What is the Episcopal Fund?
The Episcopal Fund is one of seven apportioned funds of The United Methodist Church. Bishops are an integral part of the spiritual and administrative leadership of the church. The Episcopal Fund pays for bishops’ salaries, office and travel expenses, and pension and health-benefit coverage.
How does The United Methodist Church distribute the Episcopal Fund receipts?
- Bishops’ salaries – The General Council on Finance and Administration (GCFA) treasurer remits to each effective bishop one-twelfth of the annual salary each month, less such deductions or reductions from the salary as each bishop may authorize.
- Housing expenses – The GCFA provides an annual grant from the Episcopal Fund to share the costs of providing the episcopal residence owned by the annual or central conference(s) in the episcopal area. The General Conference, on recommendation of the council, approves grant amounts. The GCFA treasurer remits the annual housing grant to the respective annual or central conference(s) in the episcopal area.
- Office expenses – The GCFA treasurer remits periodic installments of the amount approved by the council as office expenses to each bishop, or to the office designated by the bishop to receive such payments.
- Travel expenses – The GCFA treasurer pays monthly the claim for the official travel of each bishop upon presentation of an itemized voucher with supporting data as the GCFA may require.
- Episcopal pensions – The pensions for the support of retired bishops elected by general, jurisdictional or central conferences and the surviving spouses and minor dependent children of such deceased bishops is administered by the GCFA in consultation with the General Board of Pension and Health Benefits.
- Episcopal group health-care plan – The GCFA sponsors a group health-care plan that covers bishops elected by jurisdictional conferences in the United States.
- Episcopal retiree health-care access – The GCFA facilitates access to Medicare supplement plans and prescription drug coverage plans for retired bishops in the United States and their spouses.
You cannot give online to the Episcopal Fund. We hope to offer online giving to the apportioned funds in the future. Please encourage your leaders and congregations to support the Episcopal Fund apportionment at 100%.
