Stop having board discussions devoid of facts and full of opinions!
Get hard hard data from an impartial expert.

A useful salary study takes time and is complex. Because of this, many turn to Fletch for help. Salaries and benefits are 54.7% of church budgets. This area deserves your best attention.

  • Church Boards often want an outside expert to give impartial advice.
  • SPs, XPs and HR Directors see that it saves money and time for a recognized leader like Fletch to do the research.
  • Highly compensated employees require an independent study—the IRS defines this as base salaries above $150,000.

There are three levels of reports that begin at $500 and are completed in 10-14 days:

Small Study—1 to 4 key staff with a 12-16 page report
Medium Study—5-19 staff with a 17-30 page report
Large Study—20+ staff with a 31+ page report

All Compensation Studies are carefully crafted by Fletch.

Contact Jesse Spradley to have a Zoom call to discuss your needs.

Fletch’s work is based on his book, Smart Money for Church Salaries, that was thoroughly reviewed by four Certified Public Accountants of the Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability.

The compensation discussion was succinct, data based, and meaningful. The best part is that we quickly gained agreement and left the meeting confident that we had made the right decision. In the past, compensation discussions were often lengthy, filled with opinions rather than data, and not characterized by confidence.
—Elder, Presbyterian Church in the Southwest

Insider Track

Fletch’s Compensation Studies utilize his insider track, which provides extra data for key positions. He also brings in hard to find salary information for special cases. No confidential information is ever shared but you gain access to even more data.

Church-centric Compensation Studies

XPastor has a unique Compensation Study format that gives maximum data with high readability. Fletch was an XP in large churches for decades. He knows how church leaders think, what kind of information they want to see, and how to present cogent information to a church board.

In your custom report, discover 6 essential elements

  1. Local Schools—See comparable salaries from your local schools. Fletch developed this style and it gives insightful data from locally negotiated salaries.
  2. Local Costs—How much does it cost to live for a family of two adults, one working, with two kids?
  3. National Databases—Have assurance from reliable church salary databases. The Forecaster gives deep insight into billions of dollars of church budgets.
  4. Graphic Results—See the findings in bell charts and normal distribution tables.
  5. 50 Similar Salaries—Compare actual salaries. Virtually no one else gives this!
  6. Salary Grid—Receive a Quad Compensation Grid for all staff in the study.

Your board is now ready for a vibrant and data-driven discussion.

Some churches need more than a study, they require a Compensation Analysis. This provides:

  • The above 6 aspects of an XPastor study.
  • A top to bottom look at pastoral, managerial and non-exempt salaries and church issues.
  • It defines and documents who is a pastor or commissioned ministry director, who can opt out of Social Security, and FICA & SECA issues.
  • It examines ministerial issues, including extremely beneficial but less known rules and regulations.
  • All staff salaries are examined.
  • Fletch reviews job descriptions for ministerial compliance and the church constitution for process issues.
  • Recent budgets are used to understand the percent of salary and benefits to budget.
  • A Big Burrito is created of total compensation for each staff member.
  • Recommendations are given on salary and salary-related issues.

Contact Fletch if you desire a complete examination of your salary structure and rationale in an 80-100+ page report on salient issues.

Graphic Results

See your results in easy to read formats. Standard Deviation Tables show a tabulated result of 50 points of data from similar churches. Your numbers will differ from this sample church due to your location, size, budget and pay scales.

Bell Charts visualize the range of salaries for key staff. The blue line is the salary of the selected staff member.

Salary Grid

Receive a Quad Compensation Grid for all staff in the study. This is the apex of what you need. It provides the basis for the next 3 years of possible raises. The Quads are ready for your board to have a vibrant discussion that is based on solid research.

Get Started with a Church-centric Approach

Contact Fletch for a Zoom call to determine your needs

Get your custom crafted report.

Discover the 6 essential elements for your church compensation.

  • Prices start at $500.

  • Most reports are completed in 10-14 days.

  • Save time and money by using an expert to help your church!

Comments on Fletch’s work

Breadth of Information

I appreciate the breadth of information and know it will be used. It was a delight to work with you and I expect my replacement will continue working with you in the future.

Vickie Bray, Director of Human Resources, Stonebriar Church

Integrity Quotient

A third-party compensation study increases the integrity quotient of your church, so that people don’t think the staff are setting their own salaries.

Keith Duff, Executive Pastor, Village Bible Church

Confidence in Decisions

The compensation discussion was succinct, data based, and meaningful. The best part is that we quickly gained agreement and left the meeting confident that we had made the right decision. In the past, compensation discussions were often lengthy, filled with opinions rather than data, and not characterized by confidence.

Elder, Presbyterian Church in the Southwest

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