Caring for Pastors

The Missionary Church Constitution has an outline of the duties of the Pastor that says: “A pastor shall be an example to the flock of God by keeping himself free from all worldly entanglements and above reproach in all matters of conduct and finance. It shall be his duty to preach the Word; to exercise prayerful and diligent oversight of the church, watching for the souls thereof as one that must give account; and to seek earnestly the salvation of the lost, that in all things he may be approved unto God. The pastor shall be recognized as head of the local church and shall be responsible for the public services and general promotion of the church activities. He shall be an advisory member of all committees. It shall be his prerogative, with the approval of the church board, to arrange for all special meetings and to engage the necessary help for the same.”

Based on this and the local church’s culture and vision it is important for the pastor and the church that a clear job description is developed when looking to engage a pastor.

Some examples are in these various links.

Free Church Forms

My-Pastor.com

Many details need to be considered when creating a compensation package for a pastor. The Missionary Church urges churches not to gloss over planning this carefully in your expression of love for your pastor(s). Taking advantage of various tax benefits can save both pastor and church time and money in the long run.

Some of the items to be taken into consideration are outlined in the tabs below. However, this Guidestone guide is a comprehensive approach to what to consider.

Here is the latest information from the Missionary Church related to pastor’s salaries and here is the latest statistical information on salaries throughout the MC.

This site sponsored by the Lilly Endowment uses the Church Law and Tax listed below and draws together into one searchable platform information on salary levels, a salary calculator, job comparisons, retirement and debt calculators, and more. For a small fee, congregations can receive a one-time report related to a specific job, or they can pay an annual fee for unlimited access.

Medical insurance is a major financial burden for individuals, pastors, employers and the nation. Please consider carefully how the church will help pastors with this area of need. We would encourage very clear conversation between church leadership and pastors about this issue and that the church makes sure that pastors have some form of coverage. An increasing number of pastors are able to be added to their spouse’s coverage at a more reasonable rate than obtaining their own and a church could pay that instead.

Setting up an HSA for the pastor is also helpful as that is pre-tax money and the church and/or pastor can contribute to it. The amount is limited to a maximum set by the IRS and HSA contributions are only possible with certain medical insurance plans.

Central, East Central and North Central churches and the denominational office are able to participate in a regional medical plan. This health plan is currently serviced through Pro-Claim Plus of Fort Wayne, Indiana and includes life insurance for participants as well. If interested in eligibility, additional information or cost of coverage, please contact Pro-Claim Plus at 1-800-821-2150.

For those not able to participate in this plan many other plans are available in the market place, from private insurance companies or various Christian medical cost sharing ministries. Depending on their specific needs, pastors have found any of these solutions to meet their requirements of cost vs. coverage. The market place and insurance companies vary depending on location but below are some links to Medical Cost Sharing Ministries.

Samaritan Ministries

Christian Healthcare Ministries

Medishare

Brotherhood Mutual has recently started providing assistance with Medical Insurance for churches. It is not on their website yet, but call them at 800-333-3735.

Vacation guidelines – One Region of the Missionary Church has recommended that the following guidelines be followed in the administration of vacation policy for full time Senior and Associate Ministers serving our churches:

• 2 weeks of vacation after 1 year of approved ministry
• 3 weeks of vacation after 7 years of approved ministry
• 4 weeks of vacation after 15 years of approved ministry

Regional or Local Boards may grant more vacation time based on fewer years of service than the guidelines state, as such “approved ministry” takes into consideration the number of years the pastor has been in ministry even before serving the current church.

Vacation time is exclusive of denominational and regional conferences and camps.

Today, the role of pastor is truly under pressure from many sides, probably more than at any other time in history. The stress that accompanies a ministry calling can have a substantial negative effect on those in this caring profession. Since over 40 percent of pastors acknowledge having high stress levels at least once or twice a week, and 12 percent almost every day, there is a need to bring healing, hope and renewal to those called ‘pastor.’ Many of the responsibilities they assume are emotionally and spiritually draining.

Sabbaticals offer leaders a change of pace, a chance to slow their activity level, even a complete rest long enough to be strengthened and healed. That time away is most effective when it is included in a compensation agreement, when it is required by a caring congregation. Many ministers are facing burnout, yet they are reluctant to make that fact known even to their own leadership team, let alone the congregation.

Here is an excellent article from Focus on the Family outlining the need, the plan and the policy regarding a sabbatical.

The Western Region of the Missionary Church has some good resources, too.

Every October is Pastor Appreciation month. Thousands of churches throughout the United States and other countries find special ways to honor and express gratitude for pastors.

The Missionary Church is blessed with well over 1200 pastors, men and women, who have given themselves to the Lord by serving His local church. Many have given up other opportunities to pursue this call on their lives and it has likely been a sacrificial choice for them and their families. The leadership of the Missionary Church thanks God for their sacrifice, commitment and service! We celebrate them! We appreciate them!

Being “loved on” by the people these pastors serve is so meaningful to them. Since each pastor is different and their needs vary significantly, the ways in which you can put “flesh” on that love is limited only by your imagination. Here are a few ideas to help celebrate your pastors:

• Provide pastor and spouse with a night out that includes free childcare and a gift card to a restaurant.
• Have different members of the congregation sign up to write a card of appreciation every day – it does       not need to have a gift card included but if that is what the Lord leads the person to do, great!
• Go visit pastor/family and pray for him/her.
• Give a gift to pastor’s children.
• “Shout out” on Facebook or other social media about how much you appreciate your pastor – be                 specific.
• Leave a gift basket of fruit/vegetables/whatever on the doorstep, ring the doorbell and see if you can           hide so they don’t know who it came from.
• Give a gift card to a spa, nail salon, facial, massage, etc. – most likely the ladies would like this J!
• Pay for a night’s stay at a nice hotel.
• Put a whiteboard in the lobby and have people put words of encouragement on it for all to see.

For even more fun ideas, check out this blog. You can also find fun ideas on Pinterest or Google.

Let’s “love on” our pastors all the time, but especially every October. When you do will you let us know how it went? We’d love to brag on you in future Missionary Church publications.

The VanderBloemen Search Group suggest a six step approach to evaluation of staff, from the senior pastor to any other person you want to evaluate.

1. Compose Questions
2. Select Survey Software – or how to receive the feedback
3. Send Out the Survey Request
4. Let the Surveys Begin! Send the survey to the boss, peers, and direct reports and the team member          themselves should also complete the survey based on his opinion of his own performance.
5. Provide Feedback Report– Provide the team member with an analysis of their results where they can        see a comparison of the feedback from their boss, peers, and direct reports.
6. Self Analysis– After each staff member receives the feedback report, allow them time to process the          responses.

As the leader of your team, be sure to set aside time with each team member to discuss their results. Assessments make us vulnerable and are often uncomfortable to face, especially for the first time. Listen well as your team members discuss what they learned about themselves and their team dynamics throughout the assessment process. Leadership development is one of the signs of a healthy church. Comprehensive church staff reviews will allow you and your staff to learn more about yourself as individuals, as a team, and as a church.

With internet access available 24/7 on computers, tablets and phones and the number of sites and pop-ups that are not conducive to a godly Christian life it is important to consider a church’s policy on internet filtering for its staff. This needs to be approached not in order to become a watchdog, but rather to encourage and help the staff to remain pure.

Many good filters that can be part of the policy are available from a number of ministries such as Covenant Eyes or X3Pure.