Delegates
to the 202nd Annual Meeting voted to increase Fellowship Dues by an
extra $3 in order to fund salary increases for the Massachusetts Conference
staff. The Dues for 2002 will be $12 per church member.
The Board of Directors had proposed increasing the Dues by an extra
$1 per year for each of the next three years. But the delegates instead
agreed with an amendment by Malcolm Bertram, the Interim Associate Conference
Minister for the Metropolitan Boston Area, to fund the increase in one
year.
“There
is a severe injustice being carried on in our Conference,” said Bertram,
who will retire this summer.
Bertram
explained that as a pastor for 40 years, he received a “fair and just
salary,” while in comparison, Conference executive staff are paid below
Conference guidelines and below what pastors at large Conference churches
are paid.
Currently,
pastors at Conference churches with 500 to 999 members receive an average
salary of $69,800, including housing and a social security allowance.
Associate Conference Ministers earn an average salary of $55,509, including
housing and a social security allowance that was rolled into the salary
in 1990.
All five Area Ministers were in favor of Bertram’s amendment, even though
only one will still be on staff if and when the salary increase goes
into effect. Three are interims, and one is leaving for another post.
Wayne Frigard, of the Board of Directors and First Congregational Church,
UCC, of Holliston, spoke against the amendment, saying the increase
should be spread out over three years.
“We are not unmindful of the inequities in salary,” Frigard said. “But
we are also mindful of the added burden on churches.”
Terry
Newberry, pastor of First Congregational Church, UCC, in Harwich, argued
that $12 per person for Dues is not much to ask, pointing out that he
had probably spent that much on coffee and soda during the Meeting.
“It seems this is a sensible thing for us to do. We in Harwich have
had a lot of help from the Conference staff. To have these folks inadequately
compensated invites our churches to do the same,” he said.
Those delegates who spoke said they were in favor of improving the compensation,
but some said they were concerned about how their churches would pay
for the increase.
Charles Funk, of Rollstone Congregational Church UCC in Fitchburg, said
he felt badly that Conference executives are paid at 80 percent of the
Conference clergy compensation guidelines.
However, he said, “my church has given above inflation to get from 50
percent of guidelines to 60 or 65 percent. We’ve taken all that our
congregation can give. Every $1 increase will represent that much less
of a merit raise for our pastor.”
Ginger Brasher-Cunningham, pastor of the North Community Church in Marshfield,
said her “heart and mind are divided.”
“Our staff definitely needs more money,” she said. “But my church can’t
make its budget.”
Jeff Johnson, pastor of First Congregational Church, UCC, in Milton,
pointed out that the United Church of Christ is one of the lowest mainline
denominations in per capita giving, and added it was unfair to “take
advantage of the dedication of the Conference staff.”
If all local churches pay Dues at the new rate for all their reported
members, the increase will allow Associate Conference Ministers to receive
salaries at a level equal to the average salary of senior pastors in
Conference churches with 500 to 999 members. It also will allow for
10 percent increases for middle management positions and 14 percent
increases for support staff salaries.
Conference Business Manager Dawn Hammond stressed that the Annual Meeting
vote is only a first step, albeit an important one. “Each local church
must wrestle with its ability and willingness to pay the higher rate.
In order for the Conference to raise salaries to just and competitive
levels, each local church must participate,” Hammond said.
Interim Conference Minister and President Erwin Bode urged delegates
to support the Dues increase in their local churches, explaining that
Conference salaries did not keep pace over the past ten years, a problem
that came into sharp focus as several long-tenured staffers retired
and search committees worked to find their replacements.
“We are playing tremendous catch-up here,” he said. “I hope you will
do everything you can to say ‘this is important to our staff.’”
The Board of Directors has developed materials to help churches educate
members about the issue and to consider ways to fund the Dues increase.
Those materials will be sent to all churches and are available on the
Conference Web site (see box, above). The Board is also recruiting a
group of volunteer visitors who will be available to speak at local
churches and answer questions. Volunteers will also speak at fall Association
meetings and clergy gatherings.
Anyone who would like more information on the increase, or who would
like someone to visit their church, should contact Meredith Hutchison,
Associate Conference Minister for Stewarship and Financial Development,
at 508-875-5233 or at hutchisonm@macucc.org.
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