Professional Church Workers

The 2010 Ohio District - LCMS Compensation Guidelines are now available. In order to allow each congregation and school to set salaries for their workers based on their local economy, the Guidelines were developed based on starting salaries of your local public school district.

There is more to providing for your workers than just salary. Please spend sufficient time reviewing the Guidelines in their entirety as they address the entire spectrum of Human Resources.

If your congregation is unable to meet these Guidelines, we strongly encourage that a plan be put in place that will meet the Guidelines in three to five years. Please do not put them aside as "impossible." Our Professional Church Workers are a great asset to our congregations and schools and deserve to be compensated in a fair and equitable manner.

Net Worth is, simply, the difference between what you own and what you owe. It is also known as a Balance Sheet. The Net Worth can be determined by subtracting the liabilities (what you owe) from the assets (what you own).

This worksheet provides information about where your money comes from and where it goes. The expense portion lumps many categories together on purpose - to help you determine categories of spending.

The budget is one of the most misunderstood documents. It is usually thought of as restrictive, but it should be seen simply as a tool. It's how money is handled, and how decisions are made, on a monthly basis. A budget helps ensure that your spending is in line with your pre-determined priorities. It is also flexible and should adapt to your changing situation.

The Retirement Cash Flow Projection worksheet is a method to consider what your income and expenses will be before and after retirement. Even if you are young and retirement is a long way off, you should complete this worksheet periodically (perhaps every 5 years). As retirement nears (probably at least 10 years before the date) the frequency should increase so that within 5 years of retirement it will be completed on an annual basis (even more often in the last year before retirement). Any time you complete it, use current dollar amounts (don’t try to project inflation, etc.). As you complete it over time the figures will naturally adjust with your lifestyle.