D018 Task Force on Lay Pension Parity
Resolved, the House of ________________ concurring,
That the 81st General Convention, pursuant to Joint Rule VII, create the Task Force on Lay Pensions (TFLP), whose mandate includes, but is not limited to, (1) determining what further steps are needed to ensure a greater degree of pension parity for Lay employees of the Church, (2) determining what barriers may exist to obtain this goal and (3) discerning what the Church, the General Convention, and the Church Pension Group can do to pursue opportunities to achieve greater pension parity, and (4) submitting any resolutions to the 82nd General Convention as it may deem appropriate to address this mandate; and be it further
Resolved, That the Task Force begin its work no later than January 1, 2025, with the Task Force concluding its work at the conclusion of the 82nd General Convention, unless its mandate is extended by the 82nd Convention; and be it further
Resolved, That this Task Force issue a detailed report of its finding to the 82nd General Convention; and be it further
Resolved, That this Task Force be appointed jointly by the Presiding Officers, with 13 members, three of whom shall be bishops, three of whom shall be clergy, and seven lay persons, with at least one member of the task force having been a current or former lay employee in the Lay Defined Benefit Plan; and be it further
Resolved, That the Church Pension Group shall appoint a representative to serve as a consultant to the Task Force; and be it further
Resolved, That the General Convention request that the Joint Standing Committee on Program, Budget and Finance consider a budget allocation of $30,000 for the implementation of this resolution.
Explanation
Lay employees of the Church are governed under a separate pension plan to Clergy given the age differences between the funds and applicable laws, leading to practical difficulties in providing fair parity between Lay and Clergy benefits. This creates a justice issue in the Church where lay employees are frequently not able to enjoy retirement benefits comparable to those of their Clergy counterparts.
While recognizing that actual parity is unlikely to be achieved in the near future given the age and practical differences between the plans, we believe the Church must do a better job of finding a fairer path forward for lay benefit plans, including addressing issues such as COLA increases, vesting requirements, and the rate at which Church employers contribute to lay plans in the Church Pension group.
Given the complexities presented, we believe a Task Force is the best route to study this issue in greater detail, to foster a conversation between the Church and the Church Pension Group, to present a report on how we can work together to find a better path forward at the next General Convention, and to determine what steps the Church can take to aid the Church Pension Group in addressing this important issue.
It is vital that we as a Church treat our lay employees with the same respect and dignity as our clerical employees–not just in our actions, but in our compensation models – and to seek to improve the benefits given to paid lay members of the Church who daily toil to support our Church and its mission.