GS 1989 ARTICLE 37 – Committee III presents: Agenda Items VIII, E, 4, 5
A. MATERIAL
1. Letter from the Covenant Canadian Reformed Church at Lower Sackville, NS., re Art. 13 Church Order and the support for retired ministers and their dependents.
2. Letter from the Church at Houston, BC, re same
B. OBSERVATIONS
- 1. The Covenant Church at Lower Sackville “has several concerns regarding the present method of providing for the needs of retiring ministers and their dependents. Therefore, General Synod is overtured to study and if necessary change Church Order Article 13”
- 2. The Covenant Church at Lower Sackville overtures General Synod to study “the whole matter of supporting retired ministers (or establish a committee with a mandate to report to the next synod)”
- 3. The Church at Houston expresses her agreement with the submission from Lower Sackville, quoting: “the system as it now functions means that the smaller churches subsidize the larger churches with retired ministers through the superannuation fund. The churches contribute a larger share per communicant member but do not stand to benefit from the fund”.
C. CONSIDERATIONS
- 1. A principle of article 13 C.O. is that a minister is bound to and supported by the church which he served last. However, this article does not preclude that all the churches could become involved in sharing the financial burden for retired ministers.
- 2. The Church at Lower Sackville and the Church at Houston could approach the Foundation for Superannuation with their concerns and suggestions in order to have a more equitable arrangement drawn up for the support of retired ministers.
D. RECOMMENDATION
Synod decide:
- that it is not necessary to change Art. 13 C.O. for the reasons mentioned by the Church at Lower Sackville and the Church at Houston and that any concerns and suggestions concerning the retirement of ministers and/or the care of their families should be presented to the Foundation for Superannuation.