Faithful Stewards

Our Questions Come?

The word Advent comes from the Latin adventus meaning 'coming.' It is a time of waiting, and reflection, and preparation for the coming of the Christ Child. For those of us who are attuned to local church finances and stewardship Advent has another unofficial meaning. For most church budgets, Advent means we're entering into the final fiscal month, and we look at spread sheets and reports with nervous anticipation. How are we doing compared to our budget? Are the pledges coming in as expected? How badly did the emergency leaky roof repair affect our bottom line? Aren't we glad the pastor doesn't want to be paid for November and December? OK, maybe not that one.

I wonder if, instead of 'coming', we think of Advent as 'our questions come.' It's the same for us who dissect the Conference finances on a regular basis. Think of your relationship with church members and friends. Some pledge, some don't. People may choose to increase or decrease their financial commitment based on a myriad of reasons of which you may never be aware. Some fulfill their pledges, others do not. And almost every Sunday, there is cash in the plate that is difficult to trace and acknowledge.

Substitute 'congregations' for 'church members and friends' and you have the Conference's situation understood. While most churches send in Per Capita, others do not. Or they send in a partial payment based on some local formula or pledging guideline. Support for Our Church's Winder Mission (OCWM) is even more unpredictable. Some faithful churches contribute as the delegates move at Annual Meeting: they send a percentage of their expense budget, seeking to reach a tithe (5% for federated or dual aligned churches). Others have OCWM as a budget line item, some churches send a contribution based on operating surplus, and, sadly, in 2010 fifty churches sent nothing at all.

So, our questions come. With so little control over our income, how do we balance having faith and hope with due diligence to ensure financial solvency? How are we to be "Faithful Stewards?" Anyone? Anyone? Bueller?

Well, this one I don't claim to know the answer to. But perhaps one possible response to 'our questions come' is 'Thy will be done.' What might your response be? Email it to me at thomasj@vtcucc.org and I'll share them in a future edition of Faithful Stewards.

This month, some practical advice and answers. In the New Year, we'll be exploring what "clarity of vision" means for a local church and its stewardship.

Peace,

Housing Allowance for a Second Home? 

In some cases, yes. In a recent decision in a US Tax Court, it was ruled a minister could apply a housing allowance to expenses incurred in owning two homes. One home was a primary residence, and the second home was a vacation home.

There are lots of qualifiers. For example, the second home cannot be used for a commercial purpose, and it cannot be rented to another person (since a second home that a minister rents to another person or family can hardly be considered the minister's "home").

So - if your pastor has a second home, which is purely a vacation home and is never rented or leased to anyone else, expenses related to that home may be part of a housing allowance. I would say, however, that pastors and churches should understand that reliance on this case could expose them to future audit risk. Always consult a tax professional - your mileage may vary.

Speaking of Housing Allowances...

Deadline for Contributions to count for 2011!

All contributions sent to the Vermont Conference that are to be counted for 2011 must be received by the Conference office no later than January 9, 2011. All monies received after that date will be applied to 2012.

Oh, and it's OK if you want to send them in earlier!

Do You Know What Your Church Contributes?

Our Conference Financial Report is published each month on the Conference website. In addition to detailing income and expenses, it also lists each month the year-to-date contributions to Per Capita and Our Church's Wider Mission from all of our churches.

The October report has been released. You can reach it by accessing the Stewardship page of the website, or here is a direct link.

OCWM contributions by church, with a year-to-date comparison to 2010 giving begins on page 11. The same data for Per Capita begins on page 14 of the report.

 There can be no doubt that this possessive clinging to things is one of the most harmful habits in the [christian] life. Because it is so natural, it is rarely recognized for the evil that it is. But its outworkings are tragic. 
A. W. Tozer

There are three conversions necessary: the conversion of the heart, mind, and the purse. 
Martin Luther

The purpose of tithing is to secure not the tithe but the tither, not the gift but the giver, not the possession but the possessor, not your money but you for God. 
Anonymous 

 It is not persecution of the church in China that I fear. The church has always been able to weather persecution. My fear is love of money in the church. 
Chinese pastor 

 "During Advent opportunities for works of charity abound calling out for Christians from every side: a sack of food for a needy family, money dropped in a Salvation Army kettle, a donation to an Indian school, a toy for 'Toys-for-Tots,' etc. Unfortunately, these works of charity so easily can assuage the Christian conscience, while doing nothing to being about a solution to the root causes of the problem.

   "Works of justice, on he other hand, follow the road less traveled of Advent's hope to pursue solutions for difficult problems. Hope comes through works of justice rather than simply performing works of charity."