Agenda Volume 3 - Methodist Conference

59. Memorials to the Conference
M12 Additional responsibility allowances
The Synod of the Methodist Church in
Scotland (M: Present: 32. Voting: 16
for, 8 against; R: Present: 83. Voting:
58 for, 7 against), noting the work of
the Connexional Allowances Committee
reported to the Methodist Council in March
2012, believes that there is no theological
justification for responsibility allowances
for some ministers and asks for their
abolition across the Connexion.
Reply
The Conference thanks the Scotland Synod
for expressing their concern in respect of
allowances for additional responsibilities.
The Connexional Allowances Committee
(CAC) report, which can be found
elsewhere in the Conference Agenda,
recommends that further work be done
with a view to bringing proposals to the
Conference of 2013 on these and related
matters. The CAC will take into account
these and other views expressed as it
undertakes its work in the coming year.
The reply to the memorial is therefore
contained in the resolutions of the
Conference.
M13 Assessments
The Salisbury (26/23) Circuit Meeting
(Present: 45. Voting: unanimous) in
acknowledging the current economic
climate, regrets the substantial increase in
connexional assessments for the coming
year and requests the Conference to
instruct the Methodist Council to review
costs with a view to producing savings
which might then be passed back to
Circuits.
Reply
The Conference thanks the Salisbury
Circuit for its engagement with the
connexional assessment. The Connexional
Central Services Budget reflects a number
of difficult decisions regarding cost
savings. Both the Methodist Council and
its Strategy and Resources Committee
spent considerable time debating these
in the context of the current economic
climate. For this reason, they agreed that
a more radical review is required of the
services provided centrally and the costs
of doing so.
The Connexional Central Services Budget
report, which can be found elsewhere
in the Conference Agenda, includes a
commitment for this work to be undertaken
by the Methodist Council, and hence the
memorial is accepted.
M14 Budgeting and assessments
The Lancashire District Synod (R) (Present:
124. Voting: unanimous) thanks those who
have worked hard to produce the budget
for the Methodist Church Fund (MCF).
Aware of the difficulties being faced by so
many in the present state of the economy,
the Lancashire District Synod therefore
requests that the Conference directs those
who are producing the budget for future
years:
a) to create an MCF budget in future
years which takes as a starting
point the 2012/2013 budget and
Conference Agenda 2012 777