1. PJ Johney Scholarship

a         PJ Johney Scholarship for Theological Studies for Pastoral Staff and Missionaries – Pastoral staff and missionaries are  given the same percentage of funding.  Pastors on sabbatical leave are also eligible.  The full time staff and missionaries must serve a minimum of 1 year before they can be considered for full-time theological studies.  Those who have less than 1 year of service can be considered but for part-time study only.  The application is to be recommended by their supervisors and endorsed by Senior Pastor and approved by the Board of Elders.  The funding is as follows:

The funding is for course fee for local studies only

Terms of Scholarship for Local Studies

i          Duration of leave for full-time studies is 3 years;

ii        Vacation leaves – all vacation leaves must be consumed prior to the start of studies; no leave will be granted during study period as study period is not considered as working period.  In the event of need, staff may apply for non-pay leave;

iii      Full tuition fee, registration fee and other compulsory fees imposed by the training Institution will be borne by the Church;

iv      Full salary during the period of study;

v        Staff are to report to work during school vacation;

vi      No loss of seniority during period of study.  The course grade will be the defacto performance grade;

vii    To serve in Church for a minimum duration of the period of studies for e.g.to serve 3 years in Church after completing 3 years of studies.  Duration served during school vacation is not counted towards this calculation.  In the event that the staff is not able to fully discharge this obligation, he/she is required to return the full or pro-rated scholarship amount if he/she has only partially completed his/her period of service; and

viii  Benefits – medical and dental claims; group personal accidental insurance, hospital & surgical insurance and term insurance.

b        PJ Johney Scholarship for Theological Studies for Lay Members. As PJ Johney scholarship for Theological Studies is to encourage Church members to pursue theological studies, they can apply for the scholarship subject to a cap of 50% of the course fee only. The application is to be supported by the cell leaders, endorsed by Senior Pastor and approved by the Board of Elders.  The funding can be used for both full-time and part-time studies.

2.         Ministry/Admin Skill Training

a         Ministry/Admin Skill Training for Pastoral Staff/Missionary and Admin staff – They are fully sponsored for the training, subject to a cap of $1,000 a year. BOE approval must be sought for training cost of more than $1,000. The following guiding principle must be adhered to:

i          The training must be relevant to their job scope;

ii        Recommended by their supervisor;

iii      The ministry must budget for it; and

iv      Training days should be capped at 7 days per person per year. BOE approval must be sought for training days of more than 7 days.

b        Ministry Skill Training for Lay Members – The recommendation is based on the following guiding principle:

i          Encourage more lay members to go for training to equip them to serve more efficiently in their respective ministry;

ii        Be relevant to the ministry;

iii      Recommended by Ministry Heads;

iv      The ministry must budget for it; and

v        Training days are capped at 5 days a year

Recommendation for Training Subsidy for Ministry Skills Training for Lay Members

(For training costing more than $100)

*Ministry leaders include members in core group, exco, cell leaders and above (e.g., zone supervisors)

For training cost of $100 or less and for children and youths, the Church subsidise the full cost of training. The sponsorship for the training is capped at $500 per person per year.

3.         Approving Authority

The BOE is the approval board for all applications to the PJ Johney Scholarship.  The funding for Ministry/Admin skill training for admin/pastoral/missionaries and lay members would have to be projected for in the yearly budget, with detailed explanation who the training are for what purpose.  This has to be cleared by the BOE before the start of the budget year.  Once cleared, the pastoral staff/missionaries/admin staff and lay members can proceed for their respective training in the budget year.

4.         Submission of Training Report

For all training subsidised by WRPF, whether in full or in part, a report must be submitted, within 14 days on completion of course, to the Senior Pastor as all pastoral staff and ministries are under the purview of Senior Pastor.  The report template can be found at Annex A.

Annex A

REPORT ON TRAINING (COURSES/SEMINAR)

Name of Course/Seminar:

Conducted by:

Date:

Synopsis of Course/Seminar:

Lesson learnt:

Application to the Ministry:

Submitted by:

Date:

*to be submitted to Senior Pastor within 14 days from completion of course