wfn.org | ELCA Bishops Told 2004 Financial Results 'Mixed'

[<NEWS@ELCA.ORG>]

ELCA NEWS SERVICE

March 10, 2005

ELCA Bishops Told 2004 Financial Results 'Mixed'
05-041-JB

     DALLAS (ELCA) -- Overall financial results for 2004 were "mixed" for
the churchwide organization of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America
(ELCA), said Christina Jackson-Skelton, ELCA treasurer, in a report here
March 5 to the ELCA Conference of Bishops.
     The ELCA Conference of Bishops is an advisory body of the church,
consisting of the 65 ELCA synod bishops, ELCA secretary and ELCA presiding
bishop.  It met here March 3-7.
     For the fiscal year which ended Jan. 31, receipts were $81.3 million,
up about $500,000 from the previous fiscal year, Jackson-Skelton said.
Expenses were $76.8 million, a reduction of $3.5 million from 2003, she
said.
     "Expenses were the primary reason that income exceeded expenses," the
ELCA treasurer wrote in her report, noting that expenses were $3.6 million
less than the ELCA Church Council authorized for 2004.
     Mission support income decreased to $65.6 million, down about
$800,000 from 2003, Jackson-Skelton said.  Sources of income from
missionary sponsorships, bequests and trusts, endowments, Mission
Investment Fund, Vision for Mission, fraternal grants and other income was
$15.6 million, up $1.3 million from 2003.
     "On the positive side, we stopped a two-year decline in our total
revenue," Jackson-Skelton said.  "However, for the third consecutive year,
we had a continuing decline in mission support."  Mission support is
income to the churchwide organization from congregations through synods.
     Jackson-Skelton said nearly 60 percent of the synods sent less
mission support income to the churchwide organization in 2004 than in
2003.
     "We cannot expect we will continue to have increases in others areas
[of the budget] to make up for this decline," she warned.  Still,
Jackson-Skelton said, synods have "had a strong commitment to hold the
line on mission support."
      Total gifts to the ELCA World Hunger Appeal in 2004 were $17.3
million, of which $16.2 million was given to the general hunger appeal,
down slightly from 2003.  Designated world hunger income was $1.2 million,
most of it given to "Stand With Africa," an effort to support specific
ministry projects in Africa.
     Disaster response giving was $10.5 million in 2004, compared to $3.5
million in 2003.  Jackson-Skelton said some $5 million was designated for
response to the South Asia tsunami and $2.1 million was given for
hurricane response in the Caribbean and Florida, she said.
     "We were overwhelmed with tsunami gifts.  It was unprecedented,"
Jackson-Skelton said.  Gifts to the church by credit card were
substantial, she said.	In addition, a positive factor in giving was that
the federal government extended the deadline to Jan. 31, 2005, for 2004
tax deductible charitable gifts specifically for tsunami relief, the ELCA
treasurer said.

For information contact:
John Brooks, Director (773) 380-2958 or news@elca.org
http://www.elca.org/news