Question 1

Where can I find statistical information about my congregation?

Accepted Answer

Click here to connect to the PC(USA) website that provides statistical and trend information for your church.

For further questions, about policies, recordkeeping, etc. reach out to the Stated Clerk.

Question 2

How do I find records, such as baptism or marriage certificates, from a church that has closed?

Accepted Answer

The Presbytery office is not large enough to house any such records. Contact the Presbyterian Historical Society at refdesk@history.pcusa.org.

Question 3

Where can I get pages for our Session Minutes book, register of baptisms, deaths, etc.?

Accepted Answer

Try looking at Cokesbury, which has a large selection of supplies for certificates and minutes. (800-672-1789). For minutes, you may use loose-leaf, machine-numbered pages (available from Cokesbury) or you may print them on standard 8 ½” x 11” paper. [Note: You are no longer required to use pre-numbered pages or to number pages using a numbering machine, but the pages must be numbered in sequential order.] Minutes may be submitted in the traditional, leather-bound minute books, or stored/bound in a manner that is consistent with the needs of both protection and accessibility. For greater permanency if you elect to maintain the minutes in some manner other than the traditional minutes books, minutes should be printed on acid-free paper, and it is highly recommended that they be bound. See the Presbyterian Historical Society’s website for more information about records retention.

Question 4

What is a Presbytery?

Accepted Answer

A Presbytery is the local governing body of the Presbyterian Church (USA), consisting of presbyters that is, ruling elders and ministers. National Capital Presbytery (NCP) is made up of 102 churches, over 300 ministers, and 22,407 (2023) church members. NCP serves Washington, DC, Northern Virginia, and part of Maryland.

Question 5

When are the Stated Meetings of NCP for 2025-26?

Accepted Answer

For 2025-26, Leadership Council approved the following dates for Stated Meetings of NCP:

November 18, 2025 (virtual)
January 27, 2026 (virtual)
March 24, 2026 (virtual)
May 19, 2026 (in-person)
September 22, 2026 (in-person)
November 17, 2026 (virtual)

Question 6

How do I register for a Presbytery Meeting?

Accepted Answer

From the front page, under Upcoming Events, click the Presbytery Meeting Event and open it. Here you will be able to register for the meeting as well as view and download the packet once it's posted.

Question 7

I want to keep up with things going on in and around NCP. How do I do that?

Accepted Answer

Subscribe to the Thursday Mail (TM) by sending an email to Communications. Keep up with us via our social media accounts: Facebook page- National Capital Presbytery; Instagram- NationalCapitalPresbytery; and YouTube- National Capital Presbytery

Question 8

What holidays are observed by National Capital Presbytery?

Accepted Answer

What holidays are observed by National Capital Presbytery?
2025 NCP Holiday ScheduleThe Offices of National Capital Presbytery will be closed in observance of the following 2025 holidays:
January 1 – New Year’s Day
January 20 – Martin Luther King Birthday
February 17 – President’s Day
April 18 – Good Friday
May 26 – Memorial Day
June 19 – Juneteenth
July 4 – Independence Day
September 1 – Labor Day
November 27 and 28 – Thanksgiving
December 24 – Christmas Eve
December 25 – Christmas Day
December 31 – New Year’s Eve
NCP Offices will be closed July 7 through July 11, 2025, and December 29 through January 1, 2026.

Question 9

Our pastor is going on vacation. Where can I find the Pulpit Supply List?

Accepted Answer

Email the COM Administrator for the Pulpit Supply List.

Question 10

Where do I find Grant information?

Accepted Answer

Grant information may be found under Resources.

Question 11

What is Per Capita? How much is it? Where do I send it?

Accepted Answer

Per Capita is an amount of money that each church pays to the Presbytery, Synod and General Assembly for each active member of its church. The 2025 Per Capita Amount in NCP is $50.15 per member. Per Capita payments should be sent to the Presbytery Office, Attn: Heather Deacon.

Question 12

What is the budget of the Presbytery?

Accepted Answer

The NCP Budget is put together in the spring and brought to the November meeting of the Presbytery. The budget is broken down into Operating and Mission Budgets. The funds for the Operating Budget come from Per Capita. Funds for the Mission budget come to NCP either through Shared Mission Support (Unified Giving) or Directed Mission Support. You can find this year’s budget by clicking HERE. (You must have member access)

Question 13

Where do I send my funds for NCP or General Assembly?

Accepted Answer

Any monies for General Assembly, Special Offering, Designated, Per Capital, Unified Giving or Disaster Assistance can be mailed directly to National Capital Presbytery and our business office will designate funds accordingly. If you have further questions, contact Heather Deacon.

Question 14

What are the three PC(USA) Special Offerings beginning 2026?

Accepted Answer

Effective January 1, 2026, the PC(USA) will restructure its special offerings, reducing them from four to three, focusing on broader causes rather than specific programs. Information about these offerings is available through the PC(USA) website: One Great Hour of Sharing, World Communion Offering, Christmas Joy Offering.

Question 15

Does presbytery have a clergy compensation policy?

Accepted Answer

Yes, changes are posted every year based on the approved formulas in the policy, typically at the September Presbytery meeting. Visit Resources – COM Documents.

Question 16

What does presbytery recommend as a Cost of Living Adjustment (COLA) for pastors in the upcoming year?

Accepted Answer

For 2025, a 3.6% increase would match the current inflation rate. More information is available in the Compensation Policies HERE.

For 2026, NCP suggested guidance is a 2.7% COLA increase, and this is based on the summer of 2025's data. Social Security recently released its COLA based on newer inflation statistics and released a 3% increase. For more details, visit the COM page for the Pastor Compensation Policy for 2026.

Question 17

Does presbytery have a recommendation for how we compensate our pastor for mileage?

Accepted Answer

Presbytery urges adoption of an “accountable reimbursement plan” which reimburses the pastor for vouchered mileage at the IRS rate – currently $0.70 (2025). If you are simply giving your pastor a set amount for which he/she does not account to you, that is taxable income to be included on the pastor’s W-2.

Question 18

Our pastor lives a long way from the church. Can we compensate for commuting to/from work?

Accepted Answer

NO – the IRS forbids reimbursement for commuting mileage.

Question 19

Our pastor has asked our Treasurer about a “voluntary withholding agreement." What is this?

Accepted Answer

Clergy are not subject to withholding of federal or state taxes; instead, most make quarterly estimated tax payments. But the IRS allows for a “voluntary withholding agreement” by which the Treasurer withholds federal and/or state taxes as the pastor directs. NOTE: withholding for self-employment taxes (SECA) from pastors’ compensation is never allowed, although clergy can request via a W-4 that an additional amount of income tax be withheld to cover their estimated SECA tax.

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