United Methodist giving trails last year by 5 percent
10/14/2003
A UMNS Report
By Joretta Purdue*
Sharing God's Gifts. Photo number W03037, Accompanies UMNS#489
No Long Caption Available for this Story
Compared
to 2002, giving to the United Methodist Church's apportioned funds is
down 5% in 2003. UMNS Photo by Mike DuBose, Photo number 03-365,
Accompanies UMNS #489, 10/14/03
No Long Caption Available for this Story
A continuing decline in income is reducing the funds available for United Methodist missions and ministry.
The
portion of giving that is channeled through the annual (regional)
conferences to the general church is down about $3 million, or 5
percent, for the first three quarters of the year compared with the same
period last year.
Income for all but one of the denomination's
seven apportioned funds is down when receipts are compared with those of
a year earlier, the church's General Council on Finance and
Administration reported. Apportioned funds support the work of the
church both in outreach and administration. Congregations and annual
conferences support the funds based on a formula.
"Income from
our local churches and annual conferences has run consistently behind
last year," said Sandra Kelley Lackore, denominational treasurer and top
staff executive of the finance agency in Evanston, Ill. "Our agencies,
our bishops and all our directly funded entities are adjusting their
spending plans."
Receipts for the apportioned funds totaled nearly $59.5 million, down 5 percent from the $62.6 million at this time last year.
"This
is a challenging financial time for many of our annual conferences,"
Lackore noted. "Across the denomination, lower interest rates, the down
investment market for 2000-2002, and significantly increased health
insurance costs for both active and retired participants are impacting
the bottom line of local churches, annual conferences, agencies and the
Council of Bishops.
"In many locales, receipt levels are
increasing at a slower rate than expenses, resulting in less funds being
available for support of the mission of our denomination at every
level," she added.
Of the apportioned funds, only the General
Administration Fund was up from last year in the Sept. 30 report.
Totaling almost $2.9 million, it was up 1.4 percent.
World
Service, the largest apportioned fund at $31.7 million, is running $2
million less than last year for a decrease of 5.7 percent.
Other
apportioned funds and their percentages of decline: Africa University,
$1.2 million, 6.2 percent; Black College, $5 million, 5.4 percent;
Episcopal (the bishops' fund), $8.4 million, 2.8 percent; Ministerial
Education, $9.3 million, 6.8 percent; and Interdenominational
Cooperation, $1 million, down about $5,400 or 0.5 percent.
"We
remain confident that with the guidance of our bishops and other annual
conference leaders, United Methodists will seek to fulfill in 2003 the
financial commitments to global ministry and mission made by the 2000
General Conference," Lackore said.
When the six special Sunday
offerings are added to the apportioned funds, the rate of decline is
slightly less - 4.9 percent. Total giving in the two categories was
$63.7 million, compared to $66.9 million in 2002.
Other giving -
not compared because it varies with need from year to year - includes
$19 million in general Advance Special gifts for specific mission
programs and relief efforts carried on by the United Methodist Committee
on Relief, as well as $594,302 to other outreach funds.
In all,
the finance and administration agency reports $83.3 million in giving
to the general church in the first nine months of this year.
Congregations can find materials on understanding and interpreting the general church's finances at www.umcgiving.org.
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*Purdue is a United Methodist News Service news writer.