|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Stewardship A Tradition of Dedicated Stewardship
Our church is growing! There is no question. But it is also challenged with current deficits that can be overcome if all members consistently fulfill their very generous annual commitments. The Financial Challenge In the past 5 years, the church and its congregation have made great strides in raising its prosperity consciousness. However, continued growth in membership and services has understandably placed demands on church finances, contributing to a gap between income and expenses. This gap widened significantly during the second half of 2009, as church income fell and we turned to savings and special gift appeals to sustain church operations. Many other churches experienced similar declines as their members scaled back donations due to the current problems in the economy. In addition to the recession, UCAV was additionally challenged by the ad hoc nature of its tithing traditions. In the absence of an annual commitment system, our income stream was unpredictable and inconsistent. As a result, we had no access to a credible budget, and were less able to manage the financial shortfalls. New Stewardship Initiative: "Commit to Prosperity" Team
Campaign Goals The team ’s primary goal was to meet essential operating expenses, and also support our continuing growth in membership and member services. Rev. Nancy stated that weekly services have reached 80% of capacity, and we will also need to consider how to accommodate more people. To meet all of these needs, we must increase 2010 tithing income by $20,000 – from $60,000 to $80,000.Commitment Program Principles Our team concluded that broad congregational support for an annual commitment program would be necessary to increase the prosperity of both church and members. Since we receive no denominational or other financial support, the congregation exists as sole owner and steward. Understandably, we expect to receive most of our financial support from those members who have adopted this church as their spiritual home and regularly receive its benefits. In implementing this new program, we respect each member ’s decision regarding pledge amounts, and their freedom to reduce or stop their tithes if financial circumstances warrant.We also expect to transparently provide essential financial information to members, as they consider the amount and frequency of their planned pledges. Finally, it is our intention to avoid special appeals for operating funds, and to limit our discussions of money to the single month of our annual campaign. Commitment Program Benefits Our new Annual Commitment program provides an effective system for individual giving that can serve the church now and in the future. It gives us a more solid foundation for sustaining the positive membership growth now occurring. By avoiding the income irregularities inherent in ad hoc tithing, the annual commitment program will enable the board to base its operating budgets on more accurate and potentially higher income estimates. These improved budgets will be a key tool in sustaining the financial health our church. Our treasurer will keep us informed of total pledged income, and our bookkeeper will credit member ’s pledge accounts and provide quarterly account statements to members.This new program perfectly demonstrates Unity prosperity teachings, by encouraging everyone who benefits from this ministry to commit to its financial support. Pledge Fulfillment: Our Key to Success Members have responded wonderfully to this new campaign by collectively pledging nearly $72,000 toward our $80,000 income goal.
However, the program ’s ultimate success will depend on the timely fulfillment of these very generous pledges. To date, 31 pledge accounts have been generated for the 41 participants in this new commitment program. Although the program is now launched, everyone’s consistent payments are essential, if we expect to realize our pledged income total.People traditionally write their checks when they attend church services. However, it is often the case that pledge donations are skipped for a variety of reasons, including illness, vacation, etc. A member ’s pledge can only benefit the church if arrangements are made for all pledged funds to be submitted to the church according to the chosen pledge intervals. If requested, our treasurer can provide information to any member interested in automatic payments through their bank or credit card account.The long-term financial soundness of the Unity Church of Antelope Valley will depend on all active members committing to and fulfilling their annual pledges. Our goal is 100% participation! Ongoing Stewardship Role The Prosperity Team has successfully established an annual commitment campaign that promises to provide a more universal, sustained, systematic and predictable source of tithing income. We have also developed and implemented a standard campaign package that will greatly reduce the team’s time commitment for next year’s campaign.
We have an important prosperity message regarding “money”
that is most effectively delivered in a short 4-week campaign each year. Since
the role of the team is not operational, there is no need to keep the team
active all 12 months of the year. Instead, it will function much like an audit
committee that meets only when its unique services are required. As a "seasonal"
committee, we will come together in the Fall to plan and conduct the UCAV Annual
Commitment Campaign (Commit to Prosperity).
|
Our members recognize the dedicated stewardship of church
elders, who (legally) burned the mortgage, and provided
us with a
valuable legacy of free and clear property ownership. And, just as our elders
met their mortgage
challenge, today's congregation
has a unique opportunity to build an
even greater financial
legacy for the
continued growth and prosperity of this church.
It was imperative for the church to reverse these income
losses and institute more effective financial controls. As a first step in
meeting this challenge, Rev. Nancy commissioned the new Commit to Prosperity
team on January 17, 2010. Its purpose was to establish an Annual Commitment
Program to ensure greater consistency and predictability in our income
projections. This new team first met on November 1, 2009 and included Rev.
Nancy, Jay and Jan Thomas, Laurie Minsal, Juanita Thomas, Vivian Wardlaw and
myself.