On Wednesday afternoon, during a Joint Meeting of the House of Deputies and House of Bishops, a presentation of the 2010 – 2012 Budget of the Episcopal Church was made by the Co-chairs of the Joint Standing Commission on Program, Budget and Finance. It was preceded by some remarks made by Presiding Bishop Katharine. The challenges and hopes of doing mission were heard and acted on…choosing to give to others before giving to ourselves. There are three areas in the EXPENSE side of the budget: Canonical, Corporate and Program (Mission). The Revenue side is comprised primarily by the financial support of each diocese and then revenue from the Church’s investments.
The longstanding expectation is that every diocese contribute 21 % of its income annually to support the budget of the Episcopal Church. The committee listened to the concerns raised about being able to sustain that expectation and level of financial support from dioceses given that only 34 out of 110 dioceses actually contribute 21 %. They also called on us to exercise the principal of subsidiarity, recognizing that more and more ministry needs to be support locally rather than through Church Center efforts…calling us to develop and / or enhance our networks of ministry.
21 Million dollars was cut from the proposed budget for the coming three years and substantial cuts have been made in every area. I believe the House of Deputies and House of Bishops understand the constraints and challenges we face “on the ground” as it were and are keenly aware of the consequences these cuts will have especially on the people whose lives are changed because of our decisions.
These are difficult times which call all of us to creativity and compromise. I look forward to sharing more specifics with all of you when our deputation gets back to Minnesota. Pray for the church and its mission and ministry and for the grace to creatively address our chosen future.
Doug Sparks
