How much will it Cost?
A good vision asks these questions:
1. Where are we?
2. Where are we going?
3. How will we get there? and
4. How much will it cost?
In this blog we will answer the final question while also reflecting on biblical stewardship.
Currently our giving is tracking really well! We are $17k ahead of our forecast position (figures and charts below).
Here is a snapshot of our Income (blue is actual, green is budget):
You can view a more detailed P&L and Balance Sheet here.
Two Stewardship Goals:
1. Reduce our dependence on property income 2. Begin using the Upper Hall for ministry
Statistically Churches that give generously and do not rely on property income grow numerically. The reason for this is when Churches have a steady stream of income they become complacent. Remember that giving is a discipleship issue. If there's a perceived non requirement to give then we sit back and not contribute in the way we are supposed to. This leads to sleepy churches. Our vision is to be anything but that which is why these two goals are so important.
A brief analysis of our Church
We are each invited to think about how the Lord calls us to give sacrificially and generously. The bible speaks of a tithe (10%). We encourage members of St Catharine's to consider prayerfully how much they should give. The tithe should be our guide. Sometimes God might direct us to give something less than that for a season and at other times, God might direct us to give more. For more principles of tithing, read this blog.
There are about 40 adults at our Church
Taking into account the fact that we have some fixed incomes, part-timers, some people who are on minimum wage and others on higher salaries. An average income might be $60k.
A tithe is $6k
$6k x 40 people - $240k
God has already provided everything we need.
Five reasons people do not give generously
I give elsewhere
God will provide through other people, my gifts don't really count
I don't trust the church to steward my money wisely
I will tithe when I can afford it
I'm afraid to
How much will it cost?
In our 2019 budget we would aim to do the following:
Reduce our dependence on rental income by 5% = $3.5k
To meet our new staff expenses = $4.5k
Begin investing in a new Vicarage Fund = $5k
Complete some much needed Capital works = $5k
Increase our Mission Giving = $2k
Our Annual Budget needs to increase by 10% in 2019 And would need to continue to increase by about 10% each year.
Members are invited each year to review their giving and we are prayerful and expectant that the Lord will continue to add to the number of saints at St Catharine's.
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