Introduction
A description of the major responsibilities of the Committee on Ministry (COM) listed by area of responsibility, and as presented in the Presbytery’s Operations Manual can be reviewed by clicking on one of the links at the top of this page. Both pages can be very helpful if you wish to understand the breadth and detail of COM’s duties. Continue on this page to catch a flavor of the energy and dedication COM members have for the churches and pastors of this presbytery and the excitement for the future of our presbytery.

Main Missions
COM’s main missions are to build positive relationships between churches and pastors, and strengthen the strong bond of trust within the presbytery, along with solid policies for providing fair and equitable compensation and benefits to pastors.

Building Relationships and Trust
The Committee sponsors two retreats for pastors each year to promote fellowship, a sense of really belonging to the presbytery, and to provide different perspectives on topics of interest. COM, also, provides training for church leaders during the year, and a strong program of group mentoring during the first year after a pastor’s ordination. Events such as these result from a solid commitment to move the ministry of the churches of the Presbytery of East Iowa forward through equipping leaders and strengthening relationships.

Pastors who are new to a presbytery often find it energy intensive and time consuming to learn about both his or her church and the processes of the presbytery. In order to make this early period more productive for pastors, COM sponsors an orientation session for all pastors entering the presbytery. In addition there is an effective mentoring and coaching program led by two experienced pastors. This program is for pastors who have just been ordained. They meet as a group once a month for the first twelve months after ordination. The objective is to provide participants with both practical “how to” information on a wide variety of topics and a setting for consistent professional support during the transition to ordained ministry.

The Committee maintains an emergency fund to aid pastors who have a temporary, but urgent, need for assistance. The effectiveness of this fund can be substantially enhanced through shared grants from the Board of Pensions and individual churches. Several pastors have received financial help through COM.

Churches can find the period of transition between pastors to be daunting. Pastors can, also, find this period particularly challenging. COM maintains a guiding presence throughout the process for both the churches and pastors. The ultimate goal is a successful match of a church and pastor. For more information on this process click How to Seek a Pastor

Equitable and Fair Compensation and Benefits
COM focuses on compensation and benefits for our pastors. COM makes every effort to be supportive of pastors in their personal as well as their professional lives. As professionals, pastors are deserving of adequate compensation. Additionally, we believe that it is important for a pastor to have adequate compensation so that he/she is not distracted from the responsibilities of ministry by concerns about personal finances. To assure that pastors and their families can live comfortably, COM works both to maintain a competitive compensation structure in the presbytery and to help churches find creative ways to be in compliance with that structure. COM also strives to maintain equity in compensation throughout the presbytery through the Pastor Compensation and Benefits Policy

For more in depth information about the Committee On Ministry, (Click Here).

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