Policies of the Diocese of Iowa

 

I.       PURPOSE: Professional Development Leaves are for the purpose of encouraging professional growth and an increased competence of the clergy and lay professionals, which will contribute to the life and work of the Church in the Diocese of Iowa. Leaves may be granted for the regular study at any academic level in a college, university or seminary, for research in a specific area of the Church’s Life, or for other creative work which will benefit the Church in the Diocese of Iowa.

II.      EXPECTATION AND ELIGIBILITY: It is the expectation of the Diocese that every full-time cleric (priest or deacon) and lay professional design at least one short-term leave no less than once every three years and one long-term leave between the fifth and tenth years of having served in the Diocese of Iowa. 
          Any canonically resident cleric or resident lay professional in the Diocese of Iowa who is actively exercising his/her ministry, whether in a parish, mission, diocesan institution or otherwise in the employ of the diocese, shall be eligible, except that before a leave may be granted the applicant must have completed a minimum of five years in his/her present position or cure.
          While the expectations and conditions are applicable to all clerics and lay professionals in the Diocese, the specifics of this policy refer to those people who are requesting funding. The policy is not meant as a limitation to be placed on any parish who would choose to independently support their clerics or lay professionals in more generous compensation and benefits. 

III.     CONDITIONS: The applicant for leave must agree to return to his/her present position or cure for a period of at least one year following the completion of the leave. After completion of one long-term leave, the cleric shall not be eligible for another long-term leave until a period of at least five years shall have elapsed. At the end of all leaves, the cleric shall complete a form and send it to the Bishop who will share it with the Professional Development Leave Committee. This form, “Professional Development Leave Report,” obtainable from the Bishop’s office, will request a summary of activities and an analysis and evaluation of the leave as originally proposed. 
          It is expected that no more than four such leaves will be granted during any one year, dependent upon available funds. It is further expected that most leaves will extend for a period of one academic term, commencing either in September or January. However, for research or other creative work which does not necessarily conform to an academic calendar, other scheduling arrangements (ranging from one month to a maximum of six months) may be submitted to the Committee for consideration.

IV.     COMPENSATION AND BENEFITS: Compensation during the leave period shall be one-twelfth of a cleric’s or lay professional’s current annual salary, payable monthly, for each month of leave granted, and shall be paid by the parish, mission, institution, or other agency which the cleric or lay professional serves. “Current annual salary” here shall mean cash salary plus all usual added benefits such as Pension Fund premiums and automobile allowances, and any special benefits such as housing allowances or health insurance premiums, which were paid regularly by the employer before the cleric became a candidate for a professional development leave. 
          Ordinarily, a cleric on leave will be expected to have no other sources of income which would interfere in any way with the successful completion of his/her proposed leave program.

V.       SUPPLY OR REPLACEMENT: In the case of a leave granted to a priest in the parochial ministry, it shall be the duty and responsibility of the diocesan bishop or the bishop’s designee to consult with the successful applicant and his/her Vestry, or Bishop’s Committee to determine and arrange for adequate supply during the leave, for this purpose utilizing especially retired and non-parochial clergy as well as the trained layreaders of the diocese. “Adequate supply” shall here mean the kind of supply the parish or mission might arrange for itself during regular vacation periods or during interim periods when the cure is vacant, and shall normally include any provision for regular Sunday services and for emergency situations, e.g., funerals. 
          In the case of clerics in non-parochial ministries and lay professionals employed in parochial and non-parochial ministries, adequate supply will be arranged through the Bishop/Bishop’s designee and the leadership of the congregation or agency with whom the applicant shared in ministry. 

VI.      ADMINISTRATION: The Professional Development Leaves will be administered by a Committee to be appointed annually by the Bishop of Iowa in consultation with the Board of Directors of the Episcopal Corporation of the Diocese of Iowa, said Committee to be composed of five members, three of whom shall be lay persons and two of whom shall be clergy. One member of the Board of Directors of the Episcopal Corporation of the Diocese of Iowa shall be included among the five members of the Committee. The Bishop will appoint the Chair of this committee. Except in the first year, at least two members of the Committee must be persons who have served the previous year, and no member shall serve more than three consecutive years. For the term of their service on the Committee the lay professionals and clergy persons employed in the diocese shall be ineligible for leaves. 
          A cleric or lay professional desiring consideration for a leave will submit an application form describing his/her proposed program of study, research, or other creative work to the Committee. In the case of parochial clergy or lay professional, the application shall bear the endorsement of the Warden and Clerk, signifying that the matter has been presented and discussed at a meeting of the Vestry or Bishop’s Committee. 
          In the case of full-time non-parochial clergy or lay professional, the application shall bear the signatures of the corresponding officials of their institution or agency (e.g., applications from the cleric engaged in Campus Ministry would bear endorsement of Campus Ministry Committee; for Diocesan Consultants, that of the Board of Directors of the Episcopal Corporation, etc.). 

VII.    CRITERIA AND PROCEDURES:

A.    The criteria the committee will use in evaluating the request include these:  

1.    The personal growth occurring will enhance one’s ministry;
2.    The request for leave is consistent with the needs and directions of the diocese and/or general church;
3.    Grants are available regardless of applicant’s personal financial situation;
4.    Length of time since last leave request was granted.
       Also, preference may, but not necessarily, be given to cleric and lay professionals who are in full-time employment. 

B.    The following procedures will be followed by the applicant and the Committee:

1.    Applicants will complete application forms and send them to the Bishop’s office, where copies will be distributed to the Professional Development Leave Committee. Applications for long-term leave should be received at least six months before desired leave.
2.    Any member of the Committee may ask the chair to secure additional information relative to any applications, which information shall be distributed to all members of the Committee.
3.    Committee members, acting independently, will place each application in one of three categories:  

a)    those which seem to deserve support as soon as possible;
b)    those which are worthy of support, but not quite as deserving of immediate attention;
c)    those which seem not to merit support at this time. 

4.    The Committee will then meet to classify applications, giving first priority to those applications placed in Category “a” by all five Committee members, giving second priority to those placed in Category “a” by four members and in Category “b” by five members, etc. The Committee shall then list its choices according to these priorities, with further investigation and discussion, if necessary.

5.    The consideration of applications to this point shall be without regard to availability of supply or other possible problems raised by the applicant’s absence from his/her position or cure.
6.    The Chair of the Committee shall report the choices to the Bishop and shall consult with the Bishop’s designee, to acquaint them with the situation and plans of each successful applicant. The Bishop, in turn, will consult with the applicant, his/her Vestry or Bishop’s Committee, etc., and with available clergy to arrange adequate supply.
In the event the applicant’s Vestry, Bishop’s Committee, etc., is reluctant to agree to the proposed leave, the Bishop may ask the Professional Development Leave Committee to meet with them to explain the program, the reasons for supporting this particular application, and to assure the group that they will be adequately provided for during the leave.
7.    The Bishop shall have full discretion within the limits of funds available to modify or waive any of the above conditions.
8.    A written rationale will be provided by the Bishop to those individuals whose requests have been denied. The request may be submitted the following year.  

VIII. IMPLEMENTATION: Financial support for this program may be divided into three categories:

A.    Provision for salary (and other benefits) during leaves;
B.    Provision for the cost of supply or replacement during leaves;
C.    Provisions for tuition and other educational expenses during leaves.  

          Under the terms of the program, the cost of A would be borne by the congregation, institution, or employing organization. The cost of B would be provided by the Diocese. The cost of C would be shared by the cleric and the Diocese, with the expectation that funds in the form of grants, fellowships, and scholarships, would also be available from various and sundry sources.
 

1.    If a long-term Professional Development Leave has been completed within a past year, no short-term in-service may be granted. If an application is anticipated or has been made and is pending, no grant may be made for in-service leave until that Professional Development Leave application has been resolved.
2.    As nearly as practicable, the in-service grant may be up to two-thirds of the expenses as listed by the application.
3.    Priest applicants shall be responsible for arranging Sunday supply should the short-term program require absence from the parish over a weekend.
4.    The Vestry/Bishop’s Committee shall be in full knowledge of the application and approval will normally be expected to accompany the application. Approval denotes willingness to pay for priest’s Sunday supply.
5.    The length of a “short-term” or “in-service” leave may vary from a short seminar type meeting up to a limit of four full weeks.
6.    Any such leave shall not be taken as part of the cleric’s or lay professional’s vacation time.
7.    The Bishop shall have full discretion within the limits of funds available to modify or waive any of the above conditions.
8.    Determination of grants shall be made by the Bishop based upon recommendations from the Professional Development Leave chair and at least two other members of this committee.
9.    All clerics and lay professionals will receive these guidelines when entering the Diocese of Iowa. The Professional Development Leave Committee will give first priority to clerics and lay professionals who have not requested leaves and/or funds for the last three years before considering those who have had recent year requests. 
 

 

 

          BE IT RESOLVED, that, for stipendiary clergy who have served in full-time cures in the Diocese of Iowa for five years or more immediately prior to retirement, and who retire from that service at Medicare-eligible age, the Diocese will provide in 2011 $85 per month toward the enhanced health supplements provided retirees by the Church Pension Fund. This sum will be reduced by 10% annually over ten years at which time the subsidy will end.
          If the cure has been part-time, this subsidy will be proportionate to the time (40%, 50%, 75%, etc.) spent in compensated ministry.
          Special circumstances may be discussed privately with the Bishop. 
 

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Purpose: The Revolving Fund exists to foster new and renewed growth.

Background: The people of the Diocese, in the early 1960’s, raised in excess of $1,000,000 through the Episcopal Expansion Fund Drive, and by Convention action earmarked $370,000 as a Revolving Fund for new mission work, and for expansion and renovation of existing facilities in growth situations.

Policy and procedure: The Revolving Fund does not have unlimited funds. That these limited funds may be used across as broad a front as possible in the mission of the Diocese of Iowa, the following policies and procedures will be followed:

1. Loan applications are available from the Episcopal Diocese of Iowa, 225 Thirty-seventh Street, Des Moines, Iowa 50312. Request and complete the appropriate one of the following Revolving Fund Loan Applications:
     a. Purchasing Land Site, Purchasing Existing Building, and/or New Construction on New Land Site
     b. Remodeling, Improving or Adding to Existing Building
     c. Repairs and maintenance of existing property

2. Return the completed application to the Episcopal Diocese of Iowa at least 90 days prior to the date when the funds will be needed to begin the project. The application will be referred to the Commission on Church Property, Architecture and Allied Arts. Incomplete applications may incur delays and be returned for additional information.

3. The purpose of the fund is to foster growth. The application shall indicate that the congregation has plans that envision a visible, vital and viable presence in the community. If no such plans exist the congregation shall indicate a willingness to work with diocesan consultants to develop an appropriate plan.

4. Except under extraordinary circumstances the congregation shall have conducted a fund raising campaign for the proposed project before applying for a Revolving Fund Loan.

5. The loan application shall include a resolution from the Vestry (or Bishop’s Committee) authorizing the officers of the congregation to arrange the loan.

6. In order to enable the limited assets of the Revolving Fund to assist as many congregations as possible the borrowing congregation shall seek commercial loans before requesting a Revolving Fund Loan. Where a commercial loan is unavailable or insufficient the congregation may request a Revolving Fund Loan. Endowed parishes shall look to their endowment before considering a Revolving Fund Loan.

7. The borrowing congregation shall demonstrate that it is meeting its Diocesan obligations by consistently paying its Stewardship Share and that it will continue to do so during the term of the loan.

8. The maximum amount of the loan shall be $100,000.

9. Loans are granted for a maximum period of ten years.

10. The rate of interest shall be the posted New York prime rate plus 2% fixed for the term of the loan on the date the loan is made.

11. Loans are to be repaid in equal monthly payments consisting of principal and interest according to a standard mortgage loan amortization schedule. Repayment of the loan shall begin the month after the funds have been disbursed by the diocese.
Accelerated payments will retire the loan early and reduce the total amount of interest paid but will not change the monthly payment due prior to retirement of the loan.

12. Borrower is required to maintain insurance coverage on the property and to require certificates of insurance from Contractors.

13. Borrower is required to obtain lien waivers from Contractors, Sub-contractors, and Suppliers before or at the time that payment for the material or services is made to them. Borrower shall maintain lien waivers for inspection by the lender at lender’s request. 
 

1. Loan applications will be accepted at the Diocesan Office in accordance with the Revolving Fund Guidelines (Revised) and submitted to the Commission on Church Property, Architecture, and Allied Arts.

2. The Commission on Church Property, Architecture, and Allied Arts will examine the application. 

3. If the application meets the criteria established in the guidelines the Commission on Church Property, Architecture, and Allied Arts will approve the loan, request that the Treasurer disburse the funds and notify the Board of Directors.

4. If the application is incomplete or does not meet the established guidelines the application will be returned.

5. The requesting congregation may resubmit the application. If the Commission on Church Property, Architecture, and Allied Arts is still not satisfied that the guidelines have been met the application will be submitted to the Board of Directors for decision at their next regularly scheduled meeting.