R2016-2 Mission Share Funding Plan
Be it resolved that the Mission Share Funding Plan for the years 2017-2021 2017-2018 be set using a proportional share ratio applied equally to all congregations in the diocese. This share ratio shall consist of equal proportions of a congregation’s Normal Operating Income (Page 3, Line A) and Operating Expenses (Page 3, Line E) as found on the parish’s latest Parochial Report, each divided by the total Normal Operating Income and Total Operating Expenses of all congregations in the Diocese, respectively. The resultant share ratio shall be the congregation’s Share Ratio for the following year’s Mission Share Rate. All congregations shall be ordered from low to high by Share Ratio and the Mission Share Rate shall be defined as follows:
- a) The congregation with the smallest Share Ratio will be assessed at a rate of 6.0% of normal operating income.
- b) The congregation with the Share Ratio closest to the average Share Rate shall be assessed at a rate of 11.5% of normal operating income.
- c) All other congregations will be assessed at a rate defined by their Share Ratio order on a straight line connecting the congregations found in a) and b), and be it further
That with heartfelt gratitude for the proposed actions above, this Body recognizes the tremendous opportunity that is before the Diocese at this time to explore ways to alleviate “the financial strain being felt across the church and provide some relief” as well as take further steps to align our Mission Share, thus our Operating Budget with the actual stated Mission Priorities of the Diocese with this new Mission Share Funding Plan, the Convention sets the time period of the Plan as two years (2017-2018), and be it further
Resolved that Diocesan Council set a Funding Plan Review in the year 2020 to review and adjust the Mission Sharing Funding Plan or establish a new funding plan for 2022 and beyond.
Resolved that Diocesan Council set a Funding Plan Review in the year 2018 to review the Mission Sharing Funding Plan and redevelop a new funding plan for 2019 and beyond to be based on our articulated Mission Strategy and be it further
Resolved to direct the Bishop and Diocesan Council to present and report to the 143rd Convention a comprehensive Mission Strategy that articulates what sort of programs, initiatives, staff and events the Diocese wants to develop and coordinate to realize the Mission of the Diocese of Southern Ohio, and be it further
Resolved that Diocesan Council oversee a Mission Share Review process, that is initiated upon petition by the congregation to reduce its mission share percentage because of extenuating circumstances. In addition, the Commission on Congregational Life, the Diocesan Finance Committee or the Budget Committee also may petition Diocesan Council to revise a congregation’s Share Ratio.
Explanation (for the original resolution):
Every five years it is Diocesan Council’s responsibility to oversee a review of the mission share formula. Council is then tasked to prepare a proposal for diocesan convention.
In late spring, a task force chaired by The Rev. David Getreu convened five listening sessions around the diocese to hear what congregations had to say about the current mission share formula. One of the concerns expressed at those meetings was distaste for average Sunday attendance (ASA) as one of the factors determining each congregation’s share. Also, given the financial strain being felt across the church, the hope was that a revised formula might provide some relief to a majority of our congregations.
This formula removes ASA as a factor and bases mission share solely on operating expenses and income. This formula creates a range from 6.0% to 14.14% with a midpoint of 11.5%. This decreases mission share for all but seven congregations.
Submitted by: The Rev. David Getreu, on behalf of Diocesan Council
Amendment moved by The Rev. Darren Elin of St. Thomas, Terrace Park.
Explanation of the Amendment:
Explanation of the Amendment:
“but test everything; hold fast to what is good;” (Cf. 1 Thessalonians 5:21 NRSV)
Mission Share is more than money that is contributed from congregations for the work of the Diocese as a whole, it is fundamentally about mission, yet what may be implicitly clear to a few, is not explicit enough as we communicate back to our respective congregations, especially what we seek to bring about collectively and not just with individual neighborhoods, the seeing the diocese as one whole and diverse neighborhood.
This is a critical time for the Church and such an important opportunity for us to realize together that the time period set by the original resolution is too long of a time for our Mission Share to not be intentionally and explicitly based on a comprehensive Mission Strategy; without which, the Mission Share is for all intents and purposes simply an assessment of income raised by parishes for the ongoing maintenance and operations of the Diocese without explanation of how these funds actually accomplishes the goals and priorities of our mission as a Diocese. While we all can recognize the uniqueness of our respective neighborhoods in which we follow Christ, the Mission Share represents that coordinated and united effort we undertake, and as so wisely pointed out in his address, our Bishop recognizes that we need effective metrics. Metrics can only be effective, however if we know what it is we are trying to coordinate, where, when how, with who and especially why. If we rely solely on the sense of our ministry, especially what is undertaken as the overall Diocese to be organic, rather than discerned, planned and evaluated, then how truly are we to know that we are meeting the needs of the mission objectively? Simply put, we need a strategy for Diocesan resources before we can adequately know how much we need to do the work God is giving us to do, we need to clarify what that work actually should be and why. “And this is my prayer, that your love may overflow more and more with knowledge and full insight to help you determine what is best, so that in the day of Christ you may be pure and blameless,” (Cf. Philippians 1:9—10 NRSV).