• Korean Journal of Social Welfare
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• v.61 no.3
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• pp.29-54
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• 2009

This study is intended to figure out determinants affecting the economic preparations for old age of pastors from major four protestant associations having a church ministerial pension system: the General Assembly of Presbyterian Church in Korea (GAPCK), the Presbyterian Church of Korea (PCK), the Presbyterian Church in the Republic of Korea (PROK), and the Korean Methodist Church (KMC). Thereby, it conducted a survey to 452 pastors from the four religious associations in Korea. The followings sum up the results of this research. First, it was shown that the conventional idea that there is no need for pastors to prepare for their old age or their preparations for old age imply disbelief had been diminished. Second, there were few pastors who had made economic preparations for their old age privately. Third, associations adopting a compulsory church ministerial pension system were PCK, PROK, and KMC indicating a high occupation of more than 75% whereas GAPCK with an optional system showed a very low percentage of 11.5%. Fourth, with regard to the national pension system, the associations except for PROK (61.8%) had more non-enrolled pastors (53.3%), and they responded economic difficulty as the biggest reason for the unenrollment. Fourth, determinants affecting their economic preparations for old age were academic career, total income, church independency, church reserving, and national pension enrollment. Fifth, among the pastors from the four associations, the ones of PROK prepared for their old age best in consideration of GAPCK. According to the results of this paper, the most critical determinant affecting pastors' economic preparations for old age was total income. Pastors with higher income can make church ministerial pension, national pension, and private preparations while the ones with lower income cannot afford for public as well as private preparations; that is, there exists a polarization phenomenon in pastors' economic preparations for old age. Therefore, it is necessary to make devices to narrow the income gap between pastors in religious associations. Second, even in the associations having a compulsory church ministerial pension system, many pastors were not insured, so it is needed to reform or improve the pension system. Third, it is also required to better the national pension system and change the recognition on it.