Standing Committee concludes pre-Conference meetings

On Wednesday morning, July 3, the Standing Committee of district delegates concluded their pre-Conference meetings, led by moderator Madalyn Metzger with moderator-elect Dava Hensley and Conference secretary David Shumate.

The closing business session of the Standing Committee addressed proposed revisions to the pastor’s Housing Equity Fund and a recommended cost of living adjustment to the minimum cash salary table for pastors, brought by the Pastoral Compensation and Benefits Advisory Committee. An additional action came during a review of the Special Response Process. Standing Committee also received a report from its Two-Thirds Committee identifying business items requiring a two-thirds majority vote for adoption, and from its Nominating Committee, which is responsible for preparing and presenting the ballot to Annual Conference.

Housing Equity Fund

The Housing Equity Fund was created in 1975 as a savings fund to enable pastors living in parsonages to purchase their own homes after leaving the parsonage. Originally a mutual fund account, the fund created unhelpful tax consequences for participants. The fund currently serves around 30 pastors.

The Pastoral Compensation and Benefits Advisory Committee brings recommendations to Standing Committee. At the podium is director of Ministry for the Church of the Brethren, Nancy Sollenberger Heishman. Photo by Cheryl Brumbaugh-Cayford

Standing Committee recommended that Annual Conference approve the recommendation to invest the fund in a qualified church retirement plan such as the Eder Retirement Plan.

Cost of living adjustment for pastors

Standing Committee recommended approval of the recommendation of a 3.3 percent cost of living adjustment to the minimum cash salary table for pastors, brought by the Pastoral Compensation and Benefits Advisory Committee.

Special Response Process

The Standing Committee is tasked with reviewing the Special Response Process of Annual Conference every five years. However, the review was not carried out in 2019 and so the committee is now catching up on that task.

The Special Response Process is intended to help the denomination work through strongly controversial issues. It was first put in place in 1988, revised many years later, and used only once in 2009-2011, reported the Conference secretary. The process is spread over three years and involves specific activities during three Annual Conferences, with leadership from Standing Committee members including facilitation of conversations in their districts.

A motion was approved that the Annual Conference officers bring names for a task team–names that may be outside the Standing Committee–including a Standing Committee liaison, to review the Special Response Process including suggestions from Standing Committee.

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