Good article by Zac Koons, "Priests are not paid to do anything".
But I've just been doing some sums.
Most priests are not paid to do anything six days a week.
But some benefices aren't big enough to justify not paying a priest to do anything full time.
Apparently a half-time priest is 3 days plus Sundays. So that's the priest not being paid to do anything four days a week. The logic of this is that a priest could not do two half-time jobs as it would equal eight days a week. Unless they are not paid to do anything twice at the same time. Or somebody renames Saturday to be another Sunday.
And a "House for Duty" priest is not paid at all, 18 hours a week (2 days plus Sundays).
The logical end point of all this is that if a priest only doesn't do anything 2 days a week they should pay the diocese for the privilege. Somewhere in a diocesan church office, someone is probably already drawing up the job specification.
If a house doesn't pay a priest to do anything 2 days plus Sundays, then the stipend of a half-time priest is only not paying for the remaining 1 day. Since a priest only needs to have one house at a time, it would be possible to have 2 (or, indeed, up to 4) part-time jobs with each one merely adding 1 day to the lack-of-work-load.
ReplyDeleteI would be happy to not be paid for half-time work except that I have other commitments for the remaining half-time, and I'm no good at sums.
ReplyDeleteI work perhaps half-time on a voluntary basis as LLM - and don't claim expenses, unless I've had to purchase something for the parish, not for my ministry.
ReplyDeleteI live in my own, bought and paid for house, from when I was in full time employment, and it gives a freedom that perhaps even a HFD doesn't enjoy.
I have support from within the small ministry team and wider from among the congregation. I also work outside the parish on a Deanery project, which in the main, requires a listening ear, personal empathy and the ability not to judge.
I know that some people are paid for this sort of thing, but I really think that being paid for what is a privilege and brings grace along with it would somehow devalue what I can offer with only myself.