Lutheran Church pastors want to go on the payroll

By JAMES GUMUNO
Organisers of the 12th national pastors’ conference of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in September want the church to put all pastors on the payroll.
Committee members, during a tree-planting ceremony on Sunday at Kewamugl Lutheran High School in Kerowagi, Chimbu, said church has overlooked the welfare of its pastors and evangelists over the years.
The committee is comprised mainly of laypeople.
Rev Kiage Motoro, who is caretaker president of the Jiwaka district, is a member.
The committee chairman is Jack Wan. The members are Poto Akis, Kewamugl Lutheran High School headmistress Betty Komndi, James Guma, Western End assistant police commissioner Kaiglo Ambane and Bubiang Teine.
Ambane told Assistant Bishop Lucas Gedabing, who is representing Head Bishop Rev Jack Urame, that the committee wanted the national church to look into the welfare of its pastors and evangelists.
He said pastors and evangelists had been neglected over the years.
Ambane said the church allowed them to survive on their own, which was not good.
He said pastors were sent into the field with no help from the church to support them in their work.
Motoro said many pastors died a sad death when their welfare and needs were not taken care of by the national church.
He said that in 1994, during their first national pastors’ conference held at Bundun in Morobe, a ministerial support service office within the national church was established.
Motoro said all pastors contributed money and opened an account, with church also contributing.
He said that it was properly managed and served pastors’ needs very well over the years until 2005, when it was closed.
Gedabing said the conference would be a right place for the organising committee to raise its concern about pastors’ welfare.