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General Assembly 2006: Duty to Consider: extension of full-time stipendiary service beyond the 65th birthday

Explanatory note

1. The General Assembly in 1997 resolved that:-

• Ministers should normally retire from full time stipendiary service not later than six calendar months from the date on which they attain the age of 65

• In exceptional circumstances a minister may remain in full time service for a maximum of three years beyond the age of 65. The application shall be supported by the pastorate, and receive concurrence of District Council before the agreement of the Accreditation Sub-Committee is sought. Ministers should make application for such an extension by the date of their 64th birthday.

2. In 2002 General Assembly resolved that;

• Full time stipendiary service for Ministers and CRCWs should cease at the end of the month in which a person reaches her/his 65th birthday.

• However the option to stay in full time service for a maximum of three years beyond the age of 65 remained.

The ‘exceptional circumstances’ were set out in Reports to Assembly 1997 (Paragraph 3.7) as follows:

As we bring this resolution however we are aware that there are sometimes circumstances in which it may be desirable for a minister to continue, albeit for a limited period. For example a minister might be drawing near to the end of a particular project or piece of work and need to spend a year or two to bring it to conclusion; or a District Council might be planning a new grouping of churches in a particular area and it might be felt desirable for a minister to remain for a short while to see plans through to fruition; or a minister, coming into ministry later in life, might have just a year to go to qualify for retired ministers' housing; or a minister's spouse might have a short period to go to retirement.

3. Under the draft Employment Equality (Age) Regulations 2006 the United Reformed Church is expected to have a duty to consider applications to remain   in paid service after the Church’s normal retirement age. In addition, the 2005 Assembly asked for attention to be given to issues relating to age discrimination in the policies of the Church and the proposers of the relevant Resolution specifically referred to the age of ministerial retirement. The Ministries Committee therefore proposes a revision of the existing procedure. 

4. It is proposed that any Minister/CRCW who so chooses may apply to continue in full time stipendiary service after their 65th birthday and receive sympathetic consideration. We also propose the removal of the upper age limit for final retirement. The factors set out in 1997 will still be deemed relevant. We believe however that the Church should also have regard to the impact of requests for later retirement on its finances and the potential opportunities for Ministers and CRCWs preparing for service. A very large surge of requests for later retirements could potentially have significant impacts in these areas.

5. Some former Congregational Union of Scotland Ministers have different retirement arrangements from other United Reformed Church Ministers and these would remain in place. 

Retirement Age (Objective Justification)

a) As a not for profit organisation, reliant on voluntary contributions, the United Reformed church has a duty towards those who serve as office holders to ensure that the number requiring financial support either through stipend, pension or housing provision does not exceed the funds available to meet those costs.

b) The United Reformed Church has to take into account the deployment needs of particular Synods and geographical areas when making decisions concerning an individual’s retirement.

c) The United Reformed Church determines to operate no policy that will curtail the introduction of newly ordained and commissioned ministers.

d) The United Reformed Church trains people for ministry over a four-year period. This means that any workforce planning requires a long-term strategic approach.

e) The United Reformed Church believes that a set retirement age for those in ministerial service is justified because it offers a predictable factor upon which to base projections about minister numbers.

Duty to Consider: extension of full-time stipendiary service beyond the 65th birthday

Procedure

General Assembly approves the adoption of the following procedure for the duty to consider extension of full time stipendiary service by a Minister of Word and Sacraments or a Church Related Community Worker beyond the retirement age set by the United Reformed Church.

1. In the month of a Minister’s 64th birthday the payroll office shall confirm the expected date of retirement as the end of the month in which he/she is 65.

2. If a Minister does not wish to retire on that date he/she must apply for an extension of full time service for a maximum of three years.

3. He/she shall speak to the Synod Moderator and thereafter submit an application for an extension of full time service to the appropriate Council of the Church, which from July 2007 will be Synod.

4. On receipt of the application, the appropriate Synod Committee shall consult with the Minister, Moderator, Elders of the Church/es/post and the Church Meeting(s), where the Minister is in a pastorate, to see whether or not the individual circumstances warrant an extension of full time stipendiary service. circumstances to be considered shall include:

• a Minister drawing near to the end of a particular project or piece of work who might need to spend a year or two to bring it to a conclusion;

• plans for  a new grouping of churches in a particular area where it is felt desirable for the Minister to remain for a short while to see plans through to fruition;

• a Minister, coming into ministry later in life, who might have just a short time to go before qualifying for retired ministers' housing;

• a Minister whose spouse has a short period to go before retirement.

5. If the Council agrees with the request, the Minister's application, together with an account of the particular circumstances and a record of both the local church's/post’s support and that of the Synod, will be sent to the Secretary for Ministries for a decision by the Accreditation Sub-Committee. In reaching this decision the Accreditation Sub-Committee shall consider the     individual circumstances alongside the overall responsibility of the United Reformed Church to monitor Minister numbers so that:

(a) the financial responsibility to support the ministerial work force is not threatened; and

(b) the introduction of newly ordained and commissioned ministers is not curtailed.

6. The Secretary for Ministries shall inform the Synod and the Minister of the   decision of the Accreditation Sub-Committee. If the decision is to accept an extension then a new date of retirement shall be agreed.

7. A year before the revised date of retirement, the payroll office shall once again write to the Minister and if a further extension of full time stipendiary service is requested the United Reformed Church must consider the request. The procedure set out above will therefore be repeated.