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