Money, money, money

As the world faces a "financial meltdown" or "credit crunch" there are similar problems in many of our churches.

In Milton Keynes we have been wrestling with the uncomfortable reality that we do have to live within our means rather than rely on an external subsidy. Bit by bit over the past few years, we have been slowly working to find ways of covering our own costs, through a process of increased giving and more realistic ministerial deployment.

Overall this has been working and I've been feeling very postitive, but there are still challenges ahead...

Firstly, of course, is the credit crunch and the impending recession. Our financial plans are dependent on increased giving: around 7% for Anglican share and 11% for the Mission Partnership. If people's ability to give declines then we will have some issues...

Secondly, there are the inevitable local issues. In Watling Valley these have recently come to a head because long term financial difficulties in one church have left them unable to pay last year's share in full and well behind on this year's.

If you combine the two you get local crises with no room for manoeuvre...

In Watling Valley there was a really super meeting this evening, between treasurers, church reps and the ministry team. Those present reflected on the current state of things and acknowledged that none of the churches would find share payments easy next year and would probably dip into dwindling reserves to keep themselves afloat. I think it was suggested that more than £20,000 would be needed... but I may have misheard...

In spite of the challenges, the mood was positive and a lot of valuable discussion took place. There was enthusiasm and a desire to maintain existing levels of ministry - to continue developing new work and develop greater capacity for mission.

One of the main themes was a desire to help church members understand the financial need by giving them more information about how their money is used. There was also a desire to find ways to address some of the popular myths about church finance, i.e. that the government pays for it all...

There is much to be done, but great potential for growth as we take our responsibility as stewards of God's gifts more seriously. There is also an opportunity to rethink how we use those resources and what we actually need.

"Sustainability" may sound like a dull concept, but it is crucial to the long-term survival of the planet. Only sustainable churches will have anything meaningful to offer a post-peak, environmentally challenged world...