The Cheap Place has a great new patch for ministers in their New Patches section. It's a yellow-on-black, 4-inch rectangle named the Working For God Doesn't Pay Much patch. I know this doesn't apply to some of the mega-church leaders like Robert Schuller, John Hagee, and Joel Osteen, but it's a very appropriate for the tens of thousands of ministers who work in small churches across the country. For most of them, it's not about the money.
This patch is personal to me because, in addition to being a professional writer, I'm also a minister. Our church is one of those small congregations that doesn't have the financial resources to employ a full-time minister. But that's okay, because I'm not in it for the money either. My greatest reward for being a minister is to help people and see their lives changed for the better. The "retirement plan" I've been offered by God is a simply icing on the cake; albeit very good icing, indeed.
For all of you ministers in similar situations, this is a great patch to sew on your jacket or even to your fabric Bible cover. Keep it handy as a reminder of the reason you became a minister in the first place - especially on those days when the congregation is driving you crazy! Remember that God loves them even more than you do. Remember that helping them is your primary purpose - that should be reward enough.
