Call it the stimulus package from God.

Manhattans Riverside Church - one of the countrys most illustrious religious institutions - is paying its new senior pastor, the Rev. Brad Braxton, more than $600,000 in annual compensation.

Thats twice what Braxtons predecessor, James Forbes, one of the countrys best-known preachers, was getting after running Riverside for more than 18 years.

It amounts to almost 10 times what William Sloane Coffin, the legendary anti-Vietnam War clergyman, was paid in his last year as senior minister at Riverside in 1987.

Braxton was selected in a vote of the congregation last fall and is to be officially installed Sunday.

A group of church dissidents claims the members were never told about the lavish package.

Church sources say it includes:
# $250,000 in salary.
# $11,500 monthly housing allowance.
# Private school tuition for his child.
# A full-time maid.
# Entertainment, travel and professional development allowances.
# Pension and life insurance benefits.
# An equity allowance for Braxton to save up to buy a home.

On top of that, Braxton immediately hired a new second in command at more than $300,000 a year.

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Do you think its acceptable for a Reverend to make that kind of money in a recession?