Local gifts. Global impact.

Congregations of the Southeastern Pennsylvania Synod are in ministry locally and around the world through the proportion of congregational income given to the larger Church via Partnership Support.

Together as a synod, through our tithes and offerings of Mission Support, we are preparing new leaders for the church, opening new congregations, encouraging youth to grow in faith through experiences of service and worship, supporting social ministry organizations, schools, a camp, and existing congregations and developing life giving partnerships with the Lutheran church in Tanzania and the Silesian Evangelical Church of the Augsburg Confession.  All of this work is being done with only 47% of congregations' Partnership Support gifts.

The remaining 53% is sent to the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America for churchwide and global ministries. These Partnership Support gifts help to plant new worshipping communities across the US, support the work of national ministries such as military chaplaincy, Lutheran Disaster Response, World Hunger Appeal and ot

her resources, and provide for churchwide ministries including theological education, our national system of candidacy and mobility for rostered leaders, development of curriculum and worship resources, etc.

Thank you for helping to change lives and alleviate suffering glocally through your Partnership Support of the entire Church!

Here are answers to some frequently asked questions about Partnership Support:

• Why does so much of our giving go beyond the Synod?
• Where does the Synod's support comes from?
• What does the Synod fund?
• What are the historic Partnership Support trends?
• How can I/we help?

 

Why does so much of our giving go beyond the Synod?

The ELCA was constituted as one Church with three expressions.

These three expressions of the Church -- the Churchwide organization, Synods, and Congregations -- fulfill different roles in the mission given to God's Church.  One is not higher or lower than another.  Rather, these three expressions have different gifts and reach, just as Paul noted that all Christians have their unique gifts and responsibilities.

The Churchwide organization provides the infrastructure for the ministries of Synods and Congregations.  Pastors are ordained to the service of the whole Church, not just a particular congregation or synod, so the ELCA has national standards that allow the exchange of clergy in the church.  This is just one example.  The churchwide staff creates curriculum, develops worship materials, provides resources for stewardship, evangalism and other congregregational programs that are used by congregations across the church, from Pennsylvania to California.

Synods provide a local method of oversight and mutual accountability in the Church.  All but one of the ELCA's 65 synods are geographical clusters of churches.  Bishops and their staffs provide oversight by recommending pastoral candidates for specific congregations, seeing to the formation and education of future rostered leaders, providing local resource teams for vital ministries such as youth and young adult ministry, global vision, starting and revitalizing churches, communications and evangelism, to name a few. Through Synods, neighboring congregations are accountable to and with each other for the growth of God's kingdom in their territory.

Congregations have the privilege and responsibility of forming community around Word and Sacrament to build up the body of Christ, and seeing to the spiritual and Christian formation of individual members of the church and to contribute to the welfare of the communities in which they have been planted.

The vital role of congregations has been privileged in the design of the ELCA, which calls for the vast majority of funds contributed by individual Lutherans to their churches to be dedicated to congregational ministry.  The vision at the founding of the ELCA in 1988 was that congregations would pass on at least 10% -- a tithe -- of their annual receipts to the larger Church in the form of Partnership Support payments to Synods.  Synods, in turn, are expected to pass on a little more than half of those receipts to the Churchwide organization.

Some have noted that the portion of congregational receipts send to the national headquarters is higher in the ELCA than other denominations.  This is the way the three Lutheran bodies that came together to form the ELCA envisioned that the Synods and Churchwide organization would be able to provide necessary support, resources and oversight to enhance the ministry of congregations.  We can do more together than we do alone!

 

Where does the Synod's support comes from?

Our support comes from you!

More than 95% of the funds that help the Southeastern Pennsylvania Synod do the work of the Church come from you – from mission support gifts given by your congregation. You help us equip leaders, resource congregations and enhance the ministries we do together.

Thank you for your partnership in the gospel!

Over the long-term, many trends have affected how much support is passed on to the larger Church. In 2009, congregations as a whole contributed a little more than 7% of their regular giving receipts to Partnership Support.  Over the last 25 years, despite a number of economic booms and recessions, total regular giving to the Synod's congregations nearly doubled, from $17 million to about $33 million.  Yet Partnership Support giving to the Synod was slightly lower in 2009 than it was in 1985.

Watch the report on 2009 income and expenses from the 2010 Assembly:

 

 

What does the Synod fund?

Where your money goes

Mission support was $2.4 million in 2009 – nearly 18% less than it was in 2000. Of that mission support, 53.5% is passed on to the ELCA for national and global witness. With the rest, the Synod assists leaders and congregations, supports future leaders in the candidacy process, resources evangelical outreach, provides youth, stewardship, communications and other programs, partners with two international companion synods, connects with Lutheran colleges, the seminary, and agencies, and much more! Together, we do ministry that no congregation can do alone.

Our 2011 spending plan:

Based on 2009 results, we made significant cuts in the 2010 spending plan and the proposed 2011 budget:

• 2011 budget is flat, with slight increases for health care.
• We assume that income will be at the 2009 level.
• 2 full-time positions have been left open. (In 2000, 5.5 FTE pastoral staff vs. 2 pastoral staff today)
• Agencies, seminary and colleges cut by 10%.
• Reducing expenses everywhere possible.

Watch the budget presentation and discussion from the 2010 Synod Assembly:

The budget funds these important priorities for our Synod expression of the Church:

Assisting Leaders -  Leaders are resourced and equipped for ministry, assisted in the mobility process, and are offered support for missional planning and the challenges and blessings of ministry.

Candidacy - Individuals who believe they may be called to church vocations are guided, supported and assisted in the discernment process. 

Evangelical Outreach – Evangelism events and materials are offered each year to prepare for the challenge of outreach in communities.  Established congregations are resourced, leaders receive training, mission fields are evaluated, congregations are planted and support is given for evangelical outreach.

Assisting Congregations - Congregations in transition, growing congregations, and congregations in crisis or need are offered consultation, materials and support.

Connections - Partnerships with college, seminary, camp, advocacy, ecumenical organizations, and our many social ministry organizations are developed and supported.

Youth and Young Adult ministry - Synod wide youth gatherings, mission trips, trainings for youth leaders, and service events are coordinated and facilitated.

Global Ministry - Partnerships are developed and maintained between SEPA Synod and The Northeast Diocese of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Tanzania, and The Silesian Evangelical Church of the Augsburg Confession (Czech Republic).

Communication and Mission Interpretation - Communication with congregations and leaders is provided in print and electronic media.  The synod data base is maintained.  Networking is supported.

Proportionate Share to the ELCA - This pie represents all of our synod income including mission support, grants, gifts, and investment income.  53.5% of all Mission Support sent from congregations is forwarded directly to support national and international ministry.  Grants from the ELCA support some synod ministries.

Committees and Decision Making - Synod committees and meetings, including our annual Synod Assembly, Synod Council, and monthly Deans meetings direct the faithful work of the synod.

 

What are the historic Partnership Support trends?

Partnership support has decreased as giving to churches has increased.

In difficult economic times such as these, we all feel the pinch. We recognize that congregations are financially challenged as the economy struggles, energy prices rise, and people lose jobs and homes. So that we can grow the witness of the Church together, we ask that you consider the following information about giving to and by our congregations as you prayerfully deliberate about Partnership Support commitments:

From 2000 to 2008 (the last year for which full figures are available) members' regular giving to Synod congregations increased by 14%, from $29.76 million to $34.04 million.  Congregation income peaked in 2006 at $34.75 million, according to the ELCA's summary of congregations self-reported financial information. Over these same years, giving per confirmed-communing member has increased more than 23%, even growing slightly during the recession years 2007 ad 2008.

Since 2000, congregations' current operating expenses increased by a similiar percentage to current receipts. Congregations' reported unrestricted earned income (generally from investments) grew 60% from 2002 to 2008 despite a significant fall-off in 2008 due to the stock market crash.

Congregations' Partnership Support to the larger church decreased by 10% from 2000 to 2008, from $3 million to $2.7 million, and Partnership Support as a percentage of regular giving fell from a title of 10% to 8%.

Congregations' total benevolences held steady over this period, with a decrease in support of ELCA causes (including Partnership Support, World Hunger, Disaster Response and others) offset by an increase in community and other benevolences.

The good news is that over the first decade of the 21st Century our churches have seen growth in giving, spending and benevolences. Thanks to this good stewardship of the resources entrusted to Lutherans by God, much good ministry is happening across Southeastern Pennsylvania.

Yet the continued economic uncertainty affects congregations, synods and the ELCA. Although final figures are not available, we believe that congregation income dropped again in 2009. Partnership Support to the Synod (and ELCA) was $266,344 less than budgeted, a shortfall of almost 10%.

Congregations are challenged to keep up support of the larger church. In 2009, 47% of congregations reduced Partnership Support, while 43% held even or increased support, and 10% made no contribution at all.

We are thankful for the support of all congregations at whatever levels they can afford. A significant number of congregations continue to give at a rate of 10% of their regular giving receipts or higher, and many give between 5 and 10%.

Watch a presentation of 2009 receipts from the 2010 Assembly.

Still, the lower level of giving -- receipts in 2009 were actually lower than in 1985, not accounting for inflation -- means that the Synod is challenged to meet its constitutional mandates to provide oversight to congregations, rostered leaders and candidates *and* continue popular programs to strengthen and encourage the ministry of congregations.  The staff was reduced by several persons since 2000, and vacancies that occur have been left unfilled. There are currently two pastoral staff members, while there were 5 and a half pastoral staff positions in 2000. Expenses are being cut whereever possible. Grant programs for evangelism, stewardship and social ministry, financial support for our candidates for rostered ministries, and support for mission congregations and their pastors have been reduced (to name a few areas). With less staff and fewer resources, the Synod is not able to be as present and supportive as in the past.

The bottom line is: We need your help and support now as much as ever -- perhaps more!

 

How can I/we help?

How you can help:

In this difficult economic climate, everyone doing what they can will move us toward a position where we can be more effective and supportive partners with our congregations.  Please prayerfully consider how you can support our one church and all of its three expressions:

• Can your congregation grow its Partnership Support by a modest 1% this year?
• If your congregation is not giving a tithe, can you consider increasing to a tithe?
• If your congregation is one of the many contributing more than 10%, can you hold firm or even increase to offset decreased giving from congregations that are seriously challenged and struggling in this recession?
• If your congregation has not been making gifts to Partnership Support, can you consider making at least some gift to signify your solidarity with our one church and its three expressions?
• As an individual, consider making a directed gift to support a synodical ministry that you are passionate about, such as youth and young adult ministry, global vision, supporting seminarians, communicating effectively, or planting new churches.

As we each do what we can to support the interdependent model of three expressions of church that the ELCA was founded upon, we will help to preserve our much-needed Lutheran witness into God's future.