Online Archives

Collections of apportionments in the Baltimore-Washington Conference fell 2 percent short of the 2007 goal that was set, necessitating changes for the 2008 budget and projections.

The conference Council on Finance and Administration anticipated a collection rate of 90 percent for 2007. However, because some churches did not meet their full apportionment payments, only 88.2 percent of the money needed to fully fund conference and global ministries was received.

Of the conference's 686 churches, 518 churches, or 76 percent, paid 100 percent of their apportionments; 157 paid less than 100 percent; and 16 churches did not submit any payment.

Over the past seven years, these numbers have remained consistent. The same 70 to 75 percent of churches paid 100 percent, while another 20 to 30 percent did not.

If each of these churches would have paid the full amount asked of them, apportionment payments could be lowered by 12 percent for every church across the conference, said the Rev. Charles Harrell, chair of the conference Council on Finance and Administration.

Shortfall has impact
"There are a number of reasons why churches don't pay their full apportionment, but every church is to be on a path of paying 100 percent apportionment," said Bishop John R. Schol.

This lack of churches paying their full apportionments could have implications on programs in 2008, and delay the startup of some ministries, said conference Treasurer Martha Knight.

The conference will continue to work with every congregation. Guides are beginning to communicate with pastors whose congregations did not pay 100 percent. Churches unwilling to pay 100 percent apportionments will be looked at case by case to determine the best path forward, which may include specialized training, lower clergy salary, placing the church on a circuit, merger or closure, Knight said.

Knight is also concerned that it could have an impact on the projected decrease in the benevolence factor, which is projected to drop from 24.8 percent in 2005 to 19.5 percent by 2012, reducing the percentage of the funds churches are expected to pay in apportionments and keeping more money at the local church level.

The reduction might not be sustained if the decline in collection rates continues, Knight said. "At some point it may become a challenge."

Seeking new understanding
Conference leaders are seeking to understand the decrease, particularly after the results in 2006, which had the first increase in the collection rate over the past seven or more years.

"I am confident that God wants to do something new through us," said Bishop Schol. "But issues of decline do not get turned around in one year, or even in six years. We're on a 10 to 15 year journey to begin growing and sustaining that growth. It's a great challenge but one, which through God's help, we will accomplish."

To address this challenge the conference has convened an apportionment task force to review the apportionment system of the Baltimore-Washington Conference and recommend any changes that are appropriate.

The task force conducted a survey with 679 local church leaders and held several regional listening meetings earlier this year to solicit input and is now meeting to review and analyze the information gathered.

On the positive side, Harrell noted, the survey found that 91 percent of the survey respondents "support and/or feel good about apportionment giving."

However, the conference also faces challenges in that 56 percent of those surveyed feel that paying apportionments limits ministry and expansion in the local church; only 41 percent feel that members of their church are familiar with apportionments and the apportionment process, Harrell said.

When considering apportionments, members of the task force point out that United Methodists belong to a covenantal and connectional church. "There is no such thing as a ‘local' United Methodist Church. We are bound together through our giving and through apportionments for pastoral leadership," they say.

Some churches challenged
But paying one's apportionment is not always that easy, said Lynn Sprately, the church administrator at Marvin Memorial UMC in Silver Spring.

The answer to why her congregation did not pay any of the $41,933 they were apportioned is simple, Spatley said. "In a nutshell, we can't afford it. It's a large 400,000-square foot building. With the operation costs we don't have any extra money to pay."

In addition, Sprately said, the number of members who attend is declining. Offerings can't pay enough to maintain the building and without maintaining the building, they can't keep the groups that pay to use the space.

"We're declining. We've taken an incredible hit," Sprately said. "But we are revisioning to turn this around."

Growth, rather than decline, was the reason Wesley Freedom UMC in Eldersburg chose not to pay $80,940 of its $129,280 apportionment payment.

"The reason we have been unable to meet our apportionment obligations is the very high cost of meeting our new mortgage costs while maintaining a full staff that will enable us to grow," said the Rev. Richard McCullough.

"Our building costs skyrocketed during the last year of construction; it went from $2 million to $3 million. All the plans were approved by the conference, but no one could have seen the strong economic downturn coming."

This is the first time in McCullough's 16 years at Wesley Freedom that the church hasn't paid its full apportionment and he regrets it.

"But we have a growth problem and sometimes a church needs to take risks to allow further growth to take place," he said. "The church, with its new facilities, will grow and the risk will be worth it."
The congregation at Wesley Freedom has made apportionments a part of its plan for discipleship. They paid 46 percent of their apportionment this year and intend to raise that to 75 percent in 2008 and to 100 percent in 2009.

"This is aggressive, but we continue to grow and I think this is a doable goal," said McCullough.

‘Giving a privilege'
At Severna Park UMC, the goal is, and always has been, to pay 100 percent of its apportionments. This year the church paid $179,124.

"If you realize where the money goes – supporting and caring for people who serve the church and the world – we really couldn't do otherwise. It's a privilege to pay this money," said the Rev. Kenneth Lyons. "It's an absolute privilege to serve those who are serving others in your name and the name of Christ."

Severna Park is one of the larger churches in the conference. In 2007, the largest 25 churches paid more than 21 percent, or almost $3.3 million of the total $15,445,996 in apportionments paid.

At Mount Zion UMC in Bel Air, which paid $149,240 in apportionments in 2007, the congregation goes beyond apportioned giving and, by covenant, contributes more than 30 percent of its income to others in mission.

This practice started 16 years ago. The budget was tight, but a member of the administrative council suggested that 10 percent of all offerings go to second-mile missions.

"I can honestly tell you the day we approved it, giving went up," said the Rev. Craig McLaughlin. "The Lord provided."

Two years later, the council raised the percentage of missional giving to 20 percent and a few years later to 30 percent.

In 2007, Mt. Zion gave 41 percent of its income above its apportionment payments to mission.

Although he doesn't have any "nuts and bolts answers," for others who want to start this spiritual approach to giving, McLaughlin does recommend just starting.

"Start with 5 or 10 percent and watch what happens. When it works, increase the percentage," he said.

In the past few years the church has also undergone extensive construction, but has not taken out any mortgages on the more than $3 million in building expenses.

People who come to worship at the church like the lack of a mortgage and the emphasis on giving and they return, McLaughlin said.

The people who receive assistance through the church's gifts pray for them and McLaughlin believes this makes a significant difference.

A few years ago, the congregation of Mt. Zion gave money to a church in Cuba that needed to rebuild its sanctuary. When he visited two years later, McLaughlin found the Cuban congregation had been
praying and fasting for the people of Mt. Zion for one day a week.

Orphans in Namibia also pray for Mt. Zion.

People at Mt. Zion just don't pay a lot of attention to apportionments, McLaughlin said. Instead, "they're just stirred up about mission."

Their giving puts money in focus and constantly reminds them why it exists – to serve the world in the name of Jesus Christ.

"Too often, we live as people who feel their scarcity, when really there's abundance," said Bishop Schol.

"With apportionments, as we give, our resources multiply," he said. "Generosity begets generosity."