The Three "Selfs" #1 - Self-financing

It is a long-held principle for guiding the planting of new congregations and churches that the ultimate aim is that the new body be characterised by the the "three self's" - self-governing, self-financing, self-reproducing.

In earlier stages of the Connections project we have put a lot of work into governance issues - particular when it came to our relationship with our immediate context of the Parish of Burnie. This work will need to be tweaked over time.

Our vision includes elements of "self-reproduction" - which ultimately would include sending out a group to plant a church from amongst us somewhere else. But in the meantime we are committed to reproducing some of the blessings that God has given us and taking our place in contributing to the wider church through whatever opportunity arises.

I've called this article "The Three Selfs #1" because I hope that at some point I'll write about the self-governing and self-reproducing aspects.

However, in this entry I want to reflect a little on the self-financing aspect of this principle. The Parish recently had it's Annual Meeting and for the first time a clear demarcated budget for the Connections Process has been adopted and approved. We've always had self-sufficiency financially on our list of aspirations - but now we need to actually have a plan to achieve it.

Underneath the self-financing principle lies a necessary vision for growth. We have to plan for growth and, therefore, to be basing certain decisions and projections on things that don't yet exist!

The way it works for us is this. At the moment the Connections project is subsidised to the tune of what it costs to provide one paid clergyperson. Half of this money is provided through the Diocese by Bush Church Aid (BCA) and the other half comes from the contribution of the Parish of Burnie. The rest of the budget (which in the coming year needs to incorporate amounts to pay for youth ministry and to support the ongoing children's ministry) comes from general giving at Connections - either in donations, regular electronic transfers, or "in the plate." Our giving is reasonable - about $18 per adult per week (although it could be better) - and covers these expenses and balances the budget.

But it is unhealthy for us to depend on the subsidy from Parish and from BCA. To be self-sustaining, and ultimately a net-giver to the Kingdom we need to budget for a phase out of this subsidy. We are projecting a phase out of around 25% of the original subsidy per year over the next few years. So subsidy will go down and costs will necessarily go up as more ministry is done.

And so we plan, believe, pray for growth. We are planning for an increase in the number of adults. We have to act on that plan by removing the obstacles to that growth - things like the size of our current venue, and our lack of efficient structures for incorporating newcomers. We can see what we need to do.

The growth needed in the next twelve months is for about another 5-10 members or families. This is the grace of a target that looks reachable but is only available as a gift from God. Pray that we will get there - for the faith that's needed for subsequent years will be greater still.

Some are uneasy talking about money matters and church. I count myself among them often. But in the end we aren't talking about riches here, we're talking about corporate maturity and growth as a gospel-organisation. We wish to be blessed to be a blessing, to give and to contribute. And so we must take the risky, difficulty, scarey path of growth.