The Committee met in two meetings to discuss and prepare the following legislation for the approval of the 106th Annual Conference. (First Reading)
The Committee recommends the following forms of call to be used by Bible Fellowship Church Agencies:
(1) Call for Bible Fellowship Church Agencies
“The (agency name) being on sufficient grounds, well satisfied of the qualifications of you, (name of candidate), and having good hopes from our knowledge of you that your training, experience, and ministrations in the gospel will be profitable to this work, do earnestly call and desire you to undertake the office of (position title) in this BFC ministry, promising you in the discharge of your duties, all proper support, and encouragement.
“And that you may be free from worldly care and avocations, we, on our part, promise and oblige ourselves to pay you the sum of $(salary) yearly in regular payments during the time of your service as the (position title) of this ministry and (no. of weeks) vacation each year.
“And we agree to pay or continue to pay semi-annually into the Ministers’ Retirement Fund that requisite percentage of your salary that Annual Conference may require you to pay.
(The following is optional)
“And we agree to pay, or continue to pay annually a sum equivalent to that self-employment tax as may be levied on you by the Congress of the United States under the Federal Insurance Contribution Act.
“And we agree to pay, or continue to pay, for the Health and Welfare benefits offered by Annual Conference.
(An optional paragraph may be inserted at this location relative to housing arrangements/allowance).
“And we promise and oblige ourselves to review with you the adequacy of this compensation annually.
“In testimony whereof we have respectively subscribed our names this (date) day of (month) A.D. (year).
(2) Call to a Minister to Serve Bivocationally
The Scriptures indicate that it is normal for ministers of the Gospel to be fully supported in the work of the ministry; to be able to give their full time and energy to the ministry. According to the Bible such support is their right and is the obligation of the church, the Lord’s people.
From biblical times to the present, in some circumstances and at certain times, ministers have been willing to serve bivocationally–to provide part or all of their and their families’ support through supplemental employment other than the ministry.
While the Bible Fellowship Church approves of calls to ministers to serve bivocationally, it counsels churches, agencies and ministers that such calls should be regarded as the exception rather than the rule, that no man ought to be coerced or pressured into accepting a bivocational call, that any man who serves in the ministry “at his own expense” should be regarded with great appreciation and full respect, that churches and agencies that are able to provide full support ought to do so, that the minimum salary recommendation adopted by the Annual Conference be taken seriously, that a careful and candid review of the adequacy of compensation provided under a bivocational call be scrupulously held annually between the parties at the initiative of the church or agency and that the church or agency make every effort to increase the amount of support, it provides and to diminish the amount of his support provided by the minister and to provide full support just as soon as it is able to do so.
The Call
The (particular church or agency) of the Bible Fellowship Church, being on sufficient grounds, well satisfied of the ministerial qualifications of you, , and having good hopes that your ministrations in the Gospel will be profitable to our spiritual interests (to the growth and spiritual interests of the mission), do earnestly call and desire you to undertake the office of (organizing) pastor of said congregation, promising you that in the discharge of your duties we shall extend to you our prayers, respect, encouragement, partnership and obedience (oversight) in the Lord.
This is a call to you to serve bivocationally, that is, with understanding that you will provide part of your family’s support through other employment than the ministerial position to which we are calling you. In each of the areas of compensation listed below we obligate ourselves to provide what we promise and we also promise to establish goals for higher compensation when the Lord’s blessing and provision allow us to do so. We propose that we shall through negotiation, subsequent to your acceptance of the call, agree with you upon explicit limits of your service as (organizing) pastor in keeping in the demands placed on you by your supplemental employment.
We promise and oblige ourselves to pay you the sum of $ yearly in regular payments during the time of your being and continuing as the (organizing) pastor of this church (mission).
We obligate ourselves to provide you free use of the parsonage or a housing allowance of $ yearly in monthly payments and vacation each year.
And we agree to pay or continue to pay semi-annually into the Ministers’ Retirement Fund that requisite percent of said salary which Annual Conference may require you to pay into said fund.
And we agree to pay you $ annually, in four payments prior to the dates on which you must make your payments, for you to pay toward that self-employment tax levied upon you by the Congress of the United States under the Federal Insurance Contribution Act or, should you have elected not to participate in FICA, for you to use toward an alternate retirement and disablement plan.
And we agree to pay, or continue to pay, for health insurance benefits offered by Annual Conference. Should you have or obtain adequate health insurance coverage through your supplemental employment, we pledge ourselves to supplement your salary or benefits in an appropriate manner.
(At this point may be inserted any other allowances as may be mutually agreeable as part of the salary package).
We are grateful that you are willing to consider a call to bivocational service. We promise and oblige ourselves to review with you annually the adequacy of this call, to increase our provision for your support as we are able to provide full support for you in the ministry as soon as it is possible for us to do so.
In testimony whereof we have respectively subscribed our names this day of in the year of our Lord 19 .
RESOLVED, that this material be inserted into the Faith and Order (first reading) on page 107, item j.
The call shall be in one of the following forms:
(1) Call to be used by Bible Fellowship Church agencies (see material)
(2) Call to a Minister to serve Bivocationally
(3) Call to be used by a particular church (material on page 107, Faith and Order)
Committee on Agency Calling: James A. Beil, Chairman; LeRoy S. Heller, Secretary; Ronald C. Mahurin; L. James Roberts; Daniel G. Ziegler.