Evening star., 1948-05-30
Presbyterian Body
Urges Churches 10
Raise Pastors Pay
By Cospor Names
Stor Stoff Correspondent

SEATTLE, Wash, May 29.-The
160th General Assembly Of the Pres
byterian Church in the U. S. A.,
meeting here today, called on its
churches throughout the country to
bring ministerial salaries into line
with the high cost Of living.
The action was taken despite a
report by the Committee on Bills
and Overtures that such a move be
passed by as one belonging in the
jurisdiction of local presbyteries.
The resolution, presented by the
Presbytery of Donegal, Pa, pointed
out the cost of living had advanced
approximately 66 per cent from
1910 to 1948 and approximately 10
per cent from January /, 1947, to
January !, 1948."
Asserting that "many congrega-
lions have not recently considered
their responsibility toward their
pastor" in giving him a living wage,
the resolution directed the moder-
ator and stated clerk of each pres
bytery "to present to the session
of each church within their juris-
diction, the matter of pastors SAL
aries and sharply increased cost OF
living" 1t further asked the mod
orator and stated clerk to consult
with the board of trustees of in
oividual churches toward making
any desired adjustment.
Committee Inactivity Hit.
4 During the debate, Samuel c.
Slaymaker, lay commissioner from
Lancaster, Pa, declared the COM
rlittee studying this question for
two years has been inactive. In
those two years, the cost of living
has gone up 80 per cent. Ministers
cannot eat on unreported reports. y
A substitute motion superseding
the committees recommendation
was then offered by the Rev. George
II. Shea of Quarryville, Pa, and
passed by the assembly.
SThe action was one consonant
with the efforts of the church to
meet the increasing shortage of
ministers for many Presbyterian
pulpits throughout the country.
1000 Ministers Left Pulpit.
More than 1000 fully ordained
ministers have deserted the pulpit
for other occupations within the
past few years, the council on theo-
logical education reported to the
assembly. They have become den-
fists, paint statesmen. osteopaths,
bank tellers, real estate agents, Gov
ernment employees, vacuum cleaner
salesmen and chemists among other
occupations. The report pointed
out the whole picture of our pas
torless fields today could be changed
II this II per cent of the church S
ministers now out of the pulpit
were in it.
A memorial, inspired by the recent
marriage of Lana Turner to Henry
j. Bob Topping by Presbyterian
minister, urging the assembly Ito
take appropriate action to the end
that the standards of our church
with regard to marriage of divorced
persons be scrupulously observed
was by-passed as being a question
for the local presbytery to act on.
Details of the 1949 benevolence
budget for 1850, ,086 were discussed
today by the assembly. Further dis
cussion of the budget, which is an
increase Of approximately $1,500,000
over the 1948 one, will take place
Monday with vote on the measure
to be taken Tuesday. Frank H.
Totten, a lay commissioner from
New York and a vice president of
the Chase National Bank of New
York, presented the budget report
to the assembly.
IA Million to Be Raised.
A total of $14,359 1885, a million
dollars more than 1948, is to be
raised by the churches; $4,000, 600
an increase of $4,000, by the wo-
mans organizations, and $2,000,000
a decrease of $4,145, from other
sources. The Baltimore Synod, to
which the Washington City Pres
bytery belongs, will be asked to
raise $1,294,1O0
Sums to be allotted to different
agencies within or associated with
the church are: National missions
S8.209,679 foreign missions, $7,172,-
585; Christian education, $2,446, ,549
pensions, $613,6l3; theological edu-
cation, $685., 900; American Bible So
ciety, $4,000, and the Federal Coun-
Gil of Churches, $4,000.
It was announced today that the
117-year-old privately owned mag
azine the Presbyterian" has been
merged with the newly instituted
presbyterian Life" official organ OF
the church. First issue of the COM
bined magazines will be the June
number. Presbyterian Life" was
authorized by the general assembly
last year and put out its first issue
on February IA, 1948.
Washington city Presbytery COM
missioners appointed to the stand
ing committees are: The Rev.
George H Yount. pastor of First
Church, Arlington, Va, and Elder
Jennings E. Brown of Vienna, Va,
pensions; the Rev. J. Hillman Holl-
lister, pastor of Chevy Chase Church,
nominations; the Rev. James F.
Lundquist, pastor of LeWinsvlle
Church, Mclean. Va. Theological