In this feature we seek out answers to questions of broad interest, drawing on experts in congregations, the UUA, and elsewhere. If you would like to submit a question, please write to InterConnections.

Q. Our small fellowship has moved from employing a minister half time to two-thirds time for next year. a) Does a minister, whether part-time or full-time, get the same amount of money for professional expenses like books, etc.? Does the expense allowance go up as his salary goes up?  b) Also, how often should we expect her to preach if she is two-thirds time? Some of us had assumed three times a month. Or should we just figure out how many Sundays we meet each year and ask him to preach for two-thirds of  that number?

A. The terms of a minister's responsibilities and how the compensation is allocated are negotiated at the time of settlement and annually thereafter, says the Rev. Ralph Mero, the UUA's church staff finances director. Most congregations allow some latitude in how the funds are allocated to best serve the total ministry of the congregation, as well as the minister's financial well-being.

The amount of total compensation that a minister will wish to allocate to professional expenses varies considerably. It is typical for newer ministers to need more in their professional expense account for books, journals, conferences, continuing education, etc. More seasoned ministers may wish to allocate less to professional expenses and more to retirement contributions.

It is also typical for full-time parish ministers to be relieved of preaching one Sunday a month. If a congregation has 44 Sunday services a year, a minister engaged three-quarter time might be responsible for preaching on 27 to 30 of those Sundays, but this should be negotiated between the minister and the congregation. There is no hard and fast rule, and when we start counting hours, that is usually a symptom of some other matters that need attention.

UUA compensation guidelines consider 12 units of service a week as full-time ministry, with a unit consisting of a morning, afternoon, or evening devoted to parish duties. Some units are light while some are long and exhausting.

John Weston, the UUA's ministerial settlement director, adds the following: Congregations often find it tempting to ask a part-time minister to preach full-time and perform the other ministerial functions part-time. Such expectations rarely work out well.

Consider this. In a full-time ministry, the tasks of composing and delivering sermons and planning and participating in services probably consume one-third of a minister's time. If a minister is half-time, the expectation that the minister carry a full-time preaching load means that two-thirds of the minister's time is devoted to sermons and services. Very little time is left over for pastoral care, outreach to new and potential members, leadership and leadership development, work with committees, and the myriad of additional arts and tasks a minister is called upon to exercise. Thus it is wise to expect a part-time minister to perform every minsterial function less than full-time.

Q. Our congregation moved to a new location and adopted a new name. Our old church banner became obsolete, and we want to create a new one. When I attended General Assembly for the first time, I could see there's a uniform size and shape and even a "plumber's pipe" support to display it when carried. Please, what is the recipe for church banner size, shape, and other requirements?

A. The banner parade, one of the high points of General Assembly each year, involves a procession of banners from most of the congregations attending. The fabric banners are three yards long by 32 inches wide. See the GA banner page for all the information you need to construct a banner. Also included are instructions on making a pole support on which to carry the banner. For inspiration, the website also includes color photographs of most of the congregational banners that appeared last June at GA  '99 in Salt Lake City.