Welcome to the blogspot of the Joint Standing Committee on Program, Budget and Finance (PB&F). This site is offered to the Church as a way in which PB&F can receive comments on the Draft Budget of the Executive Council. This draft budget was approved by the Executive Council and was submitted to PB&F by Executive Council in January 2012.
PB&F offers this blogspot as a place for the Church to comment on the Executive Council Draft Budget. Additional opportunities for comment will be available at the General Convention in July when PB&F will host three open hearings.
Presentations on the Draft Budget of the Executive Council will also be made at the meetings of Provincial Synod, deputies are urged to attend these meetings.
In July the information shared on this site as well as the testimony received at the three General Convention hearings will help to inform the budget that is presented to General Convention for approval.
We ask your prayers and continued support as we begin this enormous task.
Yours in Christ,
Diane Pollard, Chair,
Joint Committee on Program, Budget and Finance
I have not read many budgets detailed in such ways, but did I really just read that the national church is removing ALL funding for youth and campus ministries - including EYE? And, that there is 2 MILLION dollars budgeted for property litigation? Seems to me that we have our priorities wrong.
ReplyDeleteWhy is Youth Ministry always...always a sacrificial lamb?
ReplyDeleteHow about utilities/maintenance/travel expenses/etc...why risk the future church? Are our visions so limited?
Why is Youth Ministry always always the sacrificial lamb? Why not travel expenses/high maintenance costs and utilities/etc? Are our visions truly so incredibly limited by the NOW?
ReplyDeleteZERO-OUT the 65K budget for the General Board of Examining Chaplains...
ReplyDeleteCUT the budget for seminary scholarships to 100K...
CUT the budgets of other administrative and canonical boards and commissions (including youth ministry in an aging boomer church...
SPEND over 500K on a consultant to consider the possible restructuring of the church...
SPEND over 3 M for lobbyists...
SPEND 2 M for litigation..
INCREASE the PB's office budget by over $350,000...
INCREASE the President's budget by over $200,000...
I am sure that there are discreet explanations that can be given for each of these choices, but the Gestalt is a budget devoted to national bureaucracies; the triumph of politics over the distinctive mission of the church; and a series of choices that will deepen the church's decline.
Thank you. I have used your comments to bolster mine, as you are so right. Suzanne Joyce
DeleteI agree completely. All the wrong priorities. I thought we were going in the opposite direction...more youth, more mission, more being in the world. Very disappointing.
DeleteI absolutely agree as well. This budget is seriously flawed and must be reconsidered.
DeleteChuck Till, Raleigh NC.
ReplyDeleteEliminate proposed increase in spending by the Office of Government Relations. "All politics is local". This activity should occur at the diocesan level.
Drop the Churchwide Consultation. This should be assigned to existing bodies.
Drop the Episcopal Co-op. Doing this at the diocesan level will achieve nearly all the same economy of scale. If even more economy of scale is still needed, then partner with ELCA -- but don't create overhead at the national church for this function.
I am a college student associated with my campus ministry. I have grown up in the Episcopal church. I went through the J2A program in High School, went on Pilgrimage and was an acolyte. It became a second home to me as well as other youth at my parish. It was one of the only stable things I could depend on during a very rocky point during my life. Why is the funding for Youth Ministry always (in every Episcopal church I have been to) the one area that gets cut? There are so many more religious options out there nowadays that focus their budget towards youth. Unlike the Episcopal church, they realize that this is their future and they not only support them, but they search for the youth. This will ensure that those religious organizations will thrive/survive.
ReplyDeleteIncredible that the Diocese of Colombia has a budget of $ 372,000 for the period 2010-2012. That money goes directly into the coffers of the Diocesan Bishop, and is not reflected in the growth of the Diocese. If you do a serious investigation will find that the diocese only has a total of 500 active members and has no social work. (What was done with the money in this 45-year history of the diocese?)
ReplyDeleteIf research in the pension fund, they will discover that only the bishop and three priests, have the social security benefit and the rest of this impoverished clergy. (Bishop's contribution exceeds 8 times that of the priests)
For the period 2013-2015 budget should not assign to this Diocese.
Incredible that the Diocese of Colombia has a budget of $ 372,000 for the period 2010-2012. That money goes directly into the coffers of the Diocesan Bishop, and is not reflected in the growth of the Diocese. If you do a serious investigation will find that the diocese only has a total of 500 active members and has no social work. (What was done with the money in this 45-year history of the diocese?)
ReplyDeleteIf research in the pension fund, they will discover that only the bishop and three priests, have the social security benefit and the rest of this impoverished clergy. (Bishop's contribution exceeds 8 times that of the priests)
For the period 2013-2015 budget should not assign to this Diocese.
I am a former Episcopal campus minister and youth missioner who has seen firsthand what happens when we neglect the spiritual needs of our young people. The "graying" of our congregations is one of the most noticeable results, but even more importantly, the de-prioritzing of these ministries on a national level sends a clear message to children, youth, families, and students that their spiritual formation is a low priority in The Episcopal Church. How do you possibly expect those of us working at the congregational level to expect young people to believe us when we tell them that their spiritual needs are a priority when a budget like this is proposed? The notion that cash-strapped congregations and dioceses can pick up the slack without direction, resources, and the time and talent of development staff is completely unrealistic, and if I recall correctly, didn't work out so well last time around.
ReplyDeleteMinistries for children, youth, and young adults should be one of our highest priorities simply because Jesus commanded us to have the children come to Him. I don't recall Our Lord prioritizing the staffing needs of church administrators.
My name is Rosemary Clark (but I don't choose to use a Google account for logging in here), and my email address is memphisperson@yahoo.com. I am a cradle Episcopalian who didn't actually become involved in my church as an adult until after I adopted my child. Then I discovered I needed help, and needed to be part of a church community. I've gotten so much more involved in many aspects of church life, and my own faith has developed and been renewed, as a result. Having a child drove me back to church.
ReplyDeleteI am distressed to hear that the budget cuts almost all of the funding for Youth Ministry and faith formation for children. I saw a reference someone made to our denomination being an aging church as the baby boomers reach retirement age. So are we just planning to die out?
I've been delighted to find a healthy, active congregation with a lot of activities for children, and to find that I was able to bring in some of my friends who had never been Episcopalians before who are now members of our church, because they were attracted also because of the activities available for children at our church.
Please rethink this.
Anonymous only because I don't want to Google or anything else this message, I am Suzanne Joyce (tjoyce@bellsouth.net) from Wilmington, NC. The replies above certainly agree with my thoughts. Episcopal churches are trying to grow, but it looks like all that is growing are "top-heavy" expenses. Rev. Schmidt's remarks above, certainly make sense to me. 500 K for a consultant to possibly re-structure the church ? I think not ! Use that money for children, youth, and to attract more priests and, if we manage to change our aging church to a younger, more vital one, we won't need a consultant---the local parishes and Dioceses will provide all the feedback needed. Unless we change our priorites, we will continue to lose the young to the many, many non-denominational, non-traditional churches out there which are putting their money where Jesus told them to --- to the children, to the hungry, the people without clothes, homes, the incarcerated. It seems to me that our church is becoming more like the folks around the temple that Jesus drove out, rather than the believers that He tried to create. God help us -- our church isn't.
ReplyDeleteI have seen several good comments left on all parts of this site by a broad range of faithful Episcopalians who are concerned at the loss of mission focus in this budget. What I have yet to see, and what urgently needs to happen now, is an official response from anyone either at 815 of PB&F. Honest questions have been asked, sincere and passionate requests made, but they are being met with only profound silence.
ReplyDeleteIt is now time for the leadership of The Episcopal Church to engage in an active and honest dialog with its members about the priorities of God's Church and this institution. Show me the Gospel of Christ being embodied through this budget, because I cannot find it.
I know I speak across an generational gap to a leadership used to being several steps removed from those in the trenches of local mission and ministry, but please know that it is not enough in this day in age to merely "request comments" then ignore them or consider them only on an internal level. Engage and respond. Enter into conversation with those who have take the time an effort to try to improve this shocking tragedy of a proposed budget.
I anxiously await the response of those who wish to lead us into the future.
Yours in Christ,
John Miller
I became involved in the Episcopal Church years ago because I thought my local church had a good children and youth program.
ReplyDeleteIf I were a newcomer today, I would take one look at this budget and not even consider joining the ECUSA. This budget clearly sends the following message: Children and youth are not important.
Considering the average age of the parshioners in my church (50+) and the dwindling # of parishioners with children (especially teenagers) I am, unfortunately, not surprised at all by this budget.
Have you considered finding a trained, professional consultant and financial managers within our ranks who will either do a consultation for free or at a reduced cost? I know of at least two.
If you keep cutting youth programs, we'll soon get to the point where everyone in the ECUSA is elderly. With respect to senior citizens, this budget is a recipe for extinction.
In Christ,
Kathleen Crisp
As a member of the Standing Commission on Lifelong Christian Education and Formation (and the person serving as webmaster for "Building the Continuum" http://buildingthecontinuum.wordpress.com) I would refer to PB&F one of the resolutions we have submitted. It would seem to be an excellent example of how funds on the church-wide level could support ministry to children, youth, young adults, adults and older adults on the local level. It involves a request for $60,000 to develop an online presence of a virtual "resource center" hosted by episcopalchurch.org that helps others link to one another, share stories and questions, resource each other, share best practices and serve as a hub for programs and resources that have been 'vetted' to be in keeping with our Episcopal ethos.
ReplyDeleteAnother concern our Standing Commission has is that for the local (subsidiarity) level to pick up the slack and continue to build Christian formation programs for all ages, there needs to be diocesan support. Over the past several years, numerous dioceses have cut their funding for staff and program support. At my count, only about 10 (out of 109) dioceses have a Christian formation staff person that serves all ages, not including diaconal or priestly formation. Many more do have Youth or Young Adult staff persons, but these are still a minority. It would seem the current thinking will leave those smaller dioceses with little infrastructure again in the cold. Those who already "have" will be fine; those who do not will "have" less.
Thank you for all your work!
Sharon Ely Pearson
Diocese of Connecticut
The level of church-wide support for seminary education was already shamefully low, but the gutting of support for seminarians is incomprehensible. How do we expect to raise up a body of theologically literate clergy, capable of drawing people to the Gospel of Jesus Christ, if we provide no resources to train them? Along with the cuts to programs for youth and the total abandonment of support for college chaplaincies, this budget seems to sell out the future of the Episcopal Church. Where is any semblance of Christian hope and a vision for mission in these budgetary priorities?
ReplyDeleteWarren Woodfin, parishioner
St. Ignatius of Antioch
Diocese of New York