Should churches pay their pastor a salary?

from the old testament

• God commanded that those who minister spiritually should be supported materially.The Levites received no land inheritance for God was their portion. Instead, they were supported by the tithes and offerings of Israel (Numbers 18:20–24).
• Offerings, firstfruits, and portions of sacrifices were given so that priests and Levites could devote themselves fully to ministry rather than secular labor (Deuteronomy 18:1–5).
• Spiritual labor is real labor deserving provision. Nehemiah rebuked the people when the Levites had to abandon their ministry to work fields for income because the people neglected their giving (Nehemiah 13:10–11).

from the new testament

• The Bible specifically states that pastors should be paid a salary. First Corinthians 9:13-14 says, "Do you not know that those who are employed in the temple service get their food from the temple, and those who serve at the altar share in the sacrificial offerings? In the same way, the Lord commanded that those who proclaim the gospel should get their living by the gospel."
• The confusion as to whether a pastor should be paid a salary may arise from the ministries of Jesus and Paul. Jesus didn't request money from those He taught and healed. Instead, He slept where He could (Matthew 8:20) and accepted whatever food people offered (Matthew 9:10; Mark 14:3).
• Paul explains that he took no money for his personal expenses from the church in Corinth (2 Corinthians 11:7, 9). However, this was not presented as an ideal since Paul wrote that he “"robbed other churches by accepting support from them." Paul didn't literally "rob" the churches in Philippi, Colossae, and Thessalonica, but he did live off their donations when he ministered in Corinth. In other words, because Corinthians didn’t provide for Paul, other churches had to; other churches took over the responsibility the Corinthians should have managed.

implications for today

A somewhat common belief in modern days is that if salvation is by grace, ministry should be free. After all, some reason, the pastor only works two hours a week.

But this is a matter of what a church wants and needs in a pastor. If they want someone who is available for counseling, directing volunteers, immediate emergencies, and shepherding, that is a full-time job, and it is stealing to pay less than a full-time salary. If a church cannot afford a full-time salary, they may need to find a pastor who is flexible enough to take a second job. Everyone involved, however, will have to approach the situation with grace, realizing that a part-time pastor cannot accomplish as much or be as involved as a full-time minister.

But even if a church merely wants pulpit-supply—a pastor who only preaches on Sunday and does nothing else—you still get what you pay for. Education costs, as does taking the time to write solid, applicable sermons. This also applies to Christian education and ministries. Sometimes resources can be found free online. Sometimes a church is fortunate enough to have an educated teacher who can lead a class. But when anyone works in ministry as a vocation, compensating for their time and allowing them to provide for their families is only fair.