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New online GuideStone resource to help churches set salaries


DALLAS (BP)–GuideStone Financial Resources has released a new online resource, “Planning Financial Support,” for use by church personnel and finance committees in planning staff members’ compensation packages.

The presentation, along with a workbook by the same name, are being offered at no charge by the Southern Baptist entity.

“Our goal with this new presentation is to help churches provide for their pastors in a comprehensive, holistic manner,” said Chris Elkins, a financial solutions and services staff member at GuideStone.

“Sometimes a church tries to pay its pastor in a lump-sum, or ‘package’ approach,” he explained. “That forces a pastor to absorb ministry expenses into his income, cutting his take-home pay.”

The presentation’s launch comes on the heels of the release of the 2006 SBC Compensation Study, which showed the average salary and housing allowance for fulltime Southern Baptist pastors was $49,952, an increase of 7.4 percent since 2004. Income statistics for other positions, including bivocational pastors, support staff members and other positions also are reported in the bi-annual compensation study.

The Planning Financial Support can be helpful for churches large and small in preparing their budgets and in preparation to call a new pastor, according to a GuideStone news release. The compensation study and the Planning Financial Support presentation and workbook, can be obtained through GuideStone’s website, www.GuideStone.org, or by calling GuideStone at 1-888-98-GUIDE (1-888-984-8433).
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