2008-2009 Pastor Salary Guidelines

May/June 2008

Updated Pastor Salary Guidelines for 2008-2009

Updated Pastor Salary Guidelines for 2008-2009 are included in this issue of Equipping. They come to you from Mennonite Church USA Executive Leadership and were updated with counsel from a variety of people from across the church.

The base salary and unit value has been increased by 3.2 percent. Mileage reimbursement has been changed to 50.5 cents per mile, which is the amount allowed by IRS.

The recommendations in these guidelines should be viewed as a minimal starting place. Since cost of living varies greatly across the country, local factors, especially housing costs, should be taken into account. The worksheet provides for “extra optional units” as encouragement to consider further adjustments to these guidelines to more accurately reflect local factors.

Health insurance continues to be a matter of great concern for pastors and congregations. We continue to recommend that congregations provide health insurance for pastors and other church employees and their families. In conferences where the Covenant Mutual Benefits Plan (COMB) is available we encourage congregations to provide coverage through this plan.

Work is going forward but is not complete on the Healthcare Access Initiative which envisions all Mennonite Church USA congregations practicing mutual aid with one another in sharing the cost of providing health-care insurance for all pastors. Area conferences and congregations will receive updates on that initiative during 2008 and 2009.

When it becomes necessary to ask congregational employees to increase their contribution to the health plan, we encourage exploration of a Flexible Spending Plan or Health Savings Account to help offset the increased out-of-pocket expenses.

These materials may be copied and made available for those involved in setting compensation for the next year. They are also available on the Mennonite Church USA Web site. You may also want to consult with someone from your area conference office for more information and assistance. Contact Lee Lever at leel@MennoniteUSA.org or 1-866-866-2872 if you have questions or feedback.

We hope these guidelines will help congregations and their pastors arrive at a fair and mutually satisfactory benefit package and build strong and healthy relationships between congregations and their pastors.