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July 2009

In This Section:

• Pastor Salary Guidelines
• Advanced Spiritual Guidance training
• Pastoral Studies Distance Education fills a gap
• Learning. Community
• Order all of the following at www.mpn.net

Pastor Salary Guidelines

for 2009-2010 are available online at  http://www.mennoniteusa.org/ . By not sending a paper copy of the guidelines with Equipping we avoid printing 11,000 pieces of paper. All of the Pastor Salary Guidelines documents can be downloaded from the Web. Microsoft Word versions of the worksheets for salary, benefits and expenses are available for download at the same place. People can request hard copies by contacting Deb Ratzlaff toll-free at 1-866-866-2872. 

The 2009-2010 recommended guidelines do not increase the base salary and the unit value from last year.  However, people responsible for working with pastoral compensation should work through the guidelines and update experience, education and other appropriate areas to determine if there is an actual overall increase from the previous year. There is a link at the salary guidelines for downloading software that helps calculate pastoral compensation—www.manygifts.org/salaryguidelines.

The recommended mileage reimbursement rate for 2009 is 55 cents per mile, the amount allowed by the Internal Revenue Service. Information about The Corinthian Plan, the health-care initiative for pastors is available here. http://www.mennoniteusa.org/  This year we have included a short article about the development of the Pastor Salary Guidelines.

Advanced Spiritual Guidance training

will be offered by Associated Mennonite Biblical Seminary though the 2009–2010 academic year. This seminar will foster competence and maturity in the practice of spiritual direction for people who have had at least two years of experience offering direction. Seven sessions are scheduled beginning Sept. 14, 2009, and ending April 12, 2010, at AMBS in Elkhart, Ind. Marlene Kropf, D.Min., associate professor in spiritual formation and worship, is the facilitator. This seminar is limited to 10 people; a nonrefundable deposit is due by July 15. For more information, visit www.ambs.edu/asgs.

Pastoral Studies Distance Education fills a gap

Pastoral Studies Distance Education (PSDE) provides Anabaptist pastoral education at a college level, a need that is often identified as a concern within the church. Students remain in their settings, working with their congregations, receiving feedback from both instructors and mentors.

The curriculum was recently revised with careful attention to making it applicable to the growing diversity in the Mennonite church. Consultants representing urban, African-American, Hispanic and Asian perspectives helped instructors make the five units of the “Leading God’s People” materials more accessible. 

“PSDE was a wonderfully practical way to engage in study while being involved in active ministry,” reflected Judith Froese Doell, who began the program as a lay leader and now serves as pastor of Whitewater Mennonite Church, Boissevain, Manitoba. “The program helped me grow into an Anabaptist pastor.”

For information on the PSDE program and the “Leading God’s People” curriculum, call 574-296-6245 or see online: www.ambs.edu/psde .

Learning. Community

Students, pastors, continuing education participants and others reflect on their experiences of Associated Mennonite Biblical Seminary in the enclosed view book, “Learning. Community.” Browse through it to discover what AMBS offers people in many roles throughout the church. Share the booklet with someone in your congregation who can benefit from the study programs, publications and seminars. Request additional copies from admissions@ambs.edu.

Order all of the following at www.mpn.net: