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LETTER OF AGREEMENT between
St. C Church
and
The Reverend John Doe
who has been appointed Vicar with the understanding that this tenure is to continue until dissolved by the Bishop or by mutual consent or by arbitration and decision as provided by the relevant Canons of the Diocese of Central Florida and of the Episcopal Church.
PREAMBLE
The Vicar shall lead St. C Church as pastor, priest and teacher, sharing in the councils of this diocese and of the whole Church, in communion with our Bishop. By word and action, informed at all times by the Holy Scriptures, the Book of Common Prayer, and the Constitution and Canons of the Episcopal Church and the Diocese of Central Florida, the Vicar shall proclaim the Gospel, love and serve Christ's people, nourish them, and strengthen them to glorify God in this life and in the life to come.
Between the seventh and twelfth month of the Vicar's tenure at St. C Church the Vicar and Vestry Committee agree to an initial review of their ministry together. This review shall include a reevaluation of the materials used in the search process, especially the Parish Profile and the Profile of the Vicar as a way of clarifying expectations and establishing goals for the coming year. When completed, a summary of this review shall be forwarded to the Bishop of Central Florida.
SECTION A - TIMES OF WORK AND LEAVE
(1) The Vicar's work includes not only activities directed to the parish and its well being, but also labors on behalf of the Diocese and community. In general, no more than three evenings per week are expected. The Vicar is expected to preserve at least one continuous twenty-four hour period each week solely for personal and family use, preferably - whenever possible - two.
(2) The Vicar will have the following periods of leave at full compensation:
(a) National Holidays, to be taken so as not to interfere with worship for major occasions.
(b) One month Annual Vacation, consisting of twenty-four workdays, which shall include four Sundays. Vacation time shall not be carried forward unless by written agreement with the Vestry Committee prior to the end of each calendar year.
(c) Continuing Education Leave, at the rate of two weeks per year.
(d) Sabbatical Leave, generally after seven years of service, may be arranged between the Vestry Committee and the Vicar, insuring benefits for the Parish and the Vicar and in accordance with Diocesan guidelines. Sabbatical leave ordinarily is between three and six months, during which time full benefits shall be continued.
SECTION B - COMPENSATION
(1) The Vicar's annual compensation package (including salary and housing allowance) will be $________, paid monthly (or twice monthly) on or before the _______ day of the month, to be reviewed and adjusted annually in light of changes in the Consumer Price Index and the current Diocesan clergy salary guideline. Upon the Vicar's request, the Vestry Committee will designate a portion of the total cash salary as "Housing Allowance" under provisions of the Federal Internal Revenue Code.
(2) The Vicar shall receive an additional 7.65% of the compensation package (including salary and housing allowance) to offset the Self Employment Tax paid monthly.
(3) The Vestry Committee shall pay the following benefits:
(a) Church Pension Fund assessment as required by canons (18% of compensation) on the sum of the Vicar's total annual cash salary and housing allowance, plus the Vicar's Self Employment Tax Reimbursement.
(b) Health and Hospital Insurance, equivalent to or better than the group plan provided through the Diocese.
(c) Group Life and Accidental Death and Dismemberment Insurance through the Diocese, or equivalent to or better than the group plan provided through the Diocese.
(d) Workers' Compensation Insurance, as required by Florida State Law.
SECTION C - EXPENSES
The Vestry Committee shall pay the following expenses incurred by the Vicar in fulfilling the duties of office:
(1) Travel expenses under an accountable reimbursement plan not to exceed $______annually, [or a travel allowance of $_____ per month, to be reviewed annually in terms of actual travel expenses].
(2) The normal expenses of the church's office operation, such as telephone, postage, office equipment, supplies, secretarial services, etc.
(3) An expense allowance (up to $______annually) for reimbursement of expenses incurred in the course of professional activities on behalf of St. C Church.
(4) A Continuing Education Allowance of at least $_____per year, to be reviewed annually and paid to or on behalf of the Vicar toward expenses incurred in relation to Professional Development Leave. The parish further agrees to participate in the Continuing Education Fund in the Diocese (which provides $200 per year when matched by a $200 contribution from the parish and $100 from the Vicar).
SECTION D - DISCRETIONARY FUND
In accordance with the canons of the Episcopal Church, a Discretionary Fund is to be established as a parish account but under the Vicar's sole control equal to the undesignated offering received at the celebration of the Holy Eucharist on one Sunday in each calendar month, as well as gifts given to the Vicar for the purposes of the Discretionary Fund.
SECTION E - SUPPLEMENTARY COMPENSATION
(1) The Vicar shall not charge fees for performing any rites of the Church (for example, baptisms, marriages, and funerals) for members of St. C Church.
(2) The Vicar may, however, receive income from other sources, such as:
(a) Sacramental services on behalf of persons not in any way related to St. C Church.
(b) Fees and honoraria for professional services performed on personal time for groups unrelated to St. C Church, or for sermons, books or articles published outside the parish.
SECTION F - USE OF BUILDINGS
In addition to use and control of the Church and Parish buildings for the discharge of duties of the Vicar's office, as provided by canon law, the Vicar shall have the right to grant use of the buildings to individuals or groups from outside the parish, following guidelines approved by both Vicar and Vestry Committee.
SECTION G - MUTUAL MINISTRY REVIEW
The Vicar, Wardens and Vestry Committee agree to an annual discussion and mutual review of the total ministry of the parish, in order to:
Provide the Vicar, Wardens and Vestry Committee opportunity to assess how well they are fulfilling their responsibilities to each other and to the ministry they share.
Establish goals for the work of the parish for the coming year.
Isolate areas of conflict or disappointment, which have not received adequate attention and may be adversely affecting mutual ministry.
Clarify expectations of all parties to help put any future conflicts in manageable form.
A mutually agreed upon third party may be engaged to facilitate the mutual ministry review process.
SECTION H - OTHER AGREEMENTS
(1) The Vicar agrees to comply with all risk management policies of the Diocese of Central Florida including a background check and training on issues of Sexual Misconduct.
(2) The Vicar agrees to participate for one year in the diocesan program for clergy in new cures called Fresh Start.
(3) St. C Church shall pay all moving and travel expenses incurred in making the move from _________ to _________. The Vicar and Vestry Committee shall mutually agree to the specific moving contract. The moving date shall be mutually agreed to.
(4) The Vicar shall begin duties in the parish not later than _______________, unless delayed by adverse circumstances.
(5) All pay and benefits shall become effective on ________.
(6) This Letter of Agreement shall be made part of the minutes of the next Vestry Committee meeting following its signing, and copies shall be given to each new Vestry Committee member.
(7) In the event of the Vicar's death, the Vestry Committee agrees to continue payment of the Vicar's compensation package, and appropriate health and hospital insurance to the Vicar's surviving direct dependents for a period of _____ months.
(8) This letter may be revised by mutual agreement at the time of the annual mutual ministry review, except that compensation and expenses revisions shall be mutually agreed upon in a separate budget process.
(9) If the Vicar and Vestry Committee are in disagreement concerning interpretation of this Letter of Agreement, either party may appeal for mediation to the Bishop of Central Florida or another mutually agreed upon third party, the Bishop remaining the final arbiter.
_______________ _________________________ Date Vicar
_______________ _________________________ Date Senior Warden
_______________ Approved:________________________ Date Bishop
Please Note: This model is adapted from "Called to Work Together: A Manual on Letters of Agreement for Clergy and Congregations", by Richard L. Ullman, available for the Church Deployment Office. This revision date: August, 2001.
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