ST. PAUL, MN (June 26, 2010) – Delegates to the 125th Annual Meeting of the Evangelical Covenant Church approved a $20.8 million Mission and Ministry Budget for 2011.
The budget format reflects the work of all mission and ministry initiatives, including core operating budget ministries, but also affiliated ministries such as Covenant World Relief, Paul Carlson Partnership, Sustaining Pastoral Excellence, Covenant Orientation, short-term and project missionaries, and missionary in-country projects, among others. Click here for video coverage.
Lundgren notes that developing a budget means adhering to four principles:
- It must be realistic, recognizing the current economic environment
- It must be do-able, with support from God and the churches
- It must advance mission and ministry
- Activities must be reviewed to see if they continue to serve the central mission, and eliminated if they do not so that funds can be freed for new priorities
Mission and Ministry Budget allocations for 2011 and the percentage of the budget each represents include:
- World Mission – $9.05 (43.5 percent)
- Compassion, Mercy, and Justice – $4.1 million (19.7 percent)
- Church Growth and Evangelism – $3.61 million (17.4 percent)
- Christian Formation – $1.25 million (6 percent)
- Ordered Ministry – $1.64 million (7.9 percent)
- North Park University and Theological Seminary – $1.14(5.5 percent)
Because the work of the Department of Communication and General Administration serve all ministry areas, those two areas of expense are allocated to the various ministry initiatives commensurate with the contributions made in each ministry area. Those two areas continue to manage individual departmental budgets as do the other ministry areas.
Revenue to support the 2011 Mission and Ministry Budget is projected to come from the following sources, expressed in percentage terms:
- Local church giving – 40 percent
- Directed individual and church giving – 33 percent
- Transfers – 7 percent
- Individuals – 5 percent
- Communication sales – 3 percent
- Other support – 12 percent
