Massachusetts Conference Edition

Return to main page
Read National Edition
Subscribe to printed version - free!
Read the UC News Spotlight E-Newsletter

Guidelines for clergy pay increased over 2%

April, 2004

The Commission on Leadership Development is recommending a 2.1% increase in the 2005 Salary Compensation Guidelines for full-time pastors, associates and assistants, both settled and interim, in the Massachusetts Conference of the United Church of Christ. The recommendation will be voted on at the June Annual Meeting, and will apply to 2005.

John F. Hudson, commission member and Senior Pastor of West Concord Union Church, UCC, said the recommended increase takes into account inflation and cost of living increases granted to other groups in the U.S., including social security recipients and retirees.

Also included in the guidelines is the recommendation that clergy work schedules and compensation packages balance the needs of the church with the needs of the pastor, for example, ensuring that ministers have a balance of time spent in the church’s ministry and time spent with family and friends.

Recommended cash salaries, housing

If adopted, the new salary guidelines will range from $26,426 for a pastor with no experience serving a church with membership up to 150, to $72,407 for a pastor with more than 10 years serving a church with 1,000 or more members. These figures are cash salary only and do not include housing, benefits, or reimbursement for travel or continuing education costs.

Review compensation package yearly

This year’s proposed guidelines also include a strong recommendation that each local church review all aspects of its clergy salary and benefits package on a yearly basis. For the first time, the guidelines also include a salary grid comparison chart, showing the wide range of pay now received by the Conference’s ordained clergy.

The specifics of the new guidelines will be included in the advance materials sent to all Annual Meeting Delegates. The current 2004 guidelines can be found on the Leadership Development Resource page of the Web site.

“ Like most people, clergy work in their profession both because they love their jobs and they want to support both themselves and their families financially,” said Hudson. “The guidelines attempt to give churches a benchmark with which to judge just how they are doing in terms of taking good care of the clergy who serve them.”

Hudson also said the Conference can provide local churches with specific (though anonymous) information about the compensation packages offered by other MACUCC churches of comparable size. Those statistics can be requested through the office of Susan Dickerman, Associate Conference Minister for Leadership Development, at dickermans@macucc.org.

Be creative in rewarding pastors

Hudson added that in challenging financial times, churches can also be creative in how they reward their pastors for jobs well done. “For example, churches can give more paid time off, or put aside money for sabbaticals or in reimbursable accounts, such as for health care expenses.”

If your church’s governing board, leadership or search committee has specific questions or concerns about clergy compensation, Hudson can be contacted at: revjfhudson@aol.com, or by calling (978)369-6309.