Below are some frequently asked questions from conference leaders. If you have additional questions, please contact us and we will try to answer.
What is connectional giving?
Where can I obtain additional information about connectional giving?
What is the connectional covenant?
What are benevolences?
What is designated giving?
Do you have any resources online I can use to educate my conference on connectional giving?
Does my conference pay their apportionments in full? What happens if we do not pay our apportionments in full?
What are the names of the apportioned funds?
What are the names of the churchwide Special Sundays with Offerings?
What is the difference between a churchwide Special Sunday with Offering and a conference Special Sunday?
What are “First Mile” and “Second Mile” giving?
What is connectional giving?
Connectional giving is built upon our desire to meet the needs of God's family in our neighborhoods and around the world and our need to give in order to be spiritually healthy, complete children of God.
John Wesley urged those in connection with him to "Earn all you can and save all you can, so that you can give all you can." He modeled modest living and sacrificial giving. Wesley made sure those early classes of "methodists" took weekly offerings for outreach.
Today, we United Methodists join across our connected congregations to help all of God's children…whenever and wherever we can. Just as Jesus multiplied the loaves and fishes when the crowd grew hungry. Through our congregations, we are the heart, spirit and hands of God's outreaching love.
Where can I obtain additional information about connectional giving?
You can order free resources on connectional giving from our online store. Or, you can call out Customer Service Center at 1-888-346-3862 or via email at csc@umcom.org.
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What is the connectional covenant?
The connectional covenant is the pledge to financially support in full the general funds of The United Methodist Church, established by the General Conference to underwrite the minimum needs of denominational ministries, which are the first benevolent responsibility of the Church.
What are benevolences?
Benevolences is a term used in The United Methodist Church to describe monetary gifts to causes carrying out the mission and program of the denomination. These funds are distinguished from those which provide for the administration of the church organization, such as administrative expenditures and salaries at the local church, the Annual Conference, and denominational levels. In the Annual Conference they are called Conference Benevolences. In the general church they are called World Service Benevolences.
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What is designated giving?
In addition to supporting conference and general church apportionments, each of us has the opportunity to make gifts to specific ministries. Three opportunities for designated giving are:
• Churchwide Special Sundays with offering
• The Advance for Christ and His Church
• World Service Special Gifts
Do you have any resources online I can use to educate my conference on connectional giving?
Online, we offer Mission Moments and More which are weekly moments for mission, offertory prayers and newsletter nuggets on the different apportioned funds, Special Sundays, Advance and Giving in general.
We also have available sermon starters on connectional giving. We offer videos online that you can download and use in worship.
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Does my conference pay their apportionments in full? What happens if we do not pay our apportionments in full?
Your conference treasurer can tell you how many of the churches in your conference pay their apportionments in full each year and if there are any policies regarding churches who don't pay all of their apportionments. Those types of policies will vary from conference to conference.
The General Council on Finance and Administration tracks the percent of apportionments paid by each conference. You can find those reports on their website. For 2007 remittance information by conference, you can access a PDF here.
What are the names of the apportioned funds?
There are seven apportioned funds of The United Methodist Church.
They are:
World Service Fund
Africa University Fund
Black College Fund
Episcopal Fund
General Administration Fund
Interdenominational Cooperation Fund
Ministerial Education Fund
What are the names of the churchwide Special Sundays with Offerings?
There are six churchwide Special Sundays with Offerings of The United Methodist Church.
They are:
Human Relations Day
One Great Hours of Sharing
Native American Ministries Sunday
Peace with Justice Sunday
World Communion Sunday
United Methodist Student Day
What is the difference between a churchwide Special Sunday with Offering and a conference Special Sunday?
According to The Book of Discipline 2004 (¶263), “Six churchwide special Sundays provide for churchwide offerings to express our commitment”: Human Relations Day, One Great Hour of Sharing, Native American Ministries Sunday, Peace with Justice Sunday, World Communion Sunday and United Methodist Student Day. These offerings are slated on specific dates, with proceeds going toward specific ministries. Three special Sundays are without offering: Heritage Sunday, Laity Sunday, and Organ and Tissue Donor Sunday. Four churchwide Sundays—Christian Education, Disability Awareness, Golden Cross and Rural Life—provide opportunities for annual conference offerings; each conference determines the dates of these observances and how the offerings will be used.
What are “First Mile” and “Second Mile” giving?
In The United Methodist Church, “first mile” giving refers to the apportioned amount local churches give to the World Service Fund, which underwrites the ministries and functions of the church. After this, the six remaining apportioned funds (Africa University Fund, Black College Fund, Episcopal Fund, General Administration Fund, Interdenominational Cooperation Fund and Ministerial Education Fund) round out the first mile giving.
“Second mile” giving are opportunities for churches to give to other mission and ministries once apportioned giving is fulfilled. Examples of second mile giving are the churchwide Special Sundays with offerings, The Advance and conference benevolences. These giving opportunities are not apportioned by the general church to each local church, but the purpose of these ministries is vital and participation is encouraged.
After meeting the first mile apportioned giving, we can continue to touch lives in a real and personal way. When we give, we are sharing the love of Christ with others and giving back a small portion of all that he has given to us.
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