Algemeen Emeritaatsfonds voor Doopsgezinde Leeraren (Netherlands)

The Algemeen Emeritaatsfonds voor Doopsgezinde Leeraren (General Fund for the Retirement of Mennonite Ministers) was founded 24 October 1848 and began its work 1 January 1849. The instigation came from the Mennonite pastors in the Zaanstreek, a district near Amsterdam, where there have always been many Mennonites and where there are many congregations. The office of the fund therefore was located in Zaandam. The purpose of the fund is to secure a pension to all pastors who were members, to take effect at the age of 65. In case of disability it was paid earlier. For these two distinct types of cases there were two separate funds; besides this there was a reserve fund in Amsterdam that was endowed by members of the Amsterdam church. The annually required funds were secured from interest on the capital and collections taken in the churches. Not only the ministers were members, but in most cases also the congregations. In this case the congregation paid two-thirds of the annual assessment and its minister one-third. With the exception of the churches in Friesland, which had their own retirement fund, and three other churches, all the Mennonite churches in the Netherlands were members of the Emeritaatsfonds in the 1950s . The Mennonite ministers in Friesland were also practically all members, as were also several congregations and ministers in Germany up to World War II. At the end of 1912 the fund had 117 contributing ministers and 18 pensioners; in addition, 80 Mennonite congregations belonged to the organization. The benevolent effect of the fund can be visualized by considering past achievements; in the first 50 years of its existence it was able to pay out 322,071 guilders to 67 retired ministers. -- JGB

Notwithstanding the blessing the fund brought, the administration had to contend with continued anxieties because the financial basis was too weak. In 1928 it was evident that the funds in the future would not be adequate for the requirements; therefore it was decided that the pensionable age would be raised from 65 to 67 years, and that the obligations for old-age insurance should be assumed by the Algemeene Friesche Levensverzekeringsmaatschappij. By means of these measures the fund again became sound, and in 1937 it was possible to change the eligible age back from 67 to 65 years. In 1943 the fund was closed, that is, from that date no new applicants were accepted. Finally, at the meeting of 5 October 1948, at which time the centennial of the organization was commemorated, the members decided to transfer further responsibility for administration to the Algemeene Pensionstichting der Algemeene Doopsgezinde Sociëteit (ADS) The Zaanse Fonds, as the Algemeen Emeritaatsfonds for Mennonite ministers was usually called, had completed its course.

Bibliography

Handelingen van de Alg. Vergadering, op 5 October 1948 te Zaandam  contains the commemorative speech by Ds. F. H. Pasma.

Hege, Christian and Christian Neff. Mennonitisches Lexikon, 4 vols. Frankfurt & Weierhof: Hege; Karlsruhe: Schneider, 1913-1967: v. I, 27.

Author(s)	J. G. Boekenoogen
	Nanne van der Zijpp
Date Published	1955

Cite This Article

MLA style

Boekenoogen, J. G. and Nanne van der Zijpp. "Algemeen Emeritaatsfonds voor Doopsgezinde Leeraren (Netherlands)." Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. 1955. Web. 24 Nov 2024. https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Algemeen_Emeritaatsfonds_voor_Doopsgezinde_Leeraren_(Netherlands)&oldid=106950.

APA style

Boekenoogen, J. G. and Nanne van der Zijpp. (1955). Algemeen Emeritaatsfonds voor Doopsgezinde Leeraren (Netherlands). Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. Retrieved 24 November 2024, from https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Algemeen_Emeritaatsfonds_voor_Doopsgezinde_Leeraren_(Netherlands)&oldid=106950.

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Adapted by permission of Herald Press, Harrisonburg, Virginia, from Mennonite Encyclopedia, Vol. 1, pp. 51-52. All rights reserved.

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