D037 Expand Clergy Compensation Report
Resolved, the House of Bishops concurring,
That the 79th General Convention amend Canon 1.8 by inserting a new Section 9, and renumbering the remaining sections:
Sec. 9 Report on Clergy Compensation. The Church Pension Fund shall submit to each regular meeting of General Convention a Report on clergy compensation, listing by diocese for each congregation separately the average Sunday attendance, Normal Operating Income from the Parochial Report, the years of ordained experience of each stipendiary cleric, the percent of time each stipendiary cleric works, and total pension-assessable compensation of each stipendiary cleric for the previous year. Congregations and clergy shall not be identified by name or city in the Report. The Report shall also list the average of the total pension-assessable compensation for all clergy for the preceding five years by gender identity (male, female, or non-binary). The Report shall also be sent to the Diocesan Council or similar body and Bishop(s) of every diocese within thirty days of the conclusion of the General Convention;
And be it further
Resolved, That the Executive Council authorize a comprehensive clergy compensation survey to be completed by 2020 of all stipendiary priests. Said survey should include all forms of compensation, including but not limited to stipend/utilities/housing (SHU), value of any automobile provided, value of any telephone benefit provided, and tuition remission for the priest’s children. The survey shall collect data on each individual including gender identity, years of ordained service, percentage of time employed, size of parish by Average Sunday Attendance and Normal Operating Income from the Parochial Report, and the role and/or title of each stipendiary priest; and be it further
Resolved, That the Joint Standing Committee on Program, Budget and Finance be requested to allocate sufficient funds to carry out the requested survey.
Explanation
The Church Pension Group’s annual reports on clergy compensation have found that male clergy are consistently paid more than female clergy in similar positions, even when controlling for age and years of ordained experience. However, there is still a great deal of denial and surprise about the disparity. Furthermore, considering the broader definition of compensation (that which includes more than simply the pension-assessible compensation) may reveal greater disparity. It is through this transparency that we will be able to recognize an inherently justice-oriented issue, and then able to take strides towards equitable compensation. The proposed Canon follows the model practiced by the Diocese of Georgia. The Diocese of Georgia publishes salaries by size of congregation budget, annual Sunday attendance, and clergyperson’s years of ordained experience. This allows for easy comparison between congregations while providing some privacy for individual clergy. Church Pension Group Report, https://www.cpg.org/linkservid/6960B732-E1FC-7D1C-A19B95B0B87FEB91/showMeta/0/?label=Report-2016%20Church%20Compensation%20Report Diocese of Georgia, “2016 Full-Time Priest Salary Survey,” http://georgia.anglican.org/2016-full-time-priest-salary-survey/.