MINISTER'S EMOLUMENTS

Information relating to the employment package received by ministers is a matter between them and the Church which has called them. The Congregational Federation in Scotland does not seek to enforce terms and conditions relating to a minister's employment, but rather to provide guidelines, below which a full time ministry should not be maintained.

Details of the current recommended figures can be found in the Congregational Federation Yearbook copies of which are available from the Federation Offices in Nottingham.

AFFILIATION FEES

Because of the way in which the Federation has been set up, the English and Welsh areas are funded from the income from investments which formed part of their settlement when they split with the Congregationalists who went into the URC.

In Scotland, we received no such settlement and the Scottish area is funded by its constituent churches. This has meant that the affiliation fee structure between the two set ups has been different.

There are therefore two levels of affiliation fee :

1. Individual Churches throughout the UK are affiliated to the Congregational Federation through payment of a fee of £ 100 per Church and £ 3.75 per member per annum (2007). This money is sent direct to Nottingham by each Church.

2. Churches in England & Wales are asked to contribute a further amount to the Federation for the work of Ministry & Mission.

Churches in Scotland contribute to the work of the Scottish Area by means of a contribution of £ 7.50 per member per annum (2007). This money is sent to the Treasurer of the Scottish Area by each Church.

In Scotland, £ 3 of the area affiliation fee together with money collected for CWM goes to the Ministry & Mission Fund. The remainder is used to cover the administrative costs of running the area, providing loans to Churches or assisting with grant aid for the maintenance of the ministry in Scotland. Some is used to defray the cost of travel in order that all may participate in the activities.

Churches, both north and south of the border, are also encouraged to make donations to CWM for missionary work and such donations should be sent to the appropriate area treasurer.

Nationally the Federation has expenses in the form of staff wages, administrative costs, publications, training programmes, Youth & Childrens' work and Church Extension. However, the affiliation fee does not cover the cost of this work in full. It has therefore been necessary for the Federation to rely on income from other sources to make ends meet.