New Church Life May/June 2015 | Page 44

n e w c h u r c h l i f e : m ay / j u n e 2 0 1 5 • Are the General Church and New Church education financially sustainable for the future? From the very beginning, our institutions have been blessed by benefactors with sizable endowments and large contributions from which most of us have benefited. Today, however, because of a robust building campaign and a commitment to growth in the Academy and College – both impacted by a sustained recession, coupled with a less-than-successful capital campaign – as of the end of fiscal year 2013-2014 the Academy and College are still left with a longterm debt of more than $49.9 million and continued deficit spending. Although expenses continue to be reduced through hard and painful choices (notably in the General Church with a balanced budget recently approved for fiscal year 2015-2016), deficit spending still continues in both the Academy and College. Other New Church schools are also struggling to keep their doors open. Despite progress, contributions are not keeping pace with needs. With the knowledge that solicitations are made only in North America (the United States and Canada), in fiscal year 2013-2014 only 27% of General Church members (963 out of 3,565) contributed to the organization. When friends and those baptized (but not members) were included, the rate was about 36%. The average age of the General Church contributor is about 60. And, only 19.4% of Academy and College alumni (931 out of 4,793) contributed to these two educational institutions. Much greater participation is needed! If these trends continue, is the long-term future of these institutions sustainable? • What’s happened to communications? While there are online publications, websites, livestreaming, and the goods and ills of social media, what has happened to the printed communications of the past? Gone are the Sons Bulletin (along with the Sons), the Theta Alpha Journal (although it is being resurrected), The Academy Journal (missing in action), alumni publications (online only), and such other publications as Lion’s Pride and Around the New Church. To my knowledge, the only official publication still in print presenting editorials, opinions, points of view, the news of the General Church, the Academy and the College is the one you are reading – New Church Life. For much of the time, with the exception of contribution requests, our members and alumni do not hear or see much – less so in the past several years – unless they take the initiative and go online. How many really do? And those who do not have email or access to a computer – and there are still some – truly are left in the dark, but for New Church Life. While the internet and social media are the digital tools of the new age, is it not still important to publish the written word so that an open 264