My pastor was terminated because of the church's financial condition. How can you terminate a faithful employee of the church after 28 years service and expect him to go into the work place and get a job? He isn't even getting any retirement pay from the church. I don't understand this.
For months now I have been reporting the nature of our declining income and the fact that such declines have forced us to drastically reduce or eliminate many headquarters functions and terminate hundreds of headquarters employees.
In fact, between 1995 and 1996 470 headquarters employees were terminated. Many of these were hard-working employees with a long history of faithful service.
Also for many months I have reported that headquarters staffs and budgets have been cut to the bone and that future cuts would have to come from field operations.
I have pointed out that even though the field ministry was a high priority, and even though cuts had come the least to the field and although they were going to come last, nonetheless, lowered income would inevitably mean fewer ministers.
Unfortunately, what you are seeing is merely the real effects of the unavoidable personnel cuts I had mentioned. These cuts should really not be surprising, considering that our yearly income is projected to be more than $100 million lower than it was at its height.
It goes without saying that we are a much smaller organization than we used to be, and our programs, staffs and even the field ministry must be downsized considerably in light of this reality.
Church Administration is working hard to make sure that no churches, even the smallest ones, are without pastors. They are doing this by instituting the lay pastor system (see article pages 10 and 11). Nonetheless, we realize that losing a salaried minister is not an easy thing, either for the minister or for the congregation he once served.
Qualifying departing ministers are given a generous financial termination package. Because Mr. Armstrong did not institute a retirement program, most are not being given retirement assistance, although a few qualify for the church's discretionary assistance program that is in place until the property sells and a formal retirement program can be implemented.
Funds for this discretionary assistance are available only if someone is near retirement age and meets other requirements, such as long tenure. Even then, funds for this program come from our daily cash flow. Again, the need for a funded retirement program is apparent here, but until the facilities sell, no funds are available for this purpose.
Although finding a new job is not easy, experience shows many former ministers will eventually find meaningful work with adequate pay. Our prayers are with our fellow ministers who find themselves again in the outside work force. Please join with us in praying for and working for a stable financial base so that more staff reductions do not become necessary.
Jan. 21, 1997, Worldwide News, page 6.
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