in MI

Another Lutheran here, with four children baptised in church, from a long line of Lutherans. 

I have never heard of paying for a baptism. Like someone else mentioned, baptism is a sacrament. Like communion, it is something the minister administers without a fee.

Now, if you would like to give some sort of offering or monetary gift to the church for their debt relief fund, or missions, or something like that, I'm sure the minister would gladly accept it!


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## skwish-e

In my case, (having been to a Lutheran church only a couple of times) all I can think of is WWMLD? What Would Martin Luther Do?

He is, remember, the guy who vigorously opposed the selling of indulgences. It seems to me that he would be apalled to hear that priests were selling baptism, and I do believe that he would have seen it that way if there was a fee for the service. The giving of a gift in appreciation for the baptism is totally appropriate, but I don't think there should be an obligation.

Please understand that I amnot trying to stir up trouble, and I don't think that this is a huge issue. This is just my opinion on the matter. If there is a tradition of such in your church, you need to follow it, and from what I see here, there is a wide difference in how these things are handled. My advice to you is,... ask another member of your church who was baptized there, and then do what they did. They will be better prepared to tell you that someone else (even another Lutheran).


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## IMContrary

Priest don't sell baptisms. In fact, canon law forbids the selling of sacraments in no uncertain terms. The custom of giving the priest a gift goes back to the days when priests lived off of free will offerings like this. It isn't a requirement and many people don't do it, but it is a long standing custom.

1 Corinthians 9:13
Don't you know that those who work in the temple get their food from the temple, and those who serve at the altar share in what is offered on the altar?


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