CHICAGO, IL (September 11, 2007) \u2013 The 2007 edition of the Evangelical Covenant church Pastoral Compensation Report is now available on the Covenant website, offering a wide range of resources and guidelines for use by local Covenant churches in establishing compensation levels for pastoral staff.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe focus of this report is to provide resources to local churches and encourage them to compensate pastors above the minimum levels, as well as promote adequate and fair compensation for all pastors,\u201d says Dean Lundgren, vice president for finance.<\/p>\n
Among the resources included in the online package are the following:
\n\u2022\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0A list of seven major denominations and average pastoral salaries, including the median for 14 reporting denominations
\n\u2022\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0Cost of living data for various regions throughout the United States where Covenant churches are located
\n\u2022\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0A 10-year Consumer Price Index (CPI) recap through the year 2006
\n\u2022\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0Recommended minimum guidelines for pastoral compensation, including an index of minimums according to average worship attendance
\n\u2022\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0A list of additional benefits to be addressed that are not part of a pastor\u2019s base compensation amount<\/p>\n
\u201cWe hope that this material encourages a local congregation to increase compensation that is below the suggested minimum guidelines,\u201d Lundgren observes, \u201cwhile also elevating the importance of pastoral compensation in the life of the local church.\u201d<\/p>\n
Congregations also are advised to check with their conference superintendent for additional information specific to particular regions.<\/p>\n