Pastoral Support – Pay Package
The specifics of a pay package will be determined prior to employment by the committee assigned to that task to make recommendations taking into account the financial needs of the specific candidate. We desire to ensure that the total package will enable the new pastor and his family to live within our community at the same or better level than the average of the congregation. The package will include salary, retirement, business expense reimbursement, FICA reimbursement, Medical coverage including HRA, vacation time and housing.
Housing Specifics: The church provides housing in its parsonage which is a large two story farmhouse on the 7.01 acre church property. The front section is a salt-box style built in the mid-1700’s with the addition built in the mid-1800’s. It provides approximately 2,850 sq ft of living space plus another 363 sq ft of storage space with another 837 sq ft of storage in the partial improved basement and a four bay car port (two bays partially enclosed). There is also a three season porch on the south-east side. The church has a large 600 sg ft garage which can be used by the pastor for working on cars, etc. There are some additional small storage sheds adjacent to the garden area which has mature raspberry & blackberry patches, blueberry bushes, concord grape vines, a peach tree and an apple tree. There is about an acre of land total for the parsonage
I know there are a lot of horror stories about parsonages, but my wife and I had a wonderful experience raising our family in this parsonage on the church property. The attitude of the church leaders who oversee the parsonage is that it is your home for as long as you live here. We have never been restricted in how we have decorated it, and with approval and often assistance, I have made a lot of renovations and improvements to the parsonage over the years. (I am the son of a carpenter). If you have construction or handyman skills, you will probably end up with a very open hand to make improvements to the parsonage for you and your family, but if you do not, then Deacons in the church will gladly help with maintenance and improvement projects.
The upper level of the parsonage has four bedrooms, a large storage room and a 3/4 bath. On the lower level there are two bedrooms (I use one as my office) adjacent to a full bath. There is a large kitchen with a large pantry, a laundry area with broom / storage closet and 1/4 bath, and there is a large dining room and large living room. The basement is partially finished and a good place for storage. I built a three season porch on the southeast side which has been a great blessing, and it leads to the upper two bay car port which keeps us & our cars out of the snow and rain. The lower two bay carport is a good place for additional storage or a shop. The large garden area has produced a lot of vegetables and fruit for us. There is also a chicken coop if you would like to keep chickens for fresh eggs or meat.
The parsonage has also been a wonderful experience for us financially since the amount of money that would have had to go to school & property taxes went instead into a retirement fund. The result is that I am better off than I would have been if I owned a home in the area. While being on the church property has some drawbacks such a people stopping in because they were at church, or borrowing things for a church function, those are far out weighed by the many benefits. It has been wonderfully convenient to not have a commute except walking across the parking lot, and being able to borrow church equipment or supplies when needed. Being able to use the church snow-plow to keep the drive-way open has saved me a lot of back-strain. This parsonage is a blessing, not a detriment.
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