EPC growing, but finances
aren’t keeping up
By Edward Terry, The Layman, July 7, 2009
BRIGHTON, Mich. – The 2008 statistical report for the Evangelical Presbyterian Church offered a good-news, bad-news outlook for the fledgling denomination’s future.
While most Christian denominations are reporting staggering declines in membership and worship attendance, the EPC bucked that trend in 2008 and is preparing to continue that growth, according to strategies discussed at the 29th EPC General Assembly at Cornerstone Evangelical Presbyterian Church in Brighton, Mich.
The denomination added 40 new churches last year and more than 15,000 members. As of December 2008, the EPC’s count showed 247 members churches and 92,864 members. Both figures account for nearly 20-percent increases over 2007’s numbers. Worship attendance also grew, increasing from 70,664 to 83,473, by 17 percent or 12,809 attendees.
The majority, 11,164 of the 15,382 new members, is reflected in the EPC’s transitional presbytery and the New Wineskins EPC transitional presbytery. Looking ahead to more potential growth, the assembly also approved action that will bring more New Wineskins congregations into the EPC by 2012.
Giving gap
Though giving grew in 2008, it did not grow as quickly as membership and worship attendance, leaving a budget gap that led to staff and program cuts for the denomination in the spring. Total giving to the EPC grew 2.8 percent in 2008 and per member asking saw an $87,717 increase (7.7 percent) in 2008. Benevolence giving to World Outreach also increased, but other EPC causes saw no growth or slight declines in 2008.
The final 2010 administration budget approved by the General Assembly was $1.333 million, approximately $250,000 less than the 2009 assembly-approved budget. The 2010 budget is slightly lower than the 2009 revised budget, which reflects cutbacks.
Stated Clerk Jeff Jeremiah said that a contributing factor is that many new churches don’t immediately start full participation in per member asking, which is the General Assembly’s primary source of revenue.
“The indications I’ve received here this week, informally, a number of those churches that have yet to start supporting us are going to be able to do that soon,” Jeremiah said, adding that long-time churches can contribute more as well. “The word needs to go out to churches in the EPC that have been around a while who could do more in their support. That message is going to go out and be encouraged.”
GA office cuts
A Committee on Administration (CoA) report, which said that all departments of the GA office were affected, listed three full-time positions and one part-time being cut, and two full-time director’s positions scaled back to half-time. The cuts have the deepest impacts on Student Ministries, Women in Ministries and the Office of the Stated Clerk.
“The CoA looked across the whole of the ministry of the General Assembly and made some very difficult decisions that would help ensure the EPC will be able to pay its bills/remain solvent,” the report said. “We are aware that many of our churches have had to make the same type of difficult choices during this difficult time.”
The primary culprit in the cuts was a $240,000 per member asking shortfall projection as of March 31.
Seeking 100-percent participation
Recognizing that the denomination still is far from 100-percent participation in its per member asking, and that many congregations are suffering due to nationwide economic issues, the EPC’s Committee on Administration urged a decrease in its per member asking from $25 to $23.
EPC Moderator Nate Atwood said the proposal came about due to two-thirds of EPC congregations carrying the financial load. The hope in lowering the per member asking is to meet congregations half way and encourage wider participation.
If 100 percent of EPC congregations participated, Atwood said, a $19 per member asking would be sufficient.
“What we would like to do is bring it as close to 100 percent as possible,” he said. “As that happens, it’s our intent to keep lowering the per member asking.”
The widow’s two mites
David Haney, a ruling elder at Calvary Presbyterian Church in Flint, Mich., urged a different approach. Citing his congregation’s ability to raise $750,000 in a stewardship campaign despite the area’s high unemployment, he said that everyone at the blue-collar church gave what they could. He suggested a more aggressive approach to preaching stewardship.
“I understand your logic, but I have very little faith in it,” Haney said. “You get what you expect. If we had as many people working on stewardship in the General Assembly and the presbyteries as we do counting money, I think we could make inroads.”
The new per member asking, which was approved by the General Assembly, took effect July 1.