MANY ANOMALIES

Evening Post, Volume CXX, Issue 116, 12 November 1935, Page 12

MANY ANOMALIES

MINISTERS 1 STIPENDS

PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH

"AX UXCEETAIX SOUXD'

The General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church decided today to set up a committee to |n into the question of ministerial stirards and those of other church officers. It was contended in an overture from Westland that the present payment by the Church of her permanent servants is based on varying and often unexamined principles, and that some are gravely perturbed lest at this time of social and economic questioning the Church be making by her internal practice in these matters a false witness to society. The overture stated, further, that some advocated that ministerial salaries be calculated and paid according to relative needs in reI lation to the yearly resources of the whole national community. In view of these and other circumstances the Westland Presbytery asked the Assembly to appoint a committee: —(a) To review the principles upon which ministerial stipends and those of the Church's other agents are at present calculated; (b) to inquire what principles of payment and appointment are most consonant with the Gospel and the service of its ends; (c) to collect and publish evidence on these matters. LEAD BY THE CHURCH. Speaking on behalf of the Westland Presbytery, the Rev. A. Richards said that behind the overture was the realisation, or at any rate, the certain conviction of the members of that presbytery, that the world was looking to the Church for a lead and guidance as to the right basis for the distribution of the annual resources of the world. At present the Church gave no guidance, because even those within the Church were as confused as those outside. They were confused in principle, and therefore they were confused in practice, and their practice being confused, it gave a confused witness to the world. Their trumpet gave forth an uncertain sound. The overture, continued Mr. Richards, was not an advocacy of any particular principle, or much less of any particular method. It had merely arisen from the belief that they should know their own minds in the matter. Further, it was not an interference with the work of the State or with matters within the province of the State. The overture did not imply any particular theory of economics or any particular theory of the relationship of Church and State, beyond the belief that it was their duty as a church, both in word and in practice, to witness to the world. The Rev. S. W. Webber, who supported Mr. Richards, contended that it was very essential that the Christian principles in regard to the matter should be stated clearly and without hesitation. "EXTRAORDINARY ANOMALIES." The Rev. L. H. Ker (Wanganui) formally moved that the prayer of the overture be granted, and the committee on standing committees be instructed .to name and set up a committee in terms of the overture. The subject of stipends, said Mr. Ker, was one which touched a great many of them very intimately, and it was one which also was thorny. It might be approached from different points of view. The point of view he wished to stress was in respect to the social conscience of the Church. At present there were extraordinary anomalies in the remuneration and support of the ministry of their Church. They gave their voice, continued Mr. Ker, in support of the Christianisation of the social order. That was a phrase which fell very easily from their lips, but how could they go on repeating such a phrase in sincerity if conditions existed which were not an expression of the Christian principle of bearing one another's burden and the strong helping the weak, but were rather more often just the line of least resistance or the first obvious answer to a difficult problem? He thought they should take the overture as a challenge to the social conscience of the Church. The line or solution which he should like to see suggested was that of making the ministry of their Church a service somewhat similar to the foreign mission service or the home mission service, in which the elements of cupidity, selfishness, or of implied self-interest on the part of ministers would as far as possible be eliminated. The Rev. S. C. Francis (East Taieri) seconded the resolution, which was carried.