Calvin Synod Herald, 1975 (75. évfolyam, 1-12. szám)
1975-01-01 / 1-2. szám
REFORMÁTUSOK LAPJA 7 Prayer of Thanksgiving offered by Elam G. Wiest 25th Anniversary Service First Hungarian Reformed Church Cleveland, Ohio Almighty God, our Heavenly Father, we thank Thee that Thy providence and guidance have brought us to this glorious day of celebration of the silver anniversary of this Cathedral church building on the hill. O God, who inhabitest eternity and hast no need of temples made with hands, Thou knowest that Thy people need temples, sanctuaries, altars, as places of refuge and strength. We thank Thee for this place where Thine honor dwells and where we can worship Thee in the beauty of holiness and the holiness of beauty. The high arches and the steeple point us heavenward and remind us of Thy upward call in Christ Jesus. We lift our eyes from things temporal to the unseen and eternal. Thanks, praise, and glory be to Thee, O God, for this church, this building where at its sacred altar people of all ages take vows of faithfulness to Jesus Christ, couples in love make promises in holy marriage, the sacraments are administered, and families in sorrow find comfort and hope. We thank Thee for this pulpit in which faithful preachers proclaim Thy holy Word and instruct hearts and minds in the ways of righteousness and truth, announce the joyful news that life is worth living, and offer the wonders of Thy grace and redeeming power. We thank Thee for Pastors and people who had vision, faith, and courage to build this beautiful church, who were willing to work and sacrifice for the church, and whose loyalty and devotion are manifest to this day. Thanks be to Thee that through this building and congregation Thou dost continue Thy work of salvation throughout the world. At last when this earthly tabernacle is dissolved and we have no further need of a church, we believe that we have a building not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. With apostles, prophets, martyrs, and the faithful of all ages, we praise and bless Thy holy name through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.--------------------------------------New Study Shows Parish Clergy Income Lag In these inflationary times, parish ministers are taking much more of an economic buffeting than comparably educated professionals in other fields. This is shown in a wide-ranging study of “clergy support” among 19 participating Protestant denominations conducted for the National Council of Churches Office of Professional Church Leadership under the direction of Prof. Robert L. Bond of the City University of New York. The year-long study was funded under a grant from the Ministers’ Life and Casualty Union, of Minneapolis, Minn. Released last month, study findings show that in terms of annual cash income, ministers in local churches are getting along on an average of only $7,703. Other income sources, such as housing provision and utilities allowance, bring the median salary picture up to the equivalent of $10,348. This is about half of what an attorney, accountant or personnel director earns on the average. While the median is in the vicinity of $10,000, the balance between those close to the poverty level and those that might be called affluent tips in the direction of the former. Fourteen per cent reported over-all salary figures of less than $6,000, while eleven per cent said they earned more than $15,000. Moreover, fringe benefits — a commonplace today among most earners — are sadly lacking among pastors. While 67 per cent of ministers benefit from some kind of pension plan, only 55 per cent are covered by health or life insurance, or supplementary annuity programs. And only 15 per cent are compensated for social security tax which the law requires them to pay out of their own pockets as “self-employed” persons. Adding what fringe benefits they do get, ministers’ median income for 1973, the year covered by the study reaches the equivalent of $11,435. Offsetting this, however, is the finding that most ministers pay for profession-related expenses out of their own pocket — especially automobile use. Seventy-six per cent reported an average net cost of $949 for work-related car use in 1973: This together with expenses for attending away-from-home church meetings, cost of needed books and journals, etc., boosted their uncompensated annual expenses to $1,134. In the past ten years, ministers’ salaries have increased at a pace somewhat faster than that of inflation — up 54 per cent compared to the conservatively estimated cost of living rise in the same period of 41 per cent. But lawyers’ income rose 77 per cent in this time, personnel directors’ 76 per cent, accountants’ 70 per cent, chemists’ 61 per cent, for other examples. It is small wonder, as the survey discloses, that 84 per cent of the 4,635 respondents to the questionnaire felt their incomes were too low in relation to “other comparably educated professionals.” Sixty-five per cent said their income was not adequate for family and personal needs. Debt Load Like most Americans, ministers on the average carry a burden of debt. With three-quarters of respondents reporting on indebtedness, the median amount was $5,2% — on such items as personal loans, outstanding credit card obligations, car loans, medical care and education. Nearly one-third reported having mortgages — on house, apartment or land — averaging out to $13,755. But only a small minority, less than two per cent, were despairing of ever meeting these obligations. Most felt they could meet them without too much trouble while an optimistic seven per cent said they were earning more than required to pay all bills. What are ministerial families doing to help make ends meet? For one thing 45 per cent of clergy report working spouses — twice the number recorded ten years ago and three per cent above the national average. Moreover, 22 per cent of parish pastors have secular jobs on the side, up from 15 per cent a decade ago. (U.S. non-agricultural workers having two jobs average out at five per cent of the labor force.)
