Complete 2012 Journal - 2012 NC Conference Journal

Section iV: Legislation and Reports 205
Stewardship Team
Equitable Compensation, Commission on
The Book of Discipline mandates that “there shall be in each annual conference a commission
on equitable compensation” ( 625), whose purpose is “to support full-time clergy serving as
pastors in the charges of the annual conference” (625.2). Three broad areas of responsibility
are outlined in 625.2, which are: “(a) recommending conference standards for pastoral
support; (b) administering funds to be used in base compensation supplementation; and (c)
providing counsel and advisory material on pastoral support to district superintendents and
committees on pastor-parish relations.”
The Commission seeks equity and fairness for both pastors and local churches. Why should
this commission be so concerned about equity and fairness? Our prayerful consideration of
scriptural and historical foundations are found in the following:
a. Jesus says, “the laborer deserves to be paid,” (Luke 10:7) and Paul reminds us “Let the
elders who rule well be considered worthy of compensation, especially those who labor
in preaching and teaching; for the scripture says, “‘You shall not muzzle an ox while it
is treading out the grain,’” (1 Timothy 5:17,18).
b. Wesley was concerned that clergy have responsibility not to be “in debt so as
to embarrass you in your work” (330.18), which implies that the Church has
a responsibility that it neither lead its clergy into positions of embarrassing
indebtedness, nor leave them there.
c. The Great Commission to “go into all the world preaching, teaching and baptizing”
brings with it a cost. Systems of clergy support which foster the use of the right pastor
in the right place, hold up the hope of seeing the Great Commission bear its promised
fruit.
d. The Commission on Equitable Compensation embraces the Great Commandment
to “love our neighbors as we love ourselves” by desiring for each pastor what our
members’ desire for themselves – compensation adequate to free persons for the work
of pastoral ministry.
Through our prayers, working and considering together as both laity and clergy from across
The N.C. Annual Conference, we make the following recommendations. We believe these
recommendations will help us move toward fairness for both local churches and pastors as
together we support ordained ministry in The N.C. Annual Conference.
The Commission on Equitable Compensation’s mandate and mission is to ensure justice and
fairness in salaries of active full-time pastors of our local congregations. While, for many
years, we have been recommending a single minimum salary for all full-time pastors serving,
we have found that many congregations look at the “minimum salary recommendation”
as “the amount we have to pay the pastor.” Clarification of “minimum compensation” may
benefit the mission and ministry of the local congregations.
The definition of “minimum” is not the ceiling, or maximum, amount of “the pastor’s salary;”
rather, it is the floor, or minimum, of what a full-time pastor is to be paid. No full-time pastor
may be paid less than the minimum compensation. We recommend that each congregation