GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (AP) _ The Christian Reformed Church in North America is instituting a pay freeze and cutting pension contributions to help it make $2.5 million in cuts and weather the economic downturn.
The denomination — based in Grand Rapids, Michigan — also is requiring its U.S. and Canadian employees to increase their contributions for health insurance and is cutting pay to its ordained employees by 4-percent in lieu of a pension reduction.
To save more money, the church’s Board of Trustees wants to move the church’s 2010 synod to Grand Rapids. Next year’s annual gathering of delegates of the church was to be held in Edmonton, Alberta.
The Christian Reformed Church has about 1,000 congregations in the U.S. and Canada.