There’s a popular myth circulating among some Western churches: The American church can support national church planters for $25 per month (or $50) to spread the gospel across Africa.
In our commercially driven culture, we’re drawn to this myth because it masquerades as spiritual wisdom—wise stewardship of God’s “limited” resources.
While basic living costs in Africa are often lower than in the West, it’s a fallacy to think an African ministry partner, missionary or church planter can live and minister effectively on such meager amounts.
Churches and international ministries (NGO’s) must provide reasonable salaries for their employees. We must abandon the idea of paying our brothers a few dollars a month just to survive. Much suffering occurs under the guise of ministry where Western support meets African realities.
One Zambian religious charity produces a monthly “Basic Needs Basket” assessment for rural and city life. Consider what $25 buys for a rural Zambian family.1
In rural Zambia, nonfood items for an average family cost $26.65 per month—excluding children’s school fees or transportation. This assumes complete food self-sufficiency, which rarely holds. The report notes rural Zambians average 1,300 calories daily—barely half what’s needed for health.
We must ditch the mentality that starvation wages free African workers to proclaim Christ’s gospel. Africans are increasingly mobile, and pay scales continent-wide are rising. Africa is no longer just villages; it’s rapidly urbanizing into towns and cities.2
As urbanization accelerates, city living costs are dramatically increasing. Though locals live cheaper than expatriates, we fool ourselves thinking gospel workers can sustain families on $25 monthly in urban Africa.
No African family survives on such scales in cities. In Lusaka, Zambia’s capital, basic food for a family of six costs $203 monthly. Nonfood items—including medium-density housing and utilities—add $438.80. This excludes healthcare, education, or transport.3
We saw similar flawed reasoning in the early U.S. Christian school movement. Teachers accepted substandard pay in the name of “ministry,” and we honor their sacrifice. Yet we must reject the philosophy that undergirded it.
This Western mindset must change, starting with pay structures. If African brothers join ministry payrolls, pay them fairly relative to their nation’s economy.
How can we raise top-tier African leaders on wages equivalent to substandard existence? (I don’t believe that direct Western support to Africa’s pastors and church planters is helpful. More on Western support models in a future post.) For now: If Western churches or organizations hire African laborers, heed changing economic realities. Pay scales should mirror local averages for similar work—not topping the scale, but not scraping the bottom.
Suggestions for Fair Structures:
- For urban ministries, provide adequate housing to cut costs; otherwise, salary must cover local averages.
- Base wages on current economics, using data from local NGOs or government sources.
- Consult trusted national leaders and other organizations for reasonable scales.
Ultimately, African Christian workers shouldn’t expect top pay in their field. But they deserve enough for a reasonable life—free to focus on ministry, not tonight’s meal.
Zambia Hunt 
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