Where do our Tithes go?
Recently I’ve spoken about the necessity of tithing for the effective functioning of the Church. To recap, the Tithe is the Biblical principle of giving 10% of your income to God as an act of thanksgiving and faithfulness for the accomplishing of God’s purposes in the world through the Church. But what is your local church doing with those tithes? Where does that money go?
Every year at the annual meeting we publish a Narrative Budget.* It’s an accounting of what we do in story-form rather than a line by line itemized version.* This year’s budget was broken down into four categories:
- Worship: Celebrating the Mysteries of God.
- Formation: Nurturing Deep, Authentic Faith.
- Ministry: Christian Service in the World as Christ Taught
- Mission: Building Relationships with Others, Connecting Us All to God Through Christ.
This year we approved a total budgeted expenditure of $207,000. That figure is based on the costs we incur in doing our mission and ministry. We projected an income of $157,000. That figure is based on the previous year’s giving with a modest projection of increased giving.
Bottom line, the majority of tithes and offerings go into one of these four buckets:
- Supporting our staff* in their ministries. This includes salaries, wages, taxes & pensions*, medical & dental insurance*, continuing education, conferences, and travel expenses. Their ministries include crafting & leading worship, teaching & preaching, pastoral care, business administration & communications, and event design & leadership.
- Maintenance, utilities and campus improvements. Recent examples include playground & garden upgrades, heating costs, the new gazebo, fixing a basement leak, new windows that open in the Nave, internet access, security cameras, electricity, and new ceiling fans.
- Program expenses. Examples include computers & technology, printing & office supplies, curriculum, software subscriptions, music/worship supplies, Sunday school supplies, food/kitchen supplies, and janitorial service.
- Aiding the wider Church and others. We give each month to the Episcopal Diocese of Olympia and the Southwestern Washington Synod of the ELCA. These funds support Diocesan/Synod staff, emergency relief in the U.S. & the world*, local congregational grants and financial aid, church planting, and programs that help local congregations grow and develop.
In short, when you give to St. Christopher’s you are spreading the Gospel of Jesus, providing assistance to those both near and far, and supporting the transformation of individuals and communities.
Thank you for making a difference.
Sincerely,
Fr. James+
*Other things to know…
- The 2022 Narrative Budget can be found here.
- If you wish to see the line item budget it is available upon request.
- We have three paid staff: the Vicar/Pastor, Music Director, and Church Manager. Only the Vicar is 1.0 FTE, the other two positions are .4 FTE or less. All other staff are volunteer, including the Deacon and Bookkeeper.
- A portion of our assessment paid to the Diocese and to the Synod goes to Episcopal Relief & Development and Lutheran World Relief for national and international aid.
