Congregational Salary
By Jan Gartner, Sean Griffin
Updated October 2024
On This Page

This page is your one-stop shop for information related to our Congregational Salary Program, including:
- Links to needed resources, as well as to the page with the recommended ranges ("the charts")
- Summary of Changes for '25 - '26
- Tips and Reminders
Separate Salary Information
- For Ministerial Intern salaries, see Guidelines for Ministerial Student Internships in the Internship Clearinghouse.
- A Summary of Changes from previous years (going back to 2017) is available on the Salary Recommendations: Historical Information page.
Resources
Unconscious Bias in Compensation
Please review this short video, Unconscious Bias in Compensation (YouTube, 8 minutes). Since this video was made, the lowest wage on our charts has increased to $32,100, or $15.43/hour; this is the Support Level minimum in Geo Index 1.
Before proceeding to Recommended Salary Ranges (below):
- Review our Salary Process Guidance.
- Find your congregation's Geo Index.
- Determine the best Size Profile.
- Discern the appropriate Job Level for each employee.
Key Documents
You will need these documents in order to make good use of our Recommended Salary Ranges:
- Salary Process Guidance (PDF): Includes values-based policies and practices along with instructions for use of our Recommended Salary Ranges.
- '25-'26 Geo Index Listing (PDF): The Geo Index for your congregation's location provides an adjustment to national pay norms based on local wages. (For Canadian congregations, see '25-'26 Canadian Geo Index Listing (PDF)). Geo Index Listings for '24-'25 are still available on the Recommended Salary Ranges page, referenced below.
- '25-'26 Congregational Size Profiles (PDF): Size categories (4) are based primarily on membership, with budget and staffing levels as supplemental information. This document is updated for '25-'26. Congregational Size Profiles for '24-'25 are still available on the Recommended Salary Ranges page, referenced below.
- Job Level Rubric (PDF) : The job level of each employee is based on job characteristics.
Now that you've reviewed the Key Documents, it's time to go to the Recommended Salary Ranges page.
Recommended Salary Ranges
For your convenience, the Recommended Salary Ranges page also contains links to the four Key Documents above, as well as the Recommended Salary Ranges by geo index for 2025-2026 and 2024-2025.
Summary of Changes for 2025-2026
A few things to note about changes for the 2025-2026 program year:
- Recommended salary ranges have increased 2.5% for Minister/Executive I, II and Director levels and 3% for Manager, Specialist and Support tiers across all Geo Indices and congregational sizes and are in keeping with nonprofit salary structure trends. In adjusting salaries, keep in mind the Ruler Method, as described in our Salary Process Guidance (PDF)
- For congregations where a Geo Index has increased, we encourage leaders to approach the change with patience and grace, recognizing that it may take more than one budget cycle to fully adjust to a higher Geo Index.
Tips and Reminders
Process is Primary! Compensation is about more than numbers. Your compensation policies and practices are a way of living your values. Our Salary Process Guidance (PDF) includes a list of suggested policies and practices to help you ground your compensation decisions in equity, transparency, and economic justice.
Local Information: For many positions, understanding local wage norms is important. Additionally, although all Recommended Salary Ranges meet the federal minimum wage, it is possible that some do not comply with all state and local wage laws. Please be aware of minimum wage law in your area, as well as the living wage.
Cost of Living: The average third-quarter Consumer Price Index (CPI-U) increase from 2023 to 2024 was 2.6%. As you budget for staff salaries in the year ahead, consider that a 2.6% wage increase is needed to roughly maintain a typical employee's purchasing power.
Ministerial Salaries: For ministers, the salaries on the charts are inclusive of Salary AND Housing.
Need Help?
We are here to help, as are your regional Compensation Consultants.
In early 2023, we presented a series of webinars about our then-new Congregational Salary Program. You may find the resources below helpful in understanding our approach: