Negotiating terms of call, part 1

There are a lot of factors that go into the successful negotiation of the "terms of call" when a pastor is in transition.

When I say "terms of call" I mean those things which would, in other fields, be included in the contract. For the most part, however, there is no "contract" in the pastorate. [In the PCA, there is typically a letter, stating the agreed-upon terms, which is sent to the presbytery for approval.] This list includes things like:

• Cash salary
• Housing allowance
• Salary-related benefits (including health insurance, life insurance, retirement savings, etc.)
• Other benefits (including continuing education or book allowances, ministry-related expense accounts, other similar benefits)
• Vacation and/or other paid time off
• Other quirky terms

Over the coming weeks, I want to focus on some of these and discuss (yes, really discuss-- if you have any thoughts, post them please!) what the goals should be, how to understand them better, and how to negotiate them to the best end result.

(Notice I did not specify what perspective I want to reflect on; that's because I actually want to look at both sides of the negotiations-- the candidate-pastor's and the candidate-church's.)

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