Until recently I was a member of a rifle club. There were about 100 members and from within that group we elected around a dozen to be on a Management Committee, with the committee deciding on a Treasurer and a Chair. In that respect, the structure of the rifle club was similar to any other organisation or church.
Because the club had its own premises, there were the usual expenses associated with having a building, such as heating, electricity and general maintenance. So in the course of a year, we knew how much it would cost to run the club. The committee would take the costs for the year, and after allowing a small amount for unexpected expenses, divide the lot by the amount of members to give the subscription rate for the year. It was fair, and as a result we had a pleasant club house and range to practice our sport in.
As an aside, the trophy cabinets were really well made. One of the members was a local funeral director and he made all the trophy cabinets. It came as no surprise that he was exceptionally good at making wooden boxes...
So we knew that everyone was contributing their fare share to the fixed running costs for the club. The members that used the pool table paid for it at 20p per use, which paid for it to be recovered and maintained on a regular basis, with surplus going to the club. And the small profit on any ammunition or other consumables that the club sold covered the variable costs of running a club. Nobody complained about the cost of membership (actually, everyone grumbles about having to pay, but that's life!) because everyone was making a fair contribution.
It's a shame that church doesn't work like my old rifle club. It's the time of year when the church accounts have been drawn up and approved by the board and session. While the takings are still in the black, congregational giving does not actually cover the costs of the ordinary life of the church. It's only through a number of exceptional items of income that the church is pulling ahead. Yet there is a fairly large congregation that gathers on a Sunday with many other members in the parish that see this as their church. The weekly giving just doesn't seem to be enough.
A letter has been sent to members of the congregation, asking people to consider increasing their offering, and to remember to use Gift Aid so that tax may be reclaimed. While the letter was well written, one person had an objection. They open the weekly envelopes, and when they saw that the Minister suggested that another £3 per person per week would get the congregation onto a better footing, she objected. She stated that some of the envelopes only contain £1, so it was unfair that the Minister was asking them to double or triple their donation. Rather than it being unfair that the person that has been giving £1 might not have reconsidered their giving for some time.
Perhaps people don't realise how much money it takes for even a small church to operate. The big cathedrals have signs telling you that it costs £20,000 (York Minster) per day to operate, so should we be telling our congregations that our average expenditure is over £1,000 per week, so the hundred or so in regular attendance should pay a proportionate amount to meet this cost?
I'm concerned that a congregation that appears to be in the black, is actually not very well off at all. If it wasn't for the additional income stream that they have, which are not guaranteed, then they would be deeply in deficit. The congregation needs to be self funding, and then, the extra income can be used for other things. Set aside a lump for the rainy days, then use the rest to really start doing God's work. Fund your own aid projects. Do advocacy for causes that haven't got your resources. The extra income is that part that you share out, not to be used for your day to day operations.
We just don't like talking about money. Well I think it's something we are going to have to be realistic about if we want our churches to continue.
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