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This page talks about pastors in congregational settings.
WV-WMD Synod has only one deacon under call, and that call
is to a social ministry organization. Given the wide
variety of settings that one might be called to outside of
the congregational context and the equally wide range of
skills, experience, and demands, there are no plans to
develop extra-congregational guidelines.
Salary, Allowances, and Benefits
The form, Definition
of Compensation, Benefits, And Responsibilities for
Ministers of Word and Sacrament Under Call,
can be downloaded from the ELCA resource cache (by
clicking the linked title). This form should be completed
as part of the call process and may be updated by mutual
consent from time to time. It should be reviewed by both
the pastor and the congregation.
The recommended pastoral compensation for 2025 is posted
below (along with link to the Pastoral Compensation Kit
for 2025). For those interested in comparisons to previous
years, scroll down to the history section.
To assist in calculation of the total defined
compensation (TDC), social security allowance, etc.,
you may use the pastoral
compensation calculator (an MS-Excel file with the
formulae built in). The pastoral compensation calculator
was updated on 28 July 2024 to reflect the newly
established base figure for 2025. Of course, you should
probably check your math manually as well.
Please be sure to review the latest information on insurance &
pension. Portico is offering some new options.
2025
Synod Council, at its 27 July 2024 meeting, received the
report of the Synodical Mutual Ministry Committee and, and
after debate, adopted the following,
To set the minimum recommended 2025 base salary
before seniority adjustment for a first-call pastor in
a congregational setting at $42,723.00; to encourage
congregations with adequate capacity to employ a base
salary before seniority adjustment up to and including
$43,606.00; to set the recommendation for continuing
education allowance at $1000.00; and to adopt the
draft Clergy Compensation Kit for 2025 as submitted in
writing..
Note well, for any aspect of compensaiton not
specifically mentioned in the action of the Synod Council,
the standard from the previous year is carried over. These
are all included in the Clergy Compensation Kit for 2025.
The Pastoral Compensation Kit for
2025 is downloadable in pdf. The Pastoral
Compensation Calculator for 2024, a downloadable
spreadsheet, is being updated and will be linked here when
tested.
History
2024
Synod Council, at its 19 August 2023 meeting, received
the report of the Synodical Mutual Ministry Committee and,
after debate and amendment, adopted the following,
To set the recommended 2024 base salary before
seniority adjustment for a first-call pastor in a
congregational setting at $41,080.00 (an increase of
3.32% to the 2023 rate, representing the cumulative
shortage in recommended compensation compared to the
COLAs for 2022 and 2023 without including the
projected COLA for 2024); to encourage congregations
with adequate capacity to calculate compensation on a
base salary before seniority adjustment up to and
including $42,273.00 (an increase of 6.32% to the 2023
rate, representing the cumulative shortage in
recommended compensation compared to the COLAs for
2022 and 2023 and the projected COLA for 2024); and to
adopt the draft Pastoral Compensation Kit ("Pastoral
Compensation/Expenses/Benefits Package Expectations
For 2024") for 2024 as submitted in writing.
The Pastoral Compensation
Kit for 2024 is downloadable in pdf. The Pastoral
Compensation Calculator for 2024, a downloadable
spreadsheet, is being updated and will be linked here when
tested.
2023
Synod Council, at its 6 August 2022, approved the
recommendation of the Finance Committee, as amended, on the
clergy compensation guideline for 2023.
The Finance Committee recommends that Synod
Council increase the recommended base salary for pastors
by 8.25% to $39,760 in 2023. All other
recommendations regarding pastoral compensation remain the
same with the exception that, while Portico Gold Plus
remains the standard recommendation for health coverage,
the Portico Silver Plus plan with an HSA contribution
by the congregation may be considered as an option
when a comparable level of service is provided.
The Clergy
Compensation Kit for 2023 is now available as a PDF
download. Not only are the new numbers in it, but it has
also received expanded explanations to several sections as
well as a reordering of topics.
2022
Synod Council acted on the compensation guidelines for 2022
at its 15 September 2021 meeting, with the following action
adopted:
SC 21.9.5, Council approved the following
Finance Committee recommendation with amendments: that
Synod Council increase the recommended base salary for
pastors to $36,730 in 2022 and to no less than $37,860 in
2023, and that in providing of a housing allowance, the
housing allowance be the fair market rental value for
unfurnished housing appropriate to the pastor’s household
size including utilities in the congregation’s community.
The following is offered as clarification:
- N.B., the $400 per annum seniority adjustment
is still in place and should be added to the base cash
salary.
- Social security percentage remains the same.
- Housing allowance is probably the most complicated
change. When calculating utilities, one should be sure
to include those things the church would be paying if it
were it a parsonage, e.g., in Morgantown, there
is a fire tax. That would be considered a utility. The
best way to arrive at this figure is to go to a realtor.
It should be noted that pastoral compensation package
increase is roughly half of the Federal COLA (which is over
6%).
Other than the changes mentioned above, the standards for
2021 apply and can be reviewed by downloading Pastoral
Compensation/Expenses/Benefits Package Expectations for
2021
2021
Acting upon recommendation of the Synod Finance
Committee,
That the Synod Council adopt “West
Virginia-Western Maryland Synod Pastoral
Compensation/Expenses/Benefits Package Expectations for
2021,” which indicates no change to the minimum base
salary for pastors in 2021, but remind congregations that
the tenure modifier ($400 per year of service in ministry)
should still be applied,
Synod Council on 26 August 2020, in special meeting,
adopted the guideline for 2021 pastoral compensation. The
Synod Finance Committee, in its report, explained its
rationale:
The Social Security Administration is expected
to announce in October that there will be no Cost of
Living Adjustment (COLA) for those who receive social
security in 2021 – due to falling gas prices, stagnant
prices of goods and services (excluding healthcare), and
high unemployment. This is the metric we have [for the
past several years] used to adjust our guidelines. The
most generous predictions suggest that we might see a 0.3%
COLA, but, as one member of the Finance Committee put it,
“that’s not enough for me to take my kids out to dinner
on.” The final wisdom of the Finance Committee is to carry
over last year’s numbers but remind congregations that if
their pastor has one more year of experience, a raise is
still in order according to the document.
Full details can be reviewed by downloading Pastoral
Compensation/Expenses/Benefits Package Expectations
for 2021.
Sabbatical & Family Leave
Synod Assembly 2000 adopted sabbatical guidelines,
amending them in 2001. These guidelines are under review,
but, in the meantime, they provide a basis for a
congregation and its pastor to discuss the granting of a
sabbatical. As guidelines, they may be modified to meet
local conditions. Any sabbatical represents a mutual
understanding between the congregation and its pastor.
Contact the bishop if you would like assistance navigating
the issues connected to sabbatical. To download the WV-WMD
Sabbatical Guidelines, click here.
The Synod also adopted guidelines for family leave. This
guideline covers maternity/paternity and the care of ill
family members when the providing of such care requires
extended absence from pastoral duties. To download the WV-WMD Family
Leave Guidelines, click here.
Insurance & Pension
The Synod Office gets questions about insurance and
pension from time to time. The experts on both work for
Portico Benefit Services. For a link to Portico, visit our
nascent Clergy Wellness page.
News on the latest Portico changes, including the
introduction of an option for a Roth IRA and an option for
a "value co-pay," is also posted on the Clergy
Wellness page.
Taxes for Congregations & Clergy
Portico provides two helpful tax guides for clergy and
congregations participating in the ELCA benefit program at
no-cost:
- The Clergy Tax Return Preparation Guide by
Richard R. Hammar gives special attention to tax-related
topics most relevant to ministers.
- Federal Reporting Requirements for Churches
helps congregations understand their federal
tax-reporting requirements.
Both tax guides are available on myPortico and EmployerLink, along with other
resources related to clergy tax.
Clergy Transition (The Pastor
Is Leaving)
Clergy transition poses extra questions related to
compensation and financial obligations. Visit the Pastoral
Transition & Vacancy page for more information.
Public Service Loan Forgiveness
Program
Lutheran Social Services of Minnesota is the go to for
information related to student loan debt, especially the
Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program. Click here to
access their resources.
Rostered Leader Debt Reduction
The WV-WMD Synod has conducted a rostered leader debt
reduction program since 2002. Through this program, pastors
and deacons with educational debt can be assisted with
payment on the principal. The Rostered Leader Debt Reduction
Fund is supported by voluntary contributions from
individuals, congregations, church-related auxiliaries, and
a line item in the synod budget. The amount in the fund is
expended each fiscal year as direct payments to lending
agencies. For the last grant cycle, over $3K was distributed
to one pastors. Guidelines for the Rostered Leader Debt
Reduction Program can be downloaded here.
The grant cycle for FY2023-2024 is now closed. The grant
cycle of FY2024-2025 will open 1 December 2025.
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