awesome.

Yes. A paltry 4% reduction in salary. Now they have to get by on ONLY $120,000 per year.

At my retirement income of $960/month, that sounds pretty good.

That's not solidarity. That's token. Especially when some of the elders are taking cuts under minimum, and many local pastors are receiving less than minimun on that scale. When the cut is to less than 100,000, then It would be impresseive and there would be real sacrifice in what they're doing.

I applaud the decision. I don't think it is token when they not only took the reduction but also voted to forego a raise as well. How many of you complaining would vote to cut your pay?

As for having to live on $960/month, sounds like some better retiirement planning would have been beneficial.

Ouch, Stan. Chill out.

clegy despite rhetoric are underpaid. These are people with master degrees and they make very little compared to the secular world. But yet we are accussed of being materialistic. Sad.

The standard used to be that an Elder was compensated about the same as a school teacher. The graduate school hours are more in line with an attorney or MD after residency than a teacher, even if the teacher does have their MS. Many pastors have spouses who are teachers, nurses or something comparable. They are more comfortable with that ... See Morehousehold income than sole income clergy homes.
There are many who came into ministry mid-career, whose spouses do not work for health reasons, who live on minimum compensation and will work till the mandatory retirement age because of it. Additional education does not always mean increased compensation for their efforts either.
The Cabinets could consolidate more of our small congregations into circuits and cease employing local hires/other denoms for some of our churches. The option of pushing out Local Pastors has happened in some Conferences too. Most Cabinets will continue to appoint Elders to small, financially struggling congregations that then have trouble meeting their shared giving goals. Pastors are kept at minimum comp for years that way but the small churches still have "their own" pastor. No recipe for improving clergy morale in that.