Home / About Us / Who We Are / Our Executive Leadership Team and Board / Canons

Canons

Our Executive Leadership Team and Board

Title I, Canon 8: The clergy pension system

Sec. 1 The Church Pension Fund, a corporation created by Chapter 97 of the Laws of 1914 of the State of New York as subsequently amended, is hereby authorized to establish and administer the clergy pension system, including life, accident and health benefits, of this Church, substantially in accordance with the principles adopted by the General Convention of 1913 and approved thereafter by the several Dioceses, with the view to providing pensions and related benefits for the Clergy who reach normal age of retirement, for the Clergy disabled by age or infirmity, and for the surviving spouses and minor children of deceased Clergy. The Church Pension Fund is also authorized to establish and administer the lay employee pension system and denominational health plan of the Church, substantially in accordance with the principles adopted by the General Convention of 2009 in Resolution 2009-A177, with the view to providing pensions, health care and related benefits for the eligible Clergy and eligible lay employees of this Church, as well as their eligible beneficiaries and dependents.

Sec. 2 The General Convention at each regular meeting shall elect, on the nomination of a Joint Committee thereof, twelve persons to serve as Trustees of The Church Pension Fund and shall also fill such vacancies as may exist on the Board of Trustees. Except for a Trustee filling a vacancy, the term of service of a Trustee shall begin at the adjournment of the regular meeting of the General Convention at which the Trustee was elected and expire upon the adjournment of the second regular meeting of the General Convention following. Any person who has been elected as a Trustee by General Convention for twelve or more consecutive years shall not be eligible for reelection until the next regular meeting of the General Convention following the one in which that person was not eligible for reelection to the Board of Trustees. Any vacancy which occurs at a time when the General Convention is not in session may be filled by the Board of Trustees by appointment, ad interim, of a Trustee who shall serve until the next session of the General Convention thereafter shall have elected a Trustee to serve for the remainder of the unexpired term pertaining to such vacancy.

Sec. 3 For the purpose of administering the pension system, The Church Pension Fund shall be entitled to receive and to use all net royalties from publications authorized by the General Convention, and to levy upon and to collect from all Parishes, Missions, and other ecclesiastical organizations or bodies subject to the authority of this Church, and any other societies, organizations, or bodies in the Church which under the regulations of The Church Pension Fund shall elect to come into the pension system, assessments based upon the salaries and other compensation paid to Clergy by such Parishes, Missions, and other ecclesiastical organizations or bodies for services rendered currently or in the past, prior to their becoming beneficiaries of the Fund. For the purpose of administering the lay employee pension system and denominational health plan, The Church Pension Fund shall be entitled to collect from all Parishes, Missions, and other ecclesiastical organizations or bodies subject to the authority of this Church, and any other societies, organizations, or bodies in the Church which under the regulations of The Church Pension Fund shall elect to come into the lay employee pension system, assessments and/or contributions based upon the salaries and other compensation paid to eligible lay employees by such Parishes, Missions, and other ecclesiastical organizations or bodies, determine the eligibility of all Clergy and lay employees to participate in the denominational health plan through a formal benefits enrollment process, and The Church Pension Fund shall be entitled to levy upon and collect contributions for health care and related benefits under the denominational health plan from all Parishes, Missions, and other ecclesiastical organizations or bodies subject to the authority of this Church with respect to their Clergy and lay employees.

Sec. 4 The pension system shall be so administered that no pension shall be allotted before there shall be in the hands of The Church Pension Fund sufficient funds to meet such pension, except as directed by the General Convention in 1967.

Sec. 5 To every Member of the Clergy who shall have been ordained in this Church or received into this Church from another Church, and who shall have remained in service in the office and work of the Ministry in this Church for a period of at least twenty-five years, and in respect of whom the conditions of this Canon shall have been fulfilled in the payment of assessments on such reasonable basis as The Church Pension Fund may establish under its Rules of Administration, The Church Pension Fund shall provide a minimum retiring allowance the amount of which shall be determined by the Trustees of the Fund, and shall also provide surviving spouses’ and minor children’s allowances related thereto. In the case of a Member of the Clergy in whose behalf assessments shall not have been fully paid for a period of at least twenty-five years, The Church Pension Fund shall be empowered to recompute the aforesaid minimum retiring allowance and the other allowances related thereto at a rate or rates consistent with the proper actuarial practice. The Trustees of The Church Pension Fund are hereby empowered to establish such Rules and Regulations as will fulfill the intention of this Canon and are consistent with sound actuarial practice. Subject to the provisions of this Canon, the general principle shall be observed that there shall be an actuarial relation between the several benefits; provided, however, that the Board of Trustees shall have power to establish such maximum of annuities greater than two thousand dollars as shall be in the best interest of the Church, within the limits of sound actuarial practice.

Sec. 6 An Initial Reserve Fund, derived from voluntary gifts, shall be administered by The Church Pension Fund so as to assure to clergy ordained prior to March 1, 1917, and their families, such addition to the support to which they may become entitled on the basis of assessments authorized by this Canon as may bring their several allowances up to the scale herein established.

Sec. 7 The action of the Trustees of the General Clergy Relief Fund, in accepting the provisions of Chapter 239 of the Laws of 1915 of the State of New York authorizing a merger with The Church Pension Fund, upon terms agreed upon between said two Funds, is hereby approved. Any corporation, society, or other organization, which hitherto has administered clergy relief funds, may to such extent as may be compatible with its corporate powers and its existing obligations, and in so far as may be sanctioned in the case of diocesan societies by the respective Dioceses, merge with The Church Pension Fund, or if merger be impracticable, may establish by agreement with The Church Pension Fund the closest practicable system of co-operation with that fund. Nothing herein contained shall be construed to the prejudice of existing corporations or societies whose funds are derived from payments made by members thereof.

Sec. 8 Women ordained to the Diaconate prior to January 1, 1971, who are not employed in active service on January 1, 1977, shall continue to have the benefit of their present provisions for pension protection at the expense of their employers, through the Pension Plan for Deaconesses provided by the Church Life Insurance Corporation, or through some other pension plan providing equivalent or better guarantees of a dependable retirement income, approved by proper authority. Women ordained to the Diaconate prior to January 1, 1971, and who are employed in active service on or after January 1, 1977, shall be entitled to the same provisions for pension protection as other Deacons based on prospective service on or after January 1, 1977. Women ordained to the Diaconate on or after January 1, 1971, shall be entitled to the same pension protection as other Deacons.

Sec. 9 The General Convention reserves the power to alter or amend this Canon, but no such alteration or amendment shall be made until after the same shall have been communicated to the Trustees of The Church Pension Fund and such Trustees shall have had ample opportunity to be heard with respect thereto.

Title III, Canon 9: Resignation at age 72

Sec. 8 On reaching the age of seventy-two years, a Priest shall resign from all positions in this Church, and the resignation shall be accepted. Thereafter, the Priest may accept any position in this Church, including, with the permission of the Ecclesiastical Authority, the position or positions from which resignation pursuant to this Section has occurred; provided,

  1. tenure in the position shall be for a term of not more than twelve months, which term may be renewed from time to time,
  2. service in the position shall have the express approval of the Bishop of the Diocese in which the service is to be performed, acting in consultation with the Ecclesiastical Authority of the Diocese in which the Priest is canonically resident.
  3. Anything in this Canon to the contrary notwithstanding, a Priest who has served in a non-stipendiary capacity in a position before resignation may, at the Bishop’s request, serve in the same position for a term not to exceed twelve months thereafter, and this term may be renewed.

Denominational Health Plan
2009 General Convention Resolution A177

Resolved, the House of Deputies concurring, That this church establish The Denominational Health Plan of this church for all domestic dioceses, parishes, missions, and other ecclesiastical organizations or bodies subject to the authority of this church, for clergy and lay employees who are scheduled to work a minimum of 1,500 hours annually, in accordance with the following principles:

  1. The Denominational Health Plan shall be designed and administered by the Trustees and officers of The Church Pension Fund, following best industry practices for comparable plans;
  2. The Denominational Health Plan shall provide that, subject to the rules of the plan administrator, each diocese has the right to make decisions as to plan design options offered by the plan administrator, minimum cost-sharing guidelines for parity between clergy and lay employees, domestic partner benefits in accordance with General Convention Resolution 1997-C024 and the participation of schools, day care facilities and other diocesan institutions (that is, other than the diocese itself and its parishes and missions) in The Denominational Health Plan;
  3. The Denominational Health Plan shall provide benefits that are comparable in coverage to those benefits currently provided by the domestic dioceses and parishes of this church;
  4. The Denominational Health Plan shall provide equal access to healthcare benefits for eligible clergy and eligible lay employees;
  5. The Denominational Health Plan shall provide benefits through The Episcopal Church Medical Trust, which shall be the sole plan sponsor for such benefits and continue to be operated on a financially sound basis;
  6. The Denominational Health Plan shall have a church-wide advisory committee that is representative of the broader church and appointed by The Church Pension Fund, and such church-wide advisory committee shall receive an annual report about the status of The Denominational Health Plan;
  7. For purposes of this Resolution, the term "domestic" shall mean ecclesiastical organizations and bodies located in the United States, including the Dioceses of Puerto Rico and Virgin Islands;
  8. The Church Pension Fund shall continue to work with the Dioceses of Colombia, Convocation of American Churches in Europe, Dominican Republic, Ecuador Central, Ecuador Litoral, Haiti, Honduras, Micronesia, Taiwan and Venezuela to make recommendations with respect to the provision and funding of healthcare benefits of such dioceses under The Denominational Health Plan; and
  9. The implementation of The Denominational Health Plan shall be completed as soon as practicable, but in no event later than by the end of 2012; and be it further

Resolved, That Canon I.8 shall be amended as follows:

Sec. 1 The Church Pension Fund, a corporation created by Chapter 97 of the Laws of 1914 of the State of New York as subsequently amended, is hereby authorized to establish and administer the clergy pension system, including life, accident and health benefits, of this Church, substantially in accordance with the principles adopted by the General Convention of 1913 and approved thereafter by the several Dioceses, with the view to providing pensions and related benefits for the Clergy who reach normal age of retirement, for the Clergy disabled by age or infirmity, and for the surviving spouses and minor children of deceased Clergy. The Church Pension Fund is also authorized to establish and administer the lay employee pension system and denominational health plan of the Church, substantially in accordance with the principles adopted by the General Convention of 2009 in Resolution 2009-A177, with the view to providing pensions, health care and related benefits for the eligible Clergy and eligible lay employees of this Church, as well as their eligible beneficiaries and dependents.

Sec. 3 For the purpose of administering the pension system, The Church Pension Fund shall be entitled to receive and to use all net royalties from publications authorized by the General Convention, and to levy upon and to collect from all Parishes, Missions, and other ecclesiastical organizations or bodies subject to the authority of this Church, and any other societies, organizations, or bodies in the Church which under the regulations of The Church Pension Fund shall elect to come into the pension system, assessments based upon the salaries and other compensation paid to Clergy by such Parishes, Missions, and other ecclesiastical organizations or bodies for services rendered currently or in the past, prior to their becoming beneficiaries of the Fund. For the purpose of administering the lay employee pension system and denominational health plan, The Church Pension Fund shall be entitled to collect from all Parishes, Missions, and other ecclesiastical organizations or bodies subject to the authority of this Church, and any other societies, organizations, or bodies in the Church which under the regulations of The Church Pension Fund shall elect to come into the lay employee pension system, assessments and/or contributions based upon the salaries and other compensation paid to eligible lay employees by such Parishes, Missions, and other ecclesiastical organizations or bodies, determine the eligibility of all Clergy and lay employees to participate in the denominational health plan through a formal benefits enrollment process, and The Church Pension Fund shall be entitled to levy upon and collect contributions for health care and related benefits under the denominational health plan from all Parishes, Missions, and other ecclesiastical organizations or bodies subject to the authority of this Church with respect to their Clergy and lay employees.

2012 General Convention Resolution B026

Resolved, That the 77th General Convention acknowledges and commends the 94% of domestic dioceses (United States, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands) which have already enrolled in the Denominational Health Plan, and further commends those dioceses which have achieved parity between clergy and lay employees; and be it further

Resolved, That the 77th General Convention reaffirms that all domestic dioceses, parishes, missions, and other ecclesiastical organizations or bodies subject to the authority of this church be enrolled in the Episcopal Church Medical Trust by December 31, 2012; and be it further

Resolved, That the 77th General Convention commends the Episcopal Church Medical Trust for progress made toward containing health care premium costs, and urges it to continue to reduce the disparity in those costs among dioceses; and be it further

Resolved, That the Episcopal Church Medical Trust continues to explore alternative strategies to arrive at a more equitable sharing of health care premium costs, including alternative means of achieving such equity by December 31, 2015, and that the Episcopal Church Medical Trust make an annual written report to the Executive Council, the House of Bishops, the Board of Directors of the Episcopal Church Medical Trust, and the Board of Trustees of the Church Pension Fund detailing continuing progress in containment of costs and achievement of such equity; and be it further

Resolved, That within each diocese, parity in cost-sharing shall be achieved between their clergy and lay employees as soon as possible, but no later than December 31, 2015.

Lay Employee Pension System
2009 General Convention Resolution A138

Resolved, the House of Deputies concurring, That this Church establish a mandatory lay employee pension system for employees who are scheduled to work a minimum of 1,000 hours annually for any domestic Diocese, Parish, Mission or other ecclesiastical organization or body subject to the authority of the Church, in accordance with the following principles:

  1. The lay employee pension system shall provide benefits that shall, initially, include defined benefit plan(s) and defined contribution plan(s);
  2. If a defined benefit plan is selected, the employer assessment and/or contribution shall be not less than nine (9) percent of the employee's compensation; if a defined contribution plan is selected, the employer shall contribute not less than five (5) percent of the employee's compensation and match at least four (4) percent of the employee's contributions. The Trustees of The Church Pension Fund shall have the authority to increase or decrease the assessment and/or contribution percentages required for the lay pension system;
  3. Existing defined benefit plans will be permitted to continue as long as their plan design delivers pension benefits not less than the pension benefits required by this Resolution, as determined by the plan administrator. If the plan does not provide the pension benefits required by this Resolution, such plan shall be amended to provide for such pension benefits no later than January 1, 2012.
  4. The lay employee pension system shall be designed and administered by the Trustees and officers of The Church Pension Fund; the investment managers of the system shall initially include, but not necessarily be limited to, The Church Pension Fund and, in the case of a defined contribution plan offered to school employees, TIAA-CREF;
  5. The lay employee pension system will be operated on a financially sound basis, as determined by the Trustees of The Church Pension Fund;
  6. Other societies, organizations, or bodies in the Church not mandated to participate may, under the regulations of The Church Pension Fund, elect to come into the lay employee pension system;
  7. No right or obligation to have assessments paid on compensation paid prior to plan participation will be part of the mandatory lay employee pension system;
  8. Service in The Episcopal Church prior to plan implementation shall be recognized for vesting purposes;
  9. The implementation of the mandatory lay employee pension system shall be completed no sooner than January 1, 2011 and no later than January 1, 2012; and
  10. Further study be undertaken by The Church Pension Fund on the feasibility of inclusion of overseas Episcopal dioceses in the lay employee pension system and report back to the 77th General Convention; and be it further

Resolved, That Canon I.8 shall be amended as follows:

Canon 8: Of The Church Pension Fund

Sec. 1 The Church Pension Fund, a corporation created by Chapter 97 of the Laws of 1914 of the State of New York as subsequently amended, is hereby authorized to establish and administer the clergy pension system, including life, accident and health benefits, of this Church, substantially in accordance with the principles adopted by the General Convention of 1913 and approved thereafter by the several Dioceses, with the view to providing pensions and related benefits for the Clergy who reach normal age of retirement, for the Clergy disabled by age or infirmity, and for the surviving spouses and minor children of deceased Clergy. The Church Pension Fund is also authorized to establish and administer the lay employee pension system and denominational health plan of the Church, substantially in accordance with the principles adopted by the General Convention of 2009 in Resolution 2009-A177, with the view to providing pensions, health care and related benefits for the eligible Clergy and eligible lay employees of this Church, as well as their eligible beneficiaries and dependents.

Sec. 3 For the purpose of administering the pension system, The Church Pension Fund shall be entitled to receive and to use all net royalties from publications authorized by the General Convention, and to levy upon and to collect from all Parishes, Missions, and other ecclesiastical organizations or bodies subject to the authority of this Church, and any other societies, organizations, or bodies in the Church which under the regulations of The Church Pension Fund shall elect to come into the pension system, assessments based upon the salaries and other compensation paid to Clergy by such Parishes, Missions, and other ecclesiastical organizations or bodies for services rendered currently or in the past, prior to their becoming beneficiaries of the Fund. For the purpose of administering the lay employee pension system and denominational health plan, The Church Pension Fund shall be entitled to collect from all Parishes, Missions, and other ecclesiastical organizations or bodies subject to the authority of this Church, and any other societies, organizations, or bodies in the Church which under the regulations of The Church Pension Fund shall elect to come into the lay employee pension system, assessments and/or contributions based upon the salaries and other compensation paid to eligible lay employees by such Parishes, Missions, and other ecclesiastical organizations or bodies, determine the eligibility of all Clergy and lay employees to participate in the denominational health plan through a formal benefits enrollment process, and The Church Pension Fund shall be entitled to levy upon and collect contributions for health care and related benefits under the denominational health plan from all Parishes, Missions, and other ecclesiastical organizations or bodies subject to the authority of this Church with respect to their Clergy and lay employees.

EXPLANATION

Resolution D165, approved by the 1991 General Convention, stated:
Require Episcopal Church Bodies to Provide a Pension Plan for Lay Employees

Resolved, the House of Bishops concurring, That all Parishes, Missions, and other ecclesiastical organizations or bodies subject to the authority of this Church, and any other societies, organizations, or bodies in the Church which under the regulations of The Church Pension Fund have elected or shall elect to come into the pension system, shall provide all lay employees who work a minimum of 1,000 hours annually retirement benefits through participation in the Episcopal Church Lay Employees Retirement Plan (ECLERP) or in an equivalent plan, the provisions of which are at least equal to those of ECLERP. Such participation shall commence no later that January 1, 1993. At its commencement, if the plan is a defined benefit plan, the employer contribution shall be not less than 9 percent of the employee's salary; if the plan is a defined contribution plan, the employer shall contribute not less than 5 percent and agree to "match" employee contributions of up to another 4 percent; and be it further

Resolved, That the employer may impose a minimum age of 21 years and a minimum employment period not to exceed one year of continuous employment before an employee would be eligible to participate; and be it further

Resolved, That the Trustees of The Church Pension Fund shall have authority to increase or decrease the contribution percentages required for the lay pension plan; and be it further

Resolved, That each Diocese of this Church shall implement this resolution by Diocesan Canon or appropriate resolution.

Since 1991, there have been several other Resolutions which addressed this issue. Most recently, in 2006, General Convention, in Resolution A125, said, in pertinent part:

Resolved, That the Convention authorize and request the Church Pension Group to conduct a survey of lay employees concentrating on employee demographics, the exercise of authority in the employment setting, and compensation and benefits. The Bishop or other ecclesiastical authority of each diocese shall be requested to supply relevant data for each employing unit in the diocese to the Church Pension Group. The findings of the survey and any recommendations for action, if appropriate, shall be reported to the 76th General Convention; and be it further

Resolved, That the Office of Ministry Development take the lead in determining the best way to conduct a feasibility study examining whether pension benefits for lay employees should be made compulsory and be administered by a single provider. The results of said study shall be reported, along with recommendations for action, if appropriate, to the 76th General Convention.

The Task Force to Study Employment Policies and Practices in The Episcopal Church has conducted the requested study and has determined that the 1991 Resolution has been complied with to a substantial degree (approximately 80% of the domestic dioceses, two-thirds of congregations and 93% and 70%, respectively, of the eligible lay employees), but many hundreds of eligible employees remain uncovered and there are considerable inequities, as for example, 77% of eligible male employees are covered while only 68% of females are.

It is simply time to live up to the commitment of the church in 1991. The cost of pension coverage described in the 1991 Resolution and herein would be, on average, 6/10s of 1% of parish budgets, with the cost for the smallest congregations approximately 1%, which congregations are least likely to have eligible employees.

2012 General Convention Resolution C042

Resolved, That the implementation of the mandatory lay employee pension system established in 2009 by the 76th General Convention, which further implemented the action of the 1991 General Convention, be amended as follows:

  1. In the case of defined contribution plans of domestic schools subject to the authority of the Church, serving children of any age, all employees scheduled to work at least 1000 hours a year must be a part of either the Lay Employee Pension Plan of the Church Pension Fund or a TIAA-CREF plan.
  2. The minimum contribution that such schools must make to a defined contribution pension plan for each qualified employee is identified by the following table:
    Effective Date Contribution Match
    January 1, 2013 0% 0%
    January 1, 2014 1% 0%
    January 1, 2015 2% 1%
    January 1, 2016 3% 2%
    January 1, 2017 4% 3%
    January 1, 2018 5% 4%
  3. If a school's contributions to employee pensions are already above the minimum required contribution or match percentage for any year, the school shall not lower the contribution or match in the defined contribution pension program.

1991 General Convention Resolution D165

Resolved, the House of Bishops concurring, That all parishes, Missions, and other ecclesiastical organizations or bodies subject to the authority of this Church, and any other societies, organizations, or bodies in the Church which under the regulations of The Church Pension Fund have elected or shall elect to come into the pension system, shall provide all lay employees who work a minimum of 1,000 hours annually retirement benefits through participation in the Episcopal Church Lay Employees Retirement Plan (ECLERP) or in an equivalent plan, the provisions of which are at least equal to those of ECLERP. Such participation shall commence no later than January 1, 1993. At its commencement, if the plan is a defined benefit plan, the employer contribution shall be not less than 9 percent of the employee's salary; if the plan is a defined contribution plan, the employer shall contribute not less than 5 percent and agree to "match" employee contributions of up to another 4 percent; and be it further

Resolved, That the employer may impose a minimum age of 21 years and a minimum employment period not to exceed one year of continuous employment before an employee would be eligible to participate; and be it further

Resolved, That the Trustees of The Church Pension Fund shall have authority to increase or decrease the contribution percentages required for the lay pension plan; and be it further

Resolved, That each Diocese of this Church shall implement this resolution by Diocesan Canon or appropriate resolution.

You will be redirected to a new tab for live remote support. Please confirm you're on a call with a Client Services team member to continue.

Continue