It seems the previous pastor was a paragon of virtue. He lived up to all the people's expectations and was willing to live on a very low salary, to boot. And he loved to work around the manse and keep both house and grounds in repair.

But the new pastor wasn't that type. He hired someone to do a lot of these chores, including the mowing of the manse and church lawns. Naturally, this cost more money.

This change of pattern was of concern to some of the elders of the church. One day one of them approached the new pastor and tried to bring up the matter tactfully. He said to the new pastor, "You know, our previous pastor mowed the lawn himself. Have you considered this approach?"

The new pastor responded, "Yes, I'm aware of this. And I asked him. But he doesn't want to do it anymore."