# Personnel Policy ### [Church Name] · Adopted by the Church Council on [date] · Reviewed [date] ## 1. Purpose and scope This policy governs employment at [Church Name]. It applies to all paid staff, including part-time employees. It does not apply to appointed clergy, whose relationship to the church is governed by *The Book of Discipline* and the annual conference, nor to volunteers. This policy is not a contract of employment and does not guarantee employment for any period. `[CHOOSE: most churches include an at-will statement here. At-will rules vary by state, and the wording matters — get this sentence from your chancellor rather than from a template.]` Where this policy conflicts with *The Book of Discipline*, the Discipline governs. Where it conflicts with the law of [state], the law governs. ## 2. Who does what - **The staff-parish relations committee** recommends staffing, sets job descriptions, conducts the annual evaluation, and recommends compensation (¶258.2). Personnel conversations happen in closed session and are confidential. - **The pastor** supervises day-to-day work `[CHOOSE: or name a different direct supervisor for each position — say which, in writing, for every role]`. - **The church council** adopts this policy and the annual budget within which compensation sits. - **The charge conference** sets clergy compensation. Any employee may raise a concern directly with the SPRC chair without going through their supervisor. ## 3. Hiring 1. The position and its job description are approved before any candidate is contacted. 2. `[CHOOSE: who interviews — SPRC, a search team, the supervisor?]` 3. **Screening.** `[CHOOSE: which positions require a background check and Safe Gatherings-type training. Recommended floor: everyone with unsupervised access to children, youth, or vulnerable adults, and everyone who handles money.]` Screening is completed **before** the first day of work, not after. 4. **Employment eligibility.** Federal law requires Form I-9 verification for every employee within the first three days of work. Use the current form and instructions from U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services — do not rely on a copy in a church file, which may be out of date. 5. **Tax forms.** Form W-4 and your state's equivalent, from the IRS and your state revenue department directly. 6. Employment begins with a written offer stating the position, compensation, the supervisor, and the start date. > **Flag, not answered here:** whether a given position is **exempt or non-exempt** > under the Fair Labor Standards Act determines whether you owe overtime, and > churches get this wrong routinely — particularly with part-time program staff and > anyone called a "director." The Department of Labor is blunt about it: "job titles > do not determine exempt status," and both the duties test *and* a salary test must > be met. Do not assume salaried means exempt. > > Note also that the **salary threshold has moved and been litigated in recent > years**, so confirm the figure currently in force rather than repeating a number > from an older document — including an older version of the DOL fact sheet itself. > Ask your conference office before the first paycheck. ## 4. Classification and hours - **Full-time** is defined here as `[CHOOSE: e.g. 30 or more hours per week]`. This number has benefits consequences — check it against your health-plan and Wespath eligibility rules before choosing it. - **Part-time** is anything below that threshold. - **Regular** vs. **temporary/seasonal**: `[CHOOSE]`. - Non-exempt employees record actual hours worked. Overtime must be approved in advance `[CHOOSE: by whom]` and is paid whether or not it was approved — approval governs discipline, not pay. ## 5. Compensation - Pay periods are `[CHOOSE: monthly / semi-monthly / biweekly]`, paid on `[CHOOSE]`. - Compensation is reviewed annually as part of the budget process, on SPRC's recommendation. Review does not imply increase. - **Clergy compensation** is set by the charge conference in consultation with the district superintendent and is not governed by this section. > **Flag:** clergy tax treatment — housing allowance, SECA rather than FICA, and > the rule that clergy are generally employees for income tax and self-employed for > Social Security — is genuinely unlike other payroll and is easy to get wrong. Use > GCFA's or your conference's guidance, and a payroll provider that knows churches. ## 6. Time away - **Holidays.** `[CHOOSE: list them. Note that Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, and Holy Week are working days for church staff in a way they aren't elsewhere — say plainly which staff work them and how that time is returned.]` - **Vacation.** `[CHOOSE: how much, how it accrues, whether it carries over, and what happens to unused vacation at separation.]` Carryover and payout rules are **state-regulated in some states** — check before writing this paragraph. - **Sick time.** `[CHOOSE]` — several states and cities mandate paid sick leave; confirm what applies to you. - **Bereavement, jury duty, parental leave.** `[CHOOSE]` - **Continuing education.** `[CHOOSE: SPRC is directed by ¶258.2 to arrange time and funding for continuing education and renewal — decide what that means for lay staff too.]` - Requests are submitted to `[CHOOSE]` at least `[CHOOSE]` in advance where foreseeable. ## 7. Conduct - Staff are expected to treat members, volunteers, colleagues, and visitors with respect, and to keep confidences — including pastoral, financial, and personnel information — both during and after employment. - **Conflicts of interest** are disclosed in writing to the SPRC chair. A staff member does not participate in a decision affecting their own compensation or that of an immediate family member. - **Church property, accounts, and information** are used for church purposes. Passwords are not shared; access is recorded in the church's account register and key log. - **Social media.** `[CHOOSE: a short statement. Keep it about representing the church and protecting confidences; policing personal accounts creates more problems than it solves.]` ## 8. Safeguarding The church maintains a separate **safe gatherings / child and vulnerable-adult protection policy**, and it governs where it applies. Every employee reads and signs it at hire, and it is re-signed `[CHOOSE: annually?]`. **Mandatory reporting.** Every employee reports suspected abuse or neglect immediately, as required by the law of [state]. Reporting is not routed through church leadership first, and no employee is disciplined for making a report in good faith. `[CHOOSE: insert your state's reporting number and any conference-required notification.]` ## 9. Grievances An employee with a concern raises it with their supervisor, or — if the concern involves the supervisor — directly with the SPRC chair. The SPRC responds in writing within `[CHOOSE]` days. Nothing in this section prevents an employee from contacting the district superintendent or a government agency. ## 10. Evaluation Every employee receives a written annual evaluation, conducted by `[CHOOSE]` and reviewed by SPRC. Evaluation is for growth and for identifying training needs; it is not the mechanism for addressing a serious problem, which is addressed when it happens. A copy is signed by the employee — signature meaning "I have read this," not "I agree" — and filed in the personnel file. ## 11. Discipline and separation - Concerns are normally addressed in escalating steps: conversation, written expectations with a date to review, then further action. - Some conduct warrants immediate action without prior steps `[CHOOSE: describe categories generally — theft, violence, abuse, falsifying records — without writing an exhaustive list, which invites the argument that anything unlisted is permitted]`. - **Termination** requires `[CHOOSE: SPRC consultation? SPRC approval?]`. Consult your conference office or chancellor **before** terminating anyone. - On separation: final pay per [state] law, return of keys and property, removal from all accounts in the church's register, and an exit conversation where possible. ## 12. Personnel records The church keeps a personnel file for each employee containing the job description, offer letter, signed policy acknowledgments, evaluations, and employment dates. - Files are kept `[CHOOSE: where — a locked cabinet or an access-restricted drive]`, accessible to `[CHOOSE: the pastor and the SPRC chair]`. - **Medical and disability-related information is filed separately** from the general personnel file. - **I-9 forms are filed separately** from personnel files. - Retention: `[CHOOSE — retention periods are set by federal and state law and vary by document type; get the schedule from your conference or chancellor rather than inventing one.]` ## 13. Acknowledgment > I have received and read the personnel policy of [Church Name]. I understand it > is not a contract of employment and that it may be revised. > > Employee: ______________________ Date: __________ > > Supervisor: ____________________ Date: __________ --- **This is a starting point, not legal advice.** Employment law varies by state, and your annual conference may have policies that go beyond the Discipline. Before you rely on anything here for a hiring, firing, or compensation decision, run it past your conference office or chancellor. Paragraph references are to the 2020/2024 Book of Discipline. This document paraphrases; for the binding text, see the Discipline itself. From Itineracy Commons — https://itineracy.app/commons/forms/personnel-policy/ Licensed CC BY 4.0. Adapt it freely; keep the attribution. Last updated 2026-07-22.