Church of the Saviour

 

January 2, 2002
Adopted by Staff Relations on January 9, 2002

Due to safety and risk factors and to inordinate recording keeping requirements, COS will not use cell phones for ministry activity. However, due to the increased use of cell phones in ministry and business settings and the obvious advantage they bring to the COS ministry in several settings we will allow a personal salary increase to assist selected employees with a personal purchase of a cell phone plan.

COS criteria for staff cell phone eligibility and additional salary request. (Must meet the IRS Convenience of the Employer and Condition of Employment tests).

Convenience of the employer

• How easy is it to locate the person while they are not on campus?
• How often do they need to be away from campus in the performance of their duties?
• While away, how long are they away?
• Have there ever been emergencies at the church requiring immediate communication?
• Why aren’t the telephones on campus adequate?

Condition of Employment

• Is a cell phone necessary in order for the staff member to perform his or her job?

Clarifying COS requirements

• The staff member must be a full time employee.
• The majority of ministry meetings with primary ministry leadership need to take place off campus or …
• The need to reach you for emergency purposes is crucial to the functioning of the overall ministry.
  

Under current conditions (January 12, 2002), we will allow an employee, considered eligible in step one above, to request an increase in salary in the amount of $40/month to assist in a personal purchase of a cell phone plan. An employee, who chooses to exercise such an option, will fill out an appropriate request form, which will be approved by the Executive Director. The employee will provide the cell number to their immediate supervisor, the Executive director and to their ministry assistant for emergency use.

 

COS Cell Phone Policy

January 2, 2002
Proposal A (Rejected by Staff Relations on January 9,2002)

COS Criteria for staff cell phone eligibility. (Must meet the IRS Convenience of the Employer and Condition of Employment tests).

Convenience of the employer

• How easy is it to locate the person while they are not on campus?
• How often do they need to be away from campus in the performance of their duties?
• While away, how long are they away?
• Have there ever been emergencies at the church requiring immediate communication?
• Why aren’t the telephones on campus adequate?
• Condition of Employment
• Is a cell phone necessary in order for the staff member to perform his or her job?

Clarifying COS requirements

• The staff member must be a full time employee.
• The majority of ministry meetings with primary ministry leadership need to take place off campus or …
• The need to reach you for emergency purposes is crucial to the functioning of the overall ministry.

Current Staff meeting eligibility requirements (proposed)

Jackson Crum, Tom Walsh, Rich Craven, Chuck Holmes, Jeb Shore, Bob Tickner, Kris Kraihanzel, Steve Bickley, Mark Memoli, and Deb Michaud.

IRS Substantiation Requirements (Adequate records include)

• Time
• Place
• Business purpose
• Amount of expense

Cell phone billing receipts will document the time, place and amount of expense. Each employee would need a log to document other IRS requirements.

Employee Record Keeping

• The amount of each separate expense (maintenance, repair costs and other expenses)
• The business purpose of each expense
• The business use and total use of the property for the business year (used to calculate % of business use)

Monthly minute requirements. (Ministry purposes only, not for personal use).
The director of finance and the Executive Director, will chose a carrier, sign a contract and determine minute plans for each COS employee. You will be notified of the plan in writing and overage minutes will be the responsibility of the employee.

Cell phones are generally not to be used while operating a motor vehicle on church business. Hands free devices should be used whenever it becomes necessary to drive and communicate by cell phone.

Under no circumstances are cell phones to be used while driving to or from a church function with passengers in the vehicle.

Please realize the potential long-term health consequences of prolonged use of cell phones are unclear and there may be a personal danger to your health. Therefore COS does not require the use of cell phones for any employee of the church.

Operating a cell phone while refueling is a safety hazard. We require all cell phones to be turned off while refueling a motor vehicle.

Lost or damaged cell phones are to be reported immediately to the financial office so that the Phone Company can be contacted and service to the lost phone disconnected.