St Luke's Church Eccleshill - Articles from "The Link"

What's the Vicar's job worth?

If you read the papers, watch TV or listen to the news on radio you can’t have missed the pensions crisis which is hitting Britain. It’s hitting the Church of England too, and we’ve all been asked to say what we think about clergy conditions of service, pay and pensions.

Have your say: fill in a questionnaire from the back of church so our Deanery Synod Representatives will know what you think.

Stipend or Salary? St Paul was happy to support himself in his missions, and to work (at tentmaking) when he had no money. When churches gave him money he could give himself full-time to preaching the gospel and planting churches. Is that the way we should pay vicars nowadays - a maintenance allowance that allows them to live?

On the other hand, St Paul said he was entitled to be paid (1 Cor 9). So should a vicar have a job descriptions and a salary as pay for the job? And should bishops get paid more (for extra responsibility) or not?

Catching up? Since 1985 the cost of living has risen 94%, and average earnings have risen 170%. Clergy pay has gone up 149%. So the clergy have gained 28% on prices but lost 8% on other professions. So should they have a 4.3% pay rise to catch up slightly?

How to decide their pay? But you may be wondering - what is the right level of pay for the clergy’s job? That’s a good question!

The “Stipends Review Group” have made a suggestion. “A job with similar responsibilities is head teacher of a large primary school. So let’s start with the head’s salary, knock off 20% because the clergy are supposed to be living sacrificially, then knock off the cost of housing them, and let’s make that their salary.” This works out at Ł20000, which is an 18% pay-rise, and it would cost Ł43 million extra (including the effect on pensions). So what do you think of that, then?

Work till they drop? Actually, that’s what used to happen, and clergy were advised to get onto the council housing list because they’d be homeless if they retired. But now they have pensions, and that’s the biggest problem.

The full clergy pension is 2/3 of the salary, after 37 years. There’s a pension fund. But (like all other pension funds) if the clergy live longer, the fund will go bust unless it is topped up more.

That’s why a lot of companies have closed their final-salary schemes. Should the church do this too? It would guard parishes against big liabilities in the future.

Our Deanery Synod representatives would like your views - so please tell us. You can also e-mail us your views by sending a message to vicar@stluke-eccleshill.org.uk.

John Hartley

	*St Luke's Church, Eccleshill - The Link* magazine** The Link is published monthly at 40p (Senior Citizens 35p), and we deliver free within the parish and post copies (at the reader's expense) to those who request it. Please contact us if you would like a free copy for a trial period. April 2002, Page 2.
Home Page. Index of articles. Money: index, Test me, Why money, Why I tithe, Off the top, Clergy pay, Pay for roof. In this issue: (April 2002) Vicar's Letter, Clergy pay, 1 Peter, Question.	What's the Vicar's job worth? If you read the papers, watch TV or listen to the news on radio you can’t have missed the pensions crisis which is hitting Britain. It’s hitting the Church of England too, and we’ve all been asked to say what we think about clergy conditions of service, pay and pensions. Have your say: fill in a questionnaire from the back of church so our Deanery Synod Representatives will know what you think. Stipend or Salary? St Paul was happy to support himself in his missions, and to work (at tentmaking) when he had no money. When churches gave him money he could give himself full-time to preaching the gospel and planting churches. Is that the way we should pay vicars nowadays - a maintenance allowance that allows them to live? On the other hand, St Paul said he was entitled to be paid (1 Cor 9). So should a vicar have a job descriptions and a salary as pay for the job? And should bishops get paid more (for extra responsibility) or not? Catching up? Since 1985 the cost of living has risen 94%, and average earnings have risen 170%. Clergy pay has gone up 149%. So the clergy have gained 28% on prices but lost 8% on other professions. So should they have a 4.3% pay rise to catch up slightly? How to decide their pay? But you may be wondering - what is the right level of pay for the clergy’s job? That’s a good question! The “Stipends Review Group” have made a suggestion. “A job with similar responsibilities is head teacher of a large primary school. So let’s start with the head’s salary, knock off 20% because the clergy are supposed to be living sacrificially, then knock off the cost of housing them, and let’s make that their salary.” This works out at Ł20000, which is an 18% pay-rise, and it would cost Ł43 million extra (including the effect on pensions). So what do you think of that, then? Work till they drop? Actually, that’s what used to happen, and clergy were advised to get onto the council housing list because they’d be homeless if they retired. But now they have pensions, and that’s the biggest problem. The full clergy pension is 2/3 of the salary, after 37 years. There’s a pension fund. But (like all other pension funds) if the clergy live longer, the fund will go bust unless it is topped up more. That’s why a lot of companies have closed their final-salary schemes. Should the church do this too? It would guard parishes against big liabilities in the future. Our Deanery Synod representatives would like your views - so please tell us. You can also e-mail us your views by sending a message to vicar@stluke-eccleshill.org.uk. John Hartley
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