Agenda Volume 2 - Methodist Conference

35. Larger than Circuit
●●
fall almost entirely upon the
relevant circuit and district;
in some districts there are
other presbyters who are
undertaking some of the
Chair’s duties, as deputy or
assistant Chairs, whilst being
appointed primarily to a circuit.
The stipend attributable to the
district role does not appear
here but is referred to in
paragraph 66 below.
We might include in these core
figures:
District Chairs’ stipends
Costs related to district manses [no account
is here being taken of the loss of any revenue
on capital tied up in the manses]
Cost of staff funded by the district (ie not
Chair, DDE, TO)
Methodist Church
Fund
£1,050,000
District £205,000
District £1,125,000
Accommodation and travel expenses for
Methodist
£65,000
District Chairs in relation to Chairs’ Meetings,
CLF, Conference
Church Fund
Administration and travel costs for district District £625,000
61. There is one important comment to
be made at this point. Sometimes
the throw-away line is heard that we
could save £x on the connexional
and district budgets if we had no, or
a reduced number of, District Chairs.
Even in financial terms this is not so
simple. We are talking about a group
of presbyters in Full Connexion,
hence in the covenant relationship
with the Conference which imports
a responsibility on the Conference’s
part for their continued support, not
least their stipend and housing. For
the connexion as a whole, therefore,
there would only be the marginal cost
of the District Chairs’ extra allowance
over, say, that of the Superintendent.
62. But looked at in much more
meaningful terms, the main body
of this report points out the wide
range of responsibilities which lie
on District Chairs. These are not, in
the main, ‘optional extras’. A group
of gifted and experienced people
would continue to be needed to deal
with many of the difficult corporate
and personal issues that arise and
to offer connexional leadership in
many different ways. Or, to put it
another way, without them what
would be the risk of increased
connexional costs in dealing at
a later stage with the aftermath
of such situations? There may, of
course, be a balance to be struck
about how many of them should be
382
Conference Agenda 2013