Missions giving not keeping up with church offering increases by Mark Wingfield
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This is a trend found not only among Baptists ... "Churches seem to be turning inward. They seem to be emphasizing the comfort and happiness of members over the transformation of those members."
DALLAS (ABP)--The amount of money flowing through many church offering plates has increased 112 percent in the last 15 years, but the amount of money churches give to missions causes has increased at only half that rate.
An analysis of financial data reported by Southern Baptist Convention churches shows congregations nationwide are sending smaller percentages of their undesignated offerings to a unified-church missions budget.
Further, designated giving to special missions offerings also has increased at only half the pace of increases in undesignated giving to church causes.
This is a trend found not only among Baptists, explained Sylvia Ronsvalle, executive vice president of empty tomb, inc., a Champaign, Ill., ministry devoted to increasing awareness of missions funding needs. "These trends are common to the church in the United States," she said. "Churches seem to be turning inward. They seem to be emphasizing the comfort and happiness of members over the transformation of those members."
That trend line more than any other is the one that worries denominational officials, missions leaders and missions workers.
"That's not a healthy trend if you want to name Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior," Ronsvalle said.
Church challenges
So what's going on? Are churches simply hogging more money for themselves while mission boards freeze appointments?
It's not that simple, according to several analysts.
"I personally feel ... commitment to missions is as strong as ever, but it has been influenced by other factors," noted Clay Price, research director at the Baptist General Convention of Texas. Price has monitored these giving trends across three decades of denominational employment.
First, Price said, "as the education level of pastors and church staff has increased, so has cost of salaries and benefits."
That was echoed by Phill Martin, education director for the National Association of Church Business Administration based in Richardson.
Specifically, he said, rising health-insurance costs have wreaked havoc on church budgets. "With multiple years of 25 and 30 percent increases in the cost of health coverage, it is a significant impact on church budget issues."
Second, churches have faced increasing land and building costs.
Third, the price of keeping the lights on and the heat or air conditioning running has increased significantly.
Fourth, churches have experienced a long-term trend of members wanting to be personally involved in direct missions - sometimes as a full or partial substitute for giving to send others.
That point was echoed by Cliff Tharp, research director at LifeWay Christian Resources.
"Many more churches have groups go on trips, do volunteer missions," he noted. "That may be impacting ... giving, but I have nothing to quantify that."
Price recalled a book written about 30 years ago by Robert Kilgore, How Much a Debtor, where the author drew upon his banking and church experience to estimate that most churches in 1973 spent 15 percent to 20 percent of their money on local expenses, another 10 percent to 15 percent on missions, 40 percent to 50 percent on staff salaries and benefits, and 15 percent to 35 percent on debt service.
Through NACBA, Martin continues to monitor the ratio of church personnel costs to total church budget, and the portion spent on personnel continues to grow, he said, adding health insurance cost is the driver.
"As local expenses, salaries and debt have risen, there has been a squeeze on the missions portion of church budgets ...." Price explained.
More local missions?
One of the explanations churches often give for reducing unified missions giving is that there is an increase in expenditures on local missions.
How low can you go?
Regardless, one fact remains unchanged: The percentage of churches' undesignated receipts going to missions has dropped by one-third in 15 years (among Southern Baptists).
Charted on a linear path that assumes a continued steady rate of decline, it would take unified giving contributions to zero in another 30 years - bad news for the SBC.
Yet experts agree that, even if a unified-church missions fund among Baptists ceased to exist, congregations would still find a way to cooperate on funding missions.
What's the answer?
If denominational bodies want to increase missions giving from churches, they need to increase feedback, suggested Ronsvalle.
"We have found, repeatedly, church members will give to missions if they understand the need," she said. "But people want to know what their money is doing when it leaves the congregation."
Most denominations are not well equipped for this type of reporting, she admitted. What's required, she suggested, is more like the statements of activity that airlines send frequent fliers.
"If you're a frequent flier, you can fly, and two weeks later, you're going to get a specific report back showing you where you've been, how many miles you flew."
On the other hand, "you can give money to your denomination and not be able to track it."
That failure combines dangerously with a trend of church members wanting to support missions efforts they not only can see but can personally participate in, added Robert Parham, executive director of the Baptist Center for Ethics in Nashville, Tenn.
"The day has long been over when churches were willing to give their money to someone else to determine what to do with it," he explained. "People want to see their money at work. It's an issue of trust. They ask, 'Why should we give our money to a bureaucracy?'"
Back to the root of all evil
While it's easy to blame churches for keeping more of the offerings for their own discretionary use, the root of the missions funding challenge lies with individual Christians, Ronsvalle asserted.
"The church, and particularly missions, is shrinking as a market share of people's spending," she said.
The average member of a Christian church in the United States gives only 2.6 percent of his or her income to the church, Ronsvalle reported.
If all church members gave a biblical tithe of 10 percent, nearly $80 billion in additional funds would flow into missions annually, she said.
How does that figure compare with world need? By some estimates, a mere $2.5 billion could stop the deaths of 11 million children worldwide under age 5. An $80 billion investment could end the worst cases of world poverty, empty tomb contends.
Ronsvalle wishes churches not only would give more money to missions, but would challenge Christians to be better stewards of their financial resources.
"There has been a vacuum of leadership on the national level to raise people's eyes off their own individual needs," she said. "There has been a lack of comprehensive vision to challenge people to be willing to invest in the kingdom" of God.
Church leaders ought to more boldly counsel church members who seek fulfillment through consumerism, Ronsvalle urged, suggesting that buying a third car and moving to a bigger house is not the stairway to heaven.
"We don't really believe what we say we do," she concluded. "Because if we did, we'd be spending our money differently."
My wife Erika and I have been in full time mission work for 7 years in places like inner city Chicago, Uganda, Rwanda, and now the city neighborhoods of Miami. We have always loved to work with youth and young adults. We are currently running a ministry called Urban Resurrection and are doing Christian Community Development with the model of the CCDA (www.CCDA.org) in the West Coconut Grove neighborhood of Miami. We have three beautiful kids Isaac (4), Aaliyah Eyerusalem and Alethia Tizita our new 1 year old twins! We are blessed and excited to share our lives with you.
My wife Erika and I have been in full time mission work for 7 years in places like inner city Chicago, Uganda, Rwanda, and now the city neighborhoods of Miami. We have always loved to work with youth and young adults. We are currently running a ministry called Urban Resurrection and are doing Christian Community Development with the model of the CCDA (www.CCDA.org) in the West Coconut Grove neighborhood of Miami. We have three beautiful kids Isaac (4), Aaliyah Eyerusalem and Alethia Tizita our new 1 year old twins! We are blessed and excited to share our lives with you.
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Missions giving not keeping up with church offering increases
by Mark Wingfield
Printer version
This is a trend found not only among Baptists ... "Churches seem to be turning inward. They seem to be emphasizing the comfort and happiness of members over the transformation of those members."
DALLAS (ABP)--The amount of money flowing through many church offering plates has increased 112 percent in the last 15 years, but the amount of money churches give to missions causes has increased at only half that rate.
An analysis of financial data reported by Southern Baptist Convention churches shows congregations nationwide are sending smaller percentages of their undesignated offerings to a unified-church missions budget.
Further, designated giving to special missions offerings also has increased at only half the pace of increases in undesignated giving to church causes.
This is a trend found not only among Baptists, explained Sylvia Ronsvalle, executive vice president of empty tomb, inc., a Champaign, Ill., ministry devoted to increasing awareness of missions funding needs. "These trends are common to the church in the United States," she said. "Churches seem to be turning inward. They seem to be emphasizing the comfort and happiness of members over the transformation of those members."
That trend line more than any other is the one that worries denominational officials, missions leaders and missions workers.
"That's not a healthy trend if you want to name Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior," Ronsvalle said.
Church challenges
So what's going on? Are churches simply hogging more money for themselves while mission boards freeze appointments?
It's not that simple, according to several analysts.
"I personally feel ... commitment to missions is as strong as ever, but it has been influenced by other factors," noted Clay Price, research director at the Baptist General Convention of Texas. Price has monitored these giving trends across three decades of denominational employment.
First, Price said, "as the education level of pastors and church staff has increased, so has cost of salaries and benefits."
That was echoed by Phill Martin, education director for the National Association of Church Business Administration based in Richardson.
Specifically, he said, rising health-insurance costs have wreaked havoc on church budgets. "With multiple years of 25 and 30 percent increases in the cost of health coverage, it is a significant impact on church budget issues."
Second, churches have faced increasing land and building costs.
Third, the price of keeping the lights on and the heat or air conditioning running has increased significantly.
Fourth, churches have experienced a long-term trend of members wanting to be personally involved in direct missions - sometimes as a full or partial substitute for giving to send others.
That point was echoed by Cliff Tharp, research director at LifeWay Christian Resources.
"Many more churches have groups go on trips, do volunteer missions," he noted. "That may be impacting ... giving, but I have nothing to quantify that."
Price recalled a book written about 30 years ago by Robert Kilgore, How Much a Debtor, where the author drew upon his banking and church experience to estimate that most churches in 1973 spent 15 percent to 20 percent of their money on local expenses, another 10 percent to 15 percent on missions, 40 percent to 50 percent on staff salaries and benefits, and 15 percent to 35 percent on debt service.
Through NACBA, Martin continues to monitor the ratio of church personnel costs to total church budget, and the portion spent on personnel continues to grow, he said, adding health insurance cost is the driver.
"As local expenses, salaries and debt have risen, there has been a squeeze on the missions portion of church budgets ...." Price explained.
More local missions?
One of the explanations churches often give for reducing unified missions giving is that there is an increase in expenditures on local missions.
How low can you go?
Regardless, one fact remains unchanged: The percentage of churches' undesignated receipts going to missions has dropped by one-third in 15 years (among Southern Baptists).
Charted on a linear path that assumes a continued steady rate of decline, it would take unified giving contributions to zero in another 30 years - bad news for the SBC.
Yet experts agree that, even if a unified-church missions fund among Baptists ceased to exist, congregations would still find a way to cooperate on funding missions.
What's the answer?
If denominational bodies want to increase missions giving from churches, they need to increase feedback, suggested Ronsvalle.
"We have found, repeatedly, church members will give to missions if they understand the need," she said. "But people want to know what their money is doing when it leaves the congregation."
Most denominations are not well equipped for this type of reporting, she admitted. What's required, she suggested, is more like the statements of activity that airlines send frequent fliers.
"If you're a frequent flier, you can fly, and two weeks later, you're going to get a specific report back showing you where you've been, how many miles you flew."
On the other hand, "you can give money to your denomination and not be able to track it."
That failure combines dangerously with a trend of church members wanting to support missions efforts they not only can see but can personally participate in, added Robert Parham, executive director of the Baptist Center for Ethics in Nashville, Tenn.
"The day has long been over when churches were willing to give their money to someone else to determine what to do with it," he explained. "People want to see their money at work. It's an issue of trust. They ask, 'Why should we give our money to a bureaucracy?'"
Back to the root of all evil
While it's easy to blame churches for keeping more of the offerings for their own discretionary use, the root of the missions funding challenge lies with individual Christians, Ronsvalle asserted.
"The church, and particularly missions, is shrinking as a market share of people's spending," she said.
The average member of a Christian church in the United States gives only 2.6 percent of his or her income to the church, Ronsvalle reported.
If all church members gave a biblical tithe of 10 percent, nearly $80 billion in additional funds would flow into missions annually, she said.
How does that figure compare with world need? By some estimates, a mere $2.5 billion could stop the deaths of 11 million children worldwide under age 5. An $80 billion investment could end the worst cases of world poverty, empty tomb contends.
Ronsvalle wishes churches not only would give more money to missions, but would challenge Christians to be better stewards of their financial resources.
"There has been a vacuum of leadership on the national level to raise people's eyes off their own individual needs," she said. "There has been a lack of comprehensive vision to challenge people to be willing to invest in the kingdom" of God.
Church leaders ought to more boldly counsel church members who seek fulfillment through consumerism, Ronsvalle urged, suggesting that buying a third car and moving to a bigger house is not the stairway to heaven.
"We don't really believe what we say we do," she concluded. "Because if we did, we'd be spending our money differently."
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