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Convener: Revd Robert Way         Secretary: Revd Christine Craven
Mrs Julie McLaren, Mr Peter Mann, Revd Graham Robson, Revd Roberta Rominger, Mrs Frances Caldwell

Roll of Ministers

1 Admissions to the Roll (from 1 April 2000 to 31 March 2001)

a) By Ordination – Stipendiary:

Mary Kay Alberg, Jason Askew, Elizabeth Blair, Edward Rawson Cox, Alistair Ellefsen-Jones, Geoffrey Felton, Malcolm Fife, Helen Louise Franklin, Klaus Gutwein, Martin Hardy, Deborah Jane Hodge, Roger Alexander Jones, Jason McCullagh, David Pattie (from Salvation Army), Helen Pope, Pauline Rate, David Salsbury, Peter Stevenson, Marta Damo Sugar, Kirstin Elizabeth Thorpe, Bruce Samuel Upperton

b) By Ordination – Non-Stipendiary:

June Rosina Colley, Christine Davies, Sandra Griffiths, Jackie Lowe (Hillier), John Mackerness, David Marshall-Jones, Lorraine Mycroft, Bridget Powell, Edward Kotey Sanniez, Hazel Starritt, Beatrice Yamoah

c) By Transfer from other Churches:

Thomas Carmichael (Presbyterian Church of Southern Africa), Ronald Garner (United Church of Christ, USA), Peter Hurter (Presbyterian Church of Southern Africa), Marc Kenton (Presbyterian Church of Southern Africa), Daniel George Meister (United Church of Christ, USA), Gerald Moule (Church of Scotland), Jaroslav Raich (Church of the Czech Brethren), John Howard Reed (Presbyterian Church, USA)

d) By Re-instatement

Nigel Appleton, John Fuller

2 Deletions from the Roll (from 1 April 2000 to 31 March 2001)

Lawrence Coutts (Uniting Church of Australia), Marina Kennard (Church in Wales), Jack Lawson, Martyn Poole, Valerie Price (Methodist Church),

b) By Deletion

Timothy London

3 Changes within the Roll (from 1 April 2000 to 31 March 2001)

a) Non-Stipendiary to Stipendiary:

Brenda Moore, Alan Poolton, Peter Sharp

4 Church Related Community Workers (from 1 April 2000 to 31 March 2001)

Susan Patricia Lincoln

Judith Harris (Church of Scotland)

5 Lay Preachers

The following members have successfully completed their course of study and have been Nationally Accredited.

Northern Synod:- 

Elizabeth Jewitt,

Donald Owers

ames Perry

North Western Synod:-

Ian Allan

Yorkshire Synod: 

Geoff Ellis

Ashley Evans

Brian Ogilvie

Ron Sweeney

Ruth Weston

East Midlands Synod:

Debbie Ensor

John Shaw

West Midlands Synod:

Janet Martin

South Western Synod: 

Angela Bebbington

Jacki Fox

Helen Shallow

Ruth Woodhouse

Wessex Synod:

Janet Bousfield

Susan Brown

Edwin Rolles

Thames North Synod:

Nan Maxwell

Southern Synod: 

David Childs

Malcolm Wright

Synod of Scotland:

Terence Dobson

Maintenance of the Ministry Sub-Committee

Convener: Mr Geoffrey Woods Secretary: Mrs Judy Stockings
Miss Margaret Atkinson, Mr Victor Hughff, (Convener Pensions Executive) Revd Pauline Parkin,
Mr Graham Stacy, (Honorary Treasurer), Mrs Jill Strong, Mr Barry Swift, Revd Roger Woodall

Pensions

1 Former Congregational Union of Scotland ministers

1.1 The rules of the URC Ministers’ Pension Fund (URCMPF) restrict entry to membership to ministers who are under the age of 55 at the time of joining. This restriction was recognised and accepted at the time of the Union with the Congregational Union of Scotland (CUS) and 13 ministers who were not eligible to join the URCMPF because of the age limitation were expected to remain in the Scottish Congregational Ministers Money Purchase Pension Scheme (SCMMPPS).

1.2 However, it has been discovered that maintaining the SCMMPPS for a small number of ministers over the age of 55 is not cost effective and the ministers concerned would be adversely affected as a result. In order to treat these ministers fairly the MoM Sub-Committee has concluded that the appropriate course is to amend the rules of the URCMPF to waive the age limitation for joining for former CUS ministers.

1.3 A resolution will be brought to General Assembly in July 2001 to effect this rule change. At the time of writing this report the wording of the rule change is still being considered by the actuaries and solicitors.

2 Early retirement after 40 years service

2.1 The Report on Ministerial Remuneration presented to Assembly in 1999 recommended that normal retirement should be available at 65 years of age or after 40 years service whichever is earlier. This recommendation was concerned with removing, in the case of ministers who had completed 40 years service, the reduction in pension which normally applies on early retirement to take account of the shortfall in contributions and the longer period for which a pension would be payable. The Pension Fund rules were amended to comply with this recommendation.

2.2 Subsequently, a question was raised concerning the fact that a male minister retiring before reaching the age of 65 would have to wait for a period before becoming entitled to the State Pension. The Sub-Committee was requested to consider whether the Church should make additional payments in the pre-65 period to make up this shortfall in income. The Sub-Committee decided against doing so.

2.3 At the 2000 Assembly, following a motion under Standing Order 3b, the Sub-Committee agreed to reconsider its decision.

2.4 The Sub-Committee has considered this matter again and is not minded to change its previous decision. The changes to pension benefits and retirement housing arrangements, introduced in response to the recommendations of the Review Group on Ministerial Remuneration, give a significant advantage to ministers who have completed 40 years service by comparison with other ministers retiring early after a considerable number of years service (albeit not 40 years). Furthermore, the Review Group on Ministerial Remuneration carried out a thorough review of all aspects of remuneration and pensions and did not propose this change and the Sub-Committee considers that it is not appropriate to introduce changes not recommended by the Review Group so soon after the review.

2.5 The decision of the Sub-Committee was referred to the Ministries Committee, which has concurred with the Sub-Committee’s view.

3 Surviving spouse benefit

3.1 At the 2000 Assembly, by notice under Standing Order 7a, the Sub-Committee was asked to review the following sentence in the URCMPF rule 22.2:

‘The pension (of a surviving spouse) will be subject to reduction on the advice of the Actuary if the surviving spouse is more than ten years younger than the member.’

By:

(1) establishing the cost for the removal of this reduction with regard to present pensioners;

(2) establishing the cost for the removal of this reduction with regard to future pensioners;

(3) discussing the implications of the present rule with the Equal Opportunities Committee; and

(4) bringing a report and proposal to the Assembly in 2001.

3.2 Advice received from the Actuary is that the costs under (1) and (2) would be £30,000 and £60,000 respectively. The Equal Opportunities Committee has not identified any legal objection to the sentence in rule 22.2.

3.3 When changes to rules are contemplated, cost is not normally a primary consideration. The first consideration is whether the change is fair and reasonable. The rule is a normal element of pension fund rules and recognises a circumstance in which a surviving spouse pension could be payable for a very long period. Members might see unfairness in providing for such a benefit for a particular beneficiary, looking at the membership as a whole. For that reason a line is drawn – and the ten year rule is the normal safeguard.

3.4 The Sub-Committee is not persuaded that there is any reason to depart from normal practice and does not propose that any change should be made to the rules of the URCMPF.

4 Pension sharing on divorce

4.1 Following a change in the law the Courts can now direct that, as at the date of a divorce, a transfer value can be calculated and split between the member and ex-spouse in specified proportions. The member’s benefit is then reduced and the ex-spouse can seek to secure a pension benefit either in the fund in which the benefit originates, or elsewhere.

4.2 There are administrative difficulties in allowing the benefit to the ex-spouse of a member to be provided through the URCMPF and in accepting a transfer value which has been subject to a divorce court ‘splitting’ award. It is not proposed to allow this within the URCMPF rules. The rules will be amended in due course to make provision for the new regulations.

5 AVC flexibility

5.1 Following a change in Inland Revenue practice it is now possible to allow flexibility in the timing for drawing the benefit from Additional Voluntary Contributions (AVCs). In the light of this change the Pension Fund Trustees have agreed that the rules of the fund should be changed to allow members to defer the drawing of AVC benefits up to the age of 75 (the limit permitted by the Revenue) if they so wish.

5.2 This change has been implemented and members have been notified. The appropriate change to the rules has to be made within two years.

Resolution 28 - Plan for Partnership

General Assembly amends the Plan for Partnership by the inclusion of the words in italics in Appendix B Note 2, which will then read:

Allowances specifically ‘in lieu of manse accommodation’

This minor change to the Plan for Partnership is required to recognise the fact that in Scotland, under the terms of Statutory Instrument 1992 No 1331 (S128) Council Tax Regulations, the local church is responsible for the payment of Council Tax even if the minister owns his or her own house.