Financial Update | October 30, 2020
Dear Christ Church Family,
Thank you for your ongoing grace and patience through a difficult season. COVID-19 has challenged every aspect of our community’s operations. Despite these challenges, we continue to find ways to gather for worship safely and to bear one another’s burdens in fellowship. In all the awkwardness of the pandemic, God continues to bless our church, nurturing us in his Word and adding new people week by week.
As we approach the end of 2020, it is important to provide our congregation with a comprehensive financial update. As always, it is our pledge to speak with you honestly about financial matters as part of your Christian discipleship. Financial stewardship is not so much about the church’s budget as it is about our faithfulness in expressing gratitude to God for his grace poured out on us in Jesus Christ. Additionally, it is important to remember that all financial analysis at Christ Church is done free of personal information. In order to remain objective, the pastors of our church do not know who gives what to the church.
Through the first half of the year, our church’s finances were in solid shape. At the end of June, our contribution income and budget were dead even. This included the perilous weeks in which there was a government mandated shut down! In fact, during those weeks, our church rallied together in a tremendous outpouring of generosity, exceeding budget expectations and providing thousands of dollars in food assistance to our sister church, Elohim Evangelical.
However, as the pandemic has worn on, we have fallen off this trajectory. As of today, we are 7.5%, or $43,623.00, behind budget for the year. It is important to note that this shortage was incurred entirely in the past four months (July—October). Across these four months, our contribution income ran 21% behind budget. The staff has worked diligently to keep expenses below budget; however, the need to provide online streaming services during the pandemic required a significant capital investment that was not in the 2020 budget plan. Due to this unanticipated expense, our actual expenses are only slightly below budgeted expenses. In summary, we are not in terrible financial position, but we do need to arrest the current financial trend and finish with a strong November and December.
After analyzing the giving data, there is one significant identifiable pattern. During the past four months (July—October), the number of households contributing per month was less than the number of households contributing per month in the first half of the year. That noted, the overall number of contributing households in 2020 has increased. So, while we have an increased number of households contributing to the budget, there has been a decline in the number of households contributing each month. It appears that there is a substantial amount of inconsistency in our contributions. There is, of course, a direct correlation between the number of households contributing per month and our monthly income.
Given the disruptions caused by COVID-19, it is not entirely surprising to see these challenges. Normal patterns for financial contributions have changed, requiring members to adopt new patterns. Change is difficult and requires intentionality. Additionally, the political and social upheaval in our society this year has created an uncertain economic environment. Such circumstances tend to trigger conservative financial responses. In such a moment, it is important for us to ward off temptations to shrink back in fear or to slump in apathy. Our God remains the same for us through this trial and affords us the opportunity to testify to his grace through our confidence and faithfulness.
To this end, we encourage our congregation to partner with us in doing two things.
Please review your financial stewardship for 2020. It is helpful to perform a personal audit in order to assess your personal giving. In doing so, many discover that their intentions were better than actual performance. A personal audit is a healthy discipline for all Christians.
Please consider using our online platform for contributing to the church. Regular automated giving can be scheduled through this method. With the limitations imposed by the pandemic to our congregation’s life, it is easy to get out of routine with giving. On this front, technology is a friend; use it to your advantage. If you need assistance with setting this up, please do not hesitate to call our church administrator, Charlotte Reeves, at 904-262-5588.
Thank you for your attention to these details and for your partnership in the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Christ Church has always been a warm and generous congregation. I trust that God will give us every grace to continue in that path in the years ahead (Philippians 4:19).
Grace and Peace in Jesus,
Chuck Colson
Pastor, Christ Church