Author: katyandtheword

This is about the PCUSA insurance changes

Book of Order E-1.0301

The Church is the body of Christ. Christ gives to the Church all the gifts necessary to be his body. The Church strives to demonstrate these gifts in its life as a community in the world (1 Cor. 12:27–28):

The Church is to be a community of faith, entrusting itself to God alone, even at the risk of losing its life.

The Church is to be a community of hope, rejoicing in the sure and certain knowledge that, in Christ, God is making a new creation. This new creation is a new beginning for human life and for all things. The Church lives in the present on the strength of that promised new creation.

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Today the Board of Pensions released its plan to charge churches and pastors insurance according to the cost of plans.

Constitutionally, every installed pastor has to be covered by insurance, but not

retired pastors
uninstalled pastors
pastor’s spouses
pastor’s children
temporary pastors
pastors between calls

so the plan charges $10,000-$20,000 more, unless you are a big steeple church, then you are excused from some of the costs–there is a still a cap on the maximum you have to pay
(because it makes little difference, which is irking in so many ways).

Throughout the listening sessions, BOP exhorted pastors to trust their churches, but the reality is many churches cannot afford to pay more.

And many pastors can afford their call only because of the superior health coverage that is given them.

Many young pastors, especially women (the healthiest quotient) will walk.

I bet many more People of Color..

those who are already discriminated against will be moreso
I attended most of the Town Halls, BOP argued both that discrimination is already happening, and that everything will be ok.

They said that few people will be affected, and that they cannot afford to care for the retirees, the spouses and the children.

But our pensions are fine (I must admit if I hear my so called pension, which I will probably never reach, is fine one more time, I might scream) since I first started ministry, when I could not afford food for my children, or the housing, when I was poverty stricken, and negotiating every cent I made, I was assured over and over again, but my pension is fine. Great, wonderful, what about Maslow’s principles of human needs?

Plus at the moment the retirement medical plan Humana is not accepted at either of our local hospitals, which is pretty ridiculous.

I will admit, as a pastor I cannot understand how we are not rallying for single-payer healthcare. I held so many congregants hands who have told me the health aid didn’t show up. Fielded the phone calls from couples who could not physically take care of one another but could not get in to a nursing home, talked to children who did not know what to do with parents, driven people to doctor’s appointments because they literally had no one else to do it.

How are we not on the frontlines of this?

For our congregations, our part times staffs, and ourselves?

When I assess the BOP, it feels like they are not doing their job
often they admit that they will not do as directed by General Assembly–they do not follow the dictates of the Constitution to live in community even at the risk of themselves.

Even though it is our core belief.

When asked outright if they approached other denominations to team up more closely. (We already cooperate on some level with some denominations.)

They admitted they did not.

When asked if they pursued more creative Co-op options, one that might include congregants (which would take restructuring but would that not be amazing?) or even just to be more creative in our leveraging, one of which my best friend, who is a real estate agent found one and is participating in.

They said they did not.

The sum of their research suggested sharing pulpits–which is a good and sound suggestion; one we have been doing for hundreds of years as a denomination.

When one takes in the exorbitant salaries of the top BOP officials, who participate in our healthcare–capped of course–it calls into question, did they do their jobs?

When small scrappy churches are required to risk everything for Christ and figure out how to creatively survive every year, month and day.

When pastors sacrifice a lot to be in ministry, and yes have the privilege of good healthcare, in this admittedly white collar job.

I predict a lot of young ministers leave ministry as a result, a lot of people with families and children, particularly women (ironically this is the healthiest quotient in insurance: young, women).

Perhaps ministry is changing, perhaps healthcare will no longer be a part of the job, but if that is the case, then equity still needs to be a part of the discussion, because we are a community of Christ first. We are risking all of this because we believe in community, equity and love.

At least that is why I’m doing this church thing.

Maybe we all need to not be installed and start over; even though installation a (I believe) used first to describe pastors wayyy before it was used to describe stoves and video games

However, I think we need to keep working to make things more fair, not less.

I believe in E-1.0301
I am doing my best to live into it. To not accept that “this is the only way” to know that the Kin(g)dom calls us to imagine a better world, and then to live creatively into it.

I will not leave others behind along the way. I will continue to learn about equity, inclusion and love.

I am aware this is not all bad for everyone, however I still feel like there are better ways to do all of this. See also: Who is communicating all of these changes and bearing the brunt of this work in the church community (that feels like a whole different article).

PS the menu option is great, and progress and I like it.

By Pastor Katy Stenta “KatyandtheWord”

Dues Package published by the BOP is here