Around the end of the year, we are asked, “What do churches get from paying apportionments?” That is not a question specific to North Carolina but is one that is asked throughout the United Methodist family. When church members ask this of pastors, district superintendents, and conference staff, they may be hoping for an answer in a dollar amount so that they could compare that to the church’s apportionment payments and maybe calculate some return-on-investment figure. An article was published not too long ago by one of our sister annual conferences that provided some explanation of what a church gets back. I found the explanation helpful and have adapted that article to share this information with you.
So – what do churches get back from paying apportionments? I sometimes wish I could give a specific dollar amount answer because it is what I’m trained to do—measure and account for financial transactions. But participation in paying apportionments is not just a “get this for that” financial transaction. It is an element of a connectional system that that was established by John Wesley in the very early days of Methodism.
Since Wesley’s time, giving has been both local and connectional (beyond each local church), and was understood as a corporate or community responsibility that allowed every member of whatever means to participate. This joint stewardship has always been understood as a way of undergirding organizational needs in ministry, church expansion, and, later, in pension support for clergy.
Nevertheless, the connectional system—including apportionments—provides to churches many benefits, even those that can’t be measured in dollars and cents. Since, as treasurers, we grow almost as fond of making lists as of working with columns of numbers, here is a partial list of answers to, “What does my church get from paying apportionments?”
- Training, credentialing, appointing, and supervising clergy in education through the conference board of ordained ministry, the district superintendency, and Ministerial Education Funds.
- Moving expenses for pastors changing appointments and retiring local pastors and elders.
- Grants for projects that help churches reach neighbors and increase spiritual vitality.
- Infrastructure that ensures 100 percent of gifts to Advance Specials, United Methodist Committee on Relief, Imagine No Malaria, Love Offerings, Special Sundays and many others benefits the desired mission or ministry.
- New faith communities popping up all over North Carolina. Almost every church in our conference was started with financial and other support from the annual conference and/or partner churches.
- The Ministerial Education Fund – assisting seminary students during their schooling and active clergy with continuing education.
- Partial support for the NC Conference Camping and Retreat Ministries, which helps young and old meet Christ in creation and among supportive community.
- Campus ministry units to keep and encourage college students in their love of God and service to Christ when they are in school.
- Staff and other support for youth events.
- Print, internet, and social media that provide a contact point for North Carolina United Methodists and anyone seeking a nearby United Methodist Church or information about the United Methodist Church in our conference, the nation, and the world.
All of these things and more were part of the apportioned budget that clergy and lay people from all North Carolina United Methodist congregations approved during the annual conference session. Voting on the budget at annual conference session is more than approving some numbers on paper or approving a goal that we expect someone else to meet. It is also a vote by every clergy and every lay member to support the budget in their own church.
Annual conferences meet together to consider and approve budgets that are the basis for apportionments – but work continues in every local church through sharing information about the apportionment and planning for and encouraging full payment of apportioned funds. The United Methodist Church and The North Carolina Annual Conference are in a time of transition but look forward with excitement to God’s hopeful future for United Methodists in North Carolina! One way we support each other is through connectional giving providing resources to equip local churches for ministry. We are excited to continue in ministry with you!
excerpt from a story by Christine Dodson, Conference Treasurer/Business Manager, North Carolina Annual Conference
United Methodist Church Giving is about people working together to accomplish something bigger than themselves. In so doing, we effect change around the world, all in the name of Jesus Christ. To read stories about the generosity of United Methodists click here.
