Generous Giving

At this year’s Luther Hostel I was part of a panel discussion in the “Renewing Leaders” program.  The other three panelists and I were invited take different perspectives as we weighed in on the need for renewal in our church and among our clergy.  I was assigned the stewardship perspective.

As part of my preparations I pulled some numbers from the ELCIC database, which is a compilation of statistics drawn from each congregation’s annual Parochial Report.  [Incidentally, 2011 reports had been registered for only 65% of Eastern Synod congregations, and this is several months past the submission deadline.]  What I found was a combination of good news and bad news.

Giving to congregations is up

Congregational assets are up

Per capita giving is up

Support for the wider church is down

Looking at these numbers caused me to wonder about the financial crisis in the church.  I offer these observations for your consideration and comment.

1. There is no crisis in congregational income. Total giving has increased just a tick slower than the rate of inflation.  Congregations have virtually the same purchasing power they had 25 years ago.
2. There is no crisis in congregational wealth. Whether caused by additions to property and facilities or merely re-valuation, growth in the assets of congregations has been greater than the rate of inflation.
3. There is no crisis in per capita giving to congregations. It has increased 35% faster than the rate of inflation.  Members are giving more than ever – although there are 29% fewer of them.  As Loren Mead said a long time ago, “The problem isn’t per capita giving – it’s not enough capitas.”
4. There is a severe crisis in the synodical and national expressions of our church. The Eastern Synod is working with just over half of the purchasing power it had 25 years ago, and the ELCIC is struggling with an even smaller proportion.
5. The financial crisis in the ELCIC results from congregations sharing less with the wider church. If congregations had given to benevolence as generously in 2011 as they did in 1997, the Eastern Synod would have received $860,000 more than it actually did.