DALLAS (ELCA) -- Overall financial results for 2004 were "mixed" for the churchwide organization of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), said Christina Jackson-Skelton, ELCA treasurer, in a report here March 5 to the ELCA Conference of Bishops.
The ELCA Conference of Bishops is an advisory body of the church, consisting of the 65 ELCA synod bishops, ELCA secretary and ELCA presiding bishop. It met here March 3-7.
For the fiscal year which ended Jan. 31, receipts were $81.3 million, up about $500,000 from the previous fiscal year, Jackson-Skelton said. Expenses were $76.8 million, a reduction of $3.5 million from 2003, she said.
"Expenses were the primary reason that income exceeded expenses," the ELCA treasurer wrote in her report, noting that expenses were $3.6 million less than the ELCA Church Council authorized for 2004.
Mission support income decreased to $65.6 million, down about $800,000 from 2003, Jackson-Skelton said. Sources of income from missionary sponsorships, bequests and trusts, endowments, Mission Investment Fund, Vision for Mission, fraternal grants and other income was $15.6 million, up $1.3 million from 2003.
"On the positive side, we stopped a two-year decline in our total revenue," Jackson-Skelton said. "However, for the third consecutive year, we had a continuing decline in mission support." Mission support is income to the churchwide organization from congregations through synods.
Jackson-Skelton said nearly 60 percent of the synods sent less mission support income to the churchwide organization in 2004 than in 2003.
"We cannot expect we will continue to have increases in others areas [of the budget] to make up for this decline," she warned. Still, Jackson-Skelton said, synods have "had a strong commitment to hold the line on mission support."
Total gifts to the ELCA World Hunger Appeal in 2004 were $17.3 million, of which $16.2 million was given to the general hunger appeal, down slightly from 2003. Designated world hunger income was $1.2 million, most of it given to "Stand With Africa," an effort to support specific ministry projects in Africa.
Disaster response giving was $10.5 million in 2004, compared to $3.5 million in 2003. Jackson-Skelton said some $5 million was designated for response to the South Asia tsunami and $2.1 million was given for hurricane response in the Caribbean and Florida, she said.
"We were overwhelmed with tsunami gifts. It was unprecedented," Jackson-Skelton said. Gifts to the church by credit card were substantial, she said. In addition, a positive factor in giving was that the federal government extended the deadline to Jan. 31, 2005, for 2004 tax deductible charitable gifts specifically for tsunami relief, the ELCA treasurer said.
For information contact:
John Brooks, Director (773) 380-2958 or news@elca.org
http://www.elca.org/news
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About the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America:
The ELCA is one of the largest Christian denominations in the United States, with 2.8 million members in more than 8,500 worshiping communities across the 50 states and in the Caribbean region. Known as the church of "God's work. Our hands.," the ELCA emphasizes the saving grace of God through faith in Jesus Christ, unity among Christians and service in the world. The ELCA's roots are in the writings of the German church reformer Martin Luther.
For information contact:
Candice Hill Buchbinder
Public Relations Manager
Candice.HillBuchbinder@ELCA.org
