DETROIT, MI (June 24, 2017) – Delegates to the 132nd Annual Meeting of the Evangelical Covenant Church approved a $25.5 million budget for 2018. The budget represents an increase of roughly 1.1 percent over the 2017 budget.
The budget contains both the operating and directed mission activity.
The operating budget represents the ongoing activities of the core mission priorities and mission support teams. The operating budget is $16.6 million and makes up about 65 percent of the overall budget.
The directed mission budget represents an array of missions that are supported solely by donor-designated gifts but which would not be possible without the infrastructure and support provided by the core operating budget. The directed ministry budget is $8.9 million
Hawkinson noted that this budget represents the third straight year of delivering a balanced cash budget. He added, however, that although the budget was an overall increase over the 2017 budget, giving from churches to the operating budget was down 1.8 percent. That decline was made up for by a 7 percent increase in directed giving.
Operating Budget
Start and Strengthen Churches – $2.89 million
Make and Deepen Disciples – $1.18 million
Develop Leaders – $1.79 million
Love Mercy Do Justice – $645,931
Serve Globally – $5.43 million
Communications – $1.34 million
Shared services – $3.29 million
Directed Mission
Covenant Kids Congo – $285,000
Missionaries/Merge – $2.35 million
Serve Globally Partner Project – $600,000
Covenant World Relief – $2 million
Paul Carlson Partnership – $1.55 million
Friends of World Mission – $300,000
Kingdom Builders – $80,000
Women Ministries projects – $75,000
Bezalel, LLC/Social Enterprise – $750,000
Lilly Economic Challenges Grant – $300,000
Love Mercy Do Justice Disaster Relief – $60,000
Center for Leadership – $150,000
Sustaining Pastoral Excellence – $150,000
Covenant Orientation – 250,000
Projected Sources of Income
Local church giving – $8.7 million
Individual donor support – $2.1 million
Fees and expense allocations – $4.6 million
Bequest and reserve transfers – $509,000
External communication sales – $400,000
External rental income – $292,500
