Should ordained pastors/ministers opt out of self employment taxes (i.e. Social Security and Medicare taxes)?

No.

Unless you meet extremely rare requirements.

None of which include the following:

• Social Security benefits won’t be available when I retire
• It’s poor stewardship of God’s money
• I can do a better job investing than the government
• It’s not the governments job to take care of people
• Extra cash in the pocket!

In order to opt out you agree to:

I certify that I am conscientiously opposed to, or because of my religious principles I am opposed to, the acceptance (for services I perform as a minister, member of a religious order not under a vow of poverty, or a Christian Science practitioner) of any public insurance that makes payments in the event of death, disability, old age, or retirement; or that makes payments toward the cost of, or provides services for, medical care. (Public insurance includes insurance systems established by the Social Security Act.)
~IRS Form 4361

That statement is extremely wordy. So let me simplify it for you.

I am conscientiously opposed to the acceptance of any public insurance that makes payments in the event of death, disability, old, age or retirement.

The key here is if you have a conscious/religious objection to receiving public insurance (e.g. Social Security, Medicare).

Most arguments I’ve heard for opting out argue against the Social Security system. It’s not the governments job. Won’t be available when I retire. I can do a better job investing for retirement . . .

Those are all invalid arguments.

Remember, the form is asking if you have an objection to receiving public insurance. It is not asking what you think about public insurance as a whole.

Should you opt out? One question to ask yourself.

It all boiled down to this question for me.

Assume you’ve paid into the Social Security system for 50 years. Would you be okay receiving retirement benefits from the government (or any of the benefits from the other public insurance programs)?

If you answer yes to this question you have no religious or conscious reason to ethically sign the form and opt out.

“Even if I have to pay the taxes, I can never file for the benefits, since my theology will never allow me to accept them.”
~Memo #10 – Can Ministers Opt Out of Social Security?

Final Advice

The decision to opt out of social security should not be taken lightly.
~Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability

Read Form 4361. Don’t blindly accept the advice of others. Know what you are signing and saying yes to.

I highly recommend reading this article from Russell Moore for a very well argued and biblical response to whether ordained ministers/pastors should opt out.

Be sure whatever your decision, you can stand before Jesus with a clear conscious and a pure heart.

I think a great prayer in this situation is:

Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.
~Psalm 51:10 (NIV)

A pure heart. One that is not tempted by money. A steadfast spirit. One that strives to live according to God’s moral and ethical standards.

Sources and Additional Resources

• Is it Okay for Me to Opt Out of Social Security? My Response (highly recommended)
• Memo #10 – Can Ministers Opt Out of Social Security? (read section titled A “Catch” Often Overlooked)
• Ministers Opting out of Social Security (read bottom section after “Basis for filing for an exemption…”)
• On Opting out of the Social Security System
• Opting out of Social Security

I’d love to hear your reasons for either opting out or not. Please let me know in the comments!

For two years I have met for hundreds of hours on committees. I have never written a poem about it. It is deadening to my soul. I am a thinker. A writer. A preacher. A poet and songwriter. At least these are the avenues of love and service where my heart flourishes. . . .
~John Piper

While the post itself is a great reminder about the fruit of perseverance, it was this section that resonated the most with me.

…these are the avenues of love and service where my heart flourishes…

Some things deaden your soul. Others bring your soul to life.

What are the avenues of love and service that make your heart flourish?

Take a few minutes to ponder that question for yourself.

Here is what I am . . .

I am a researcher

A running joke in college was I wouldn’t buy anything without doing research first. My friends used to say: “You wouldn’t buy a pen without researching first.” To some extent that is true. I’ve spent time researching the best pen for pen spinning before. ;)

I love to research; finding the right tool for the job, the best product for the money.

But it’s more than just tangible products or tools. It’s knowledge as well.

Talk to any expert in a specific field and you’ll learn details and intricacies you never knew existed.

Buying a tennis racquet is more than just choosing one that looks cool.

Several factors come into play. Oversize or midplus? Standard length or longer? Head heavy or head light? Stiffer or more flexible frame? Open or dense string pattern?

I flourish seeking knowledge that leads to expertise in a given topic.

If I’m going to be _____, you better believe I’m trying to be the best _____ there is.

I am an executor

No, I don’t administer the death penalty to people.

My heart/soul is probably most alive when I’m able to execute to the best of my abilities (and knowledge).

Some people are great at delegating tasks and managing people. I am not.

Give me a task/area of responsibility and it will be done better than anyone else. Period.

It goes hand-in-hand with me being a researcher. I research in order to execute.

Nothing gives me more joy than walking away from a project proud of the work I’ve done.

Proud knowing I just didn’t get the job done, but it was done well, efficiently and “the right way,” utilizing best practices.

I am a teacher

While I love to research and execute, it brings me great satisfaction when I can consolidate my research and summarize my experience into a digestible, useful blog post.

It’s no surprise that my three most viewed blog posts are the ones I’ve shared from my research and experience.

It makes me smile when I can teach others one blog post at a time.

:)

I’m curious. What makes your heart flourish?

Hit me up in the comments the answer to “I am a __________.”