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Disciples General Board approves new funding system INDIANAPOLIS, IN, July 23, 2002 -- In an effort to support financially the 2020 Vision of the church, the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) General Board overwhelmingly approved a new funding system for the common mission fund of the church. Following a day-long discussion of a proposed funding system and two hours of debate, the 145-member General Board approved on July 22 a major overhaul of the present Basic Mission Finance funding system. The recipients are funded by the 3,700 Disciples congregations across North America. According to the new system, beginning in Jan. 2003, the church will designate its four Special Day offerings and will dissolve both the Commission on Mission Funding, and the Adjustment (emergency) Fund. The Team Leadership Conference BMF task force brought the new funding system proposal to General Board. It was the result of two years of research and negotiations with the Conference Leadership Team made up of leaders from each of the three BMF funded ministries areas. Chris Hobgood, regional minister of the Capital Area, chaired the task force. In Hobgood's absence, Earl Gibbs, former chair of the Commission on Mission Funding, brought the proposal to the General Board on behalf of the task force. At the heart of the new system is a new allocation of Basic Mission Finance. Beginning in 2003, BMF funds will be divided among the church's 76 recipients at the rate of 45 percent for regional ministries, 45 percent for general ministries and 10 percent for higher education ministries. From 2004 to 2008 funds will continue to shift from general ministries to regional ministries at the rate of one percent per year until the percentages reach 50 percent for regional ministries and 40 percent for general ministries. Higher education will remain constant at 10 percent. BMF recipients of the higher education funds were represented during the funding system discussion by George Hearne, president of Eureka (Ill.) College. He said the 22 Disciples-related colleges, universities and seminaries acknowledge their key role in the development of lay and clergy leadership for the transformation of the church. Another shift in the funding system will come with a region's receipts being based on a percentage of BMF contributions from congregations in every region rather than just receipts from a particular region's contributions. During debate of the proposal, some regional ministers of larger membership regions pleaded with the General Board to implement the proposed system beginning in Jan. 2003 because the need for fulfilling their ministries to congregations is "urgent and crucial." Thomas Jewell, Oklahoma regional minister, told General Board members that in the past nine years, he has had to reduce his region's staff from 19 to 9. He said under the present funding system, the percentage of dollars returning to Oklahoma continues to decrease year after year. "Oklahoma cannot accept any further reduction in funding," he said. Similar stories were told by other regional ministers. Richard Spleth, Indiana regional minister, said, "if regions have a loss of operational funds in 2003, they can't implement changes for new churches." The BMF task force said one of the strongest reasons for the reallocation of percentages in the funding system was to assist regions in establishing new congregations, as well as providing for programs to revitalize existing congregations. Danny Stewart, Mid-America (Missouri) regional minister, agreed. He said, "(this funding is an) extremely urgent matter to deal with regions now. We don't have enough workers in the fields to implement new church development." Designated Special Day Offerings One of the most significant changes in the new system comes with the General Board designating each of the four church-wide Special Day offerings for particular ministries. At present, particular ministries are highlighted on Special Days, but contributions received are added to regular BMF contributions. Last year $3.1 million or 12.7 percent of the $24.5 million given by congregations to BMF, were received in the four Special Day offerings. Under the new system, Easter offerings will go to general ministries for Disciples mission imperative. Pentecost offerings will go to new congregation establishment (divided equally between the region in which it was contributed and Church Extension). Thanksgiving offerings will go to Disciples-related higher education ministries. Christmas offerings will go to regional ministries in the region where the funds are contributed. Offerings will continue to be implemented and promoted by the Church Finance Council. Speaking on behalf of her general ministries colleagues, Cindy Dougherty, president of the National Benevolent Association based in St. Louis, said the new funding system is both a contract and covenant among BMF recipients. She said she was very excited for the Disciples of Christ as faithful people undertaking a faithful process. "For the first time all the general-unit partners must sit down together and allocate the money (they receive through BMF)." Dougherty anticipates a growth in Special Day offerings because they will go to specific ministries of the church. End of Commission on Funding According to the new funding system, the 12-member Commission on Mission Funding, which presently determines the allocation to each of the 76 recipients within the pool of available funds, will be replaced by each of the three ministries areas (general, regional and higher education) with each of these areas deciding among their own ministries how funds are allocated. Like the present funding system, allocations will be approved by the General Board. Also like the present funding system, one percent of BMF receipts off the top will be available for Mission Imperative Fund grants. But there will be no Adjustment Fund for emergency funding. Each of the three ministries areas will provide for their own funding emergencies within their groups. According to the BMF task force which drafted the new system, the regional ministries have discussed setting aside one-half percent of their share to be utilized each year. Implementation team to be appointed The General Board also approved General Minister and President Richard Hamm, of Indianapolis, and Moderator Alvin Jackson of Washington, D.C., to appoint an Implementation Task Force of the General Board that will include some of the members of the BMF task force. The Implementation Task Force will develop a time line for implementation, interpretation and promotion of funding system changes to congregations. The task force also will deal with unresolved questions and formulate a recommendation for capital campaigns that are restricted under the present funding system. The General Board also agreed to review this new funding system in one year. What will the new funding system cost? According to Lois Artis, Church Finance Council president, implementing the new system will cost approximately $150,000. She said that CFC is due for a new accounting system and was waiting for this decision to be made before moving ahead. Now that the decision has been made, she said the CFC staff would begin the transition in systems and technology needed to implement the new funding system. Now that the new BMF funding system has been approved by the General Board, it needs approval by two-thirds of the boards of general, regional and higher education ministries areas. All boards are scheduled to report their decision to the Church Finance Council by Nov. 20, as agreed upon in the proposal. If approved by the boards, CFC will implement the new funding system beginning in Jan. 2003. -- end -- 02-72 Church Finance Council |