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Vicar Letter of Agreement
between the Bishop of Virginia (in cooperation with the Vestry Committe of________________________ ) and _____________________________(Vicar)
Preamble
The Vicar shall lead ________________ Church as
pastor, priest, and teacher, sharing in the councils of this congregation and of
the whole Church, in communion with the Bishop. By word and action, informed at
all times by the Holy Scriptures, the Book of Common Prayer, and the
Constitution and Canons of the General Convention of our Diocese, the Vicar
shall proclaim the Gospel, love and serve Christ’s people, nourish them, and
strengthen them to glorify God in this life and in the life to come.
Section A – Times of Work and Leave
- The Vicar’s work includes not only activities directed to the parish and
its well being, but also labors on behalf of the Diocese and community. The
Vicar’s scheduled workweek is five and one half (5 ½) days, which shall
include Sunday activities. The Vicar is expected to preserve at least one
continuous twenty-four hour period each week solely for personal and family
use.
- The Vicar will have the following periods or leave at full compensation:
a. National holidays, at the discretion of the Vicar, to
be taken so as not
to interfere with worship for
major occasions.
b. Four calendar weeks annual vacation plus – see
addendum
c. Up to two calendar weeks continuing education leave
each year.
d. One month after two years of service in this parish
for sabbatical
leave.
e. As in addendum
f. See Sec. E, last paragraph
Section B – Compensation
- The Vicar’s annual cash salary will be $_______ paid bi-monthly
or monthly and to be reviewed and adjusted annually.
- The Vestry shall pay the following benefits:
a. Church Pension Fund Assessment on the sum of the
Vicar’s total annual
cash salary (including Housing
Allowance)
b. Health and Hospital Insurance, equivalent to or
better than the group plan
c. Group Life and Accidental Death and Dismemberment
Insurance.
d. Workers’ Compensation Insurance, as required by
Commonwealth Law.
- The Vicar shall have full use of the Vicarage at ________________ as a personal residence or a housing allowance of
$_______ per year, including utilities. It is understood that, upon
the Vicar’s request, the Vestry will designate a portion of the total
cash salary as "Housing Allowance" under the Federal Internal
Revenue Code.
- One half social security shall be paid per year to the Vicar as a salary
supplement.
Section C – Expenses
The Vestry shall pay the following expenses incurred by the Vicar in
fulfilling the duties of office:
- Normal local travel expenses up to $_______ annually for use
of his/her privately owned vehicle (excluding one round trip per day
between home and the church).
- The normal expenses of the church’s operation, such as telephone,
postage, office equipment, supplies, secretarial services.
- A Continuing Education Allowance of at least $_______ per
year, to be reviewed annually, set aside in a special account, and paid to
or on behalf of the Vicar toward expenses incurred in relation to
continuing education leave.
Section D – Discretionary Fund
In accordance with the canons of the General Convention, a Discretionary Fund
is to be established under the Vicar’s sole control.
Section E – Supplementary Compensation
The Vicar shall not charge fees for performing any rites of the Church (for
example, baptisms, marriages, and funerals) for members of ________________ Church. The Vicar may, however, receive income from
other sources, such as:
- Sacramental services on behalf of persons not in any way related to ________________ Church.
- Fees and honoraria for professional services performed on personal time
for groups unrelated to ________________ or for sermons,
books, or articles published outside the parish.
The Vicar may engage in non-parish activities up to a total of 14 days per
year, which shall not be counted against any leave time (Assigned to Section A,
2F)
Section F – Use of Buildings
In addition to use and control of the church and parish buildings for the
discharge of duties of the Vicar’s office, as provided by canon law, the Vicar
shall have the right to grant use of the buildings to individuals or groups from
outside the parish, following guidelines approved by both the Vicar and Vestry.
Section G – Revision
This letter may be revised by mutual agreement at the time of the annual
mutual ministry review or as deemed necessary by the Bishop, the Vestry, and
Vicar. Compensation and other expense revisions shall be mutually agreed upon in
a separate budget process.
Section H – Other Agreements
- All moving and travel expenses incurred in making the move from ________________
to ________________, Virginia shall be paid by ________________.
- This agreement shall be effective ________________, ______ and supersedes
all previous agreements.
- It is the expectation of the Bishop of Virginia that the vicar participate
in the Fresh Start Program of the Diocese of Virginia.
Section I – Ministry Review
There shall be an annual discussion and mutual review of the total ministry
of the parish in order to:
- Provide the Bishop, Vicar, Wardens and Vestry opportunity to assess how
well they are fulfilling their responsibilities to each other and to the
ministry they share.
- Establish goals for the work of the parish for the coming year.
- Isolate areas of conflict or disappointment that have not received
adequate attention and may be adversely affecting mutual ministry.
- Clarify expectations of all parties to help put any future conflicts in
manageable form.
- A mutually agreed upon third party may be engaged to facilitate the
ministry review process.
Section J - Separation
This agreement may be dissolved:
- At the discretion of the Bishop.
- By the Vicar, giving 60 days notice to the Bishop and the Vestry
Committee.
_________________________________________
Vicar
_________________________________________
Senior Warden
_________________________________________
Bishop of Virginia (Deputy)
Date: _______________________
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