Church News
Compiled by Bruce Henderson
general church board
Bishops’ Office: The Rt. Rev. Brian Keith reported at the February 7-8
meeting of the Board of Directors that a balanced budget is within sight. Great
strides have been taken to eliminate the deficit, which has limited our ability
to consider any new uses. Bishop Keith estimates that he is spending 25-30%
of his time as Chancellor of the Academy.
The Rt. Rev. Peter Buss Jr. is focusing on developing relationships
among the clergy and with General Church schools. He is devoting much of
his attention to oversight of the clergy, international travel (recently returned
from Australia), and supporting connections with young people.
Budget: Executive Director David Frazier presented a 10-year overview of
the budget, with positive trends. Operating income increased from $5 million
in 2004 to a high of $7.4 million in 2009, and has since declined to about
$4.5 million. Overall expenses also increased from $4.9 million in 2004 to $9.4
million in 2010, and have decreased to approximately $5 million in 2014. The
operating deficit peaked at $3.4 million in 2010.
The proposed budget for 2014-2015 was approved with income projected
at $4.6 million and expenses at $4.8 million. Through a lot of diligent work
and tough decisions, the deficits that have plagued the budget for several years
are finally disappearing. The deficit for the coming fiscal year has been reduced
to $180,000.
Outreach: The framework for all newchurch.org web pages, plus support for
local websites, are no longer supported by the developer, so they must be
rebuilt in a new environment. Converting and upgrading all General Church
and congregational websites is estimated to take up to two years and cost more
than $200,000. This will be paid out of restricted capital funds.
The Board reviewed church plants, some of which are achieving their
targets, while others are struggling. There was extended discussion about the
relative use of church plants and other outreach efforts, such as web advertising.
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