NEWS
U.S. Bishops Prepare to Tighten Belts with Salary Cut
In a day and age when just having a job is the new raise, it came naturally to the spiritual leaders of The United Methodist Church to take a pay cut. “It’s as plain as the nose on your face,” said Bishop Peggy Johnson, Philadelphia Area. “It makes perfect sense.” In less than two months, Johnson and her fellow 49 active U.S. United Methodist bishops will open smaller paychecks and see about $5,000 less in 2010.
Last May, the bishops voted to forgo a raise for 2010 and roll their salaries back to the 2008 level. “It is a great opportunity to be in solidarity with a lot of our churches,” she said.
Bishop Julius C. Trimble, Iowa Area, said the bishops’ decision to lower their salaries isn’t so much a sacrifice as an opportunity to “practice Christian generosity.”
Bishop Peter D. Weaver, Boston Area, said he did not go into ministry for a salary. “I went into the ministry to serve Jesus. So whatever is the physical remuneration is very secondary to the spiritual remuneration that we get in following Christ.” He said the decision to take a lower salary was important and was a “small” way to stand in solidarity with many who are experiencing economic challenges.
What will not be cut is giving. “All of us know that we have a tendency to live at the level of our income,” said Bishop Alfred Gwinn, Raleigh Area. “But this is a wonderful time to rethink why we spend the money that we spend and how we might redirect that to more meaningful causes. So I think it’s an opportunity to grow spiritually in a personal way and an opportunity to lead in a spiritual way.”
The money trimmed from the bishop’s salaries will go into the Episcopal Fund because the 2008 General Conference has already approved the budget for 2009, said Bishop Mary Ann Swenson, Los Angeles Area. That was not the intention of the bishops, she said. The bishops wanted the money used for ministries of the church such as the Central Conference Pension Initiative, a program providing retirement funds for clergy and their spouses in Africa, Asia and Europe. In Africa, most retired clergy live in poverty because they do not receive any pension funds even after serving for more than 40 years in the church.
At the November council meeting, the bishops voted to ask GCFA to explore ways their salary cuts can be directly deposited in ministries such as the Central Conference Pension Initiative or the Global Health Fund.
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