Church of God Chaplains Commission

HISTORY:

Up until the 1988 General Assembly, all endorsed full-time and part-time Church of God chaplains were required to pay tithes on their chaplaincy income through the Monthly Minister’s Report to the General Offices in Cleveland. This had been a policy for approximately 20 years. At the 1988 General Assembly, the Ordained Ministers’ Council approved a program which asked all ministers to pay tithes on ministerial and secular incomes to the local church. Anticipating this new tithing policy, the Church of God Chaplains Commission met with all endorsed chaplains who were in attendance at the 1988 General Assembly. Without a dissenting vote, these chaplains approved what is now called the Chaplains Commission “FAIR SHARE” Program. This program requires all endorsed chaplains to pay a monthly FAIR SHARE contribution to the Chaplains Commission in support of the Commission’s ministries. This program has been the Commission’s policy since 1988 and has remained in effect since that time, fully supported by the Chaplains Commission Board of Directors as a fair and effective system for all endorsed chaplains serving in salaried positions. It is up to each individual chaplain’s personal discretion as to whether or not he/she considers the FAIR SHARE contribution to be a portion of their tithes.

CONTRIBUTIONS:

The amount of FAIR SHARE contributions depends upon the chaplain’s salary level.

• Military chaplains in the rank of O-2 through O-3 are asked to contribute $75.00 per month.
• Military chaplains in the rank of O-4 are asked to contribute $100.00 per month.
• Military chaplains in the rank of O-5 through O-6 are asked to contribute $125.00 per month
• Institutional chaplains, CPE supervisors, pastoral counselors and other specialized ministry chaplains (racetrack, college campus, hospice, etc.) are asked to contribute according to the following schedule:
  • Level one: Salary up to $50,000- $75 per month
  • Level two: Salary $50,000-75,000- $100 per month
  • Level three:Salary $75,000 and above $125 per month

Note: Fair Share contributions do not apply to seminary students/chaplain candidates.
These contributions are held in escrow accounts, with each chaplain being required to keep his/her account up-to-date.

The FAIR SHARE contributions are used in the following prioritized order:

1. To support the chaplains’ expenses to the Church of God General Assembly and the Pre-Assembly Chaplains’ Conference.
2. To support the chaplains’ Theological Update Program. This program allows chaplains to periodically return to the Church of God Theological Seminary for a 3-5 day period of study and reflection. Normally, the chaplain is assigned to a theological dialogue partner (usually a seminary professor) to focus upon particular theological or practical issues. During this visit, the chaplain has the opportunity to meet with the Director of the Chaplains Commission to discus personal and professional issues.
3. To support chaplains’ expenses at various seminars and conferences where they serve as workshop leaders and guest speakers and/or attend for training and enrichment.
4. Small amounts of these funds are used to support administrative expenses and emergency chaplains’ needs.

To contribute the Fair Share, do the following:

1. Contact our office for details on mailing it in.
2. Give online when filing your monthly report.
3. Set up automatic monthly payments below, depending upon your level (described above):

Fair Share Monthly Contribution

Level 1

Level 2

Level 3