LAKELAND — It is going to cost more next year to be a Florida
Conference United Methodist Church.
The largest increase churches will face is the cost of clergy
health insurance (see "Rate hikes mean churches pay more"),
but other clergy-related increases are expected.
Delegates to the Dare to Share Jesus 2001 Florida Annual Conference
Event in Lakeland last June voted to increase the minimum salaries for
ordained and probationary clergy and full-time licensed pastors. The
minimum for a full-connection elder with a master of divinity degree
will increase by 3.4 percent from $28,525 to $29,500. Full-time local
pastors will earn at least $27,300 next year, an increase of 3
percent.
The cost for local church property, casualty and liability
insurance is also expected to increase by 20 to 25 percent, according
to Jim Severance, the conference’s risk manager. The final increase
will be determined at the Nov. 14 meeting of the risk management
committee.
The increase is due to two factors, Severance said. The insurance
industry is in a "hard market," which Severance says is
caused by drops in interest rates and an expected increase in claims
following the collapse of the World Trade Center. The second is a
result of the conference insurance company paying more in claims than
it received in premiums during the previous year.
Churches will also be asked to pay higher apportionments, according
to Dr. Randy Casey-Rutland, the conference treasurer. He said
apportionments from the general church, jurisdiction and annual
conference will increase 2.1 percent over 2001. That does not include
district apportionments, but does include the 2 percent increase in
the Florida Conference budget approved at the last annual conference,
he said.
