wfn.org | German Churches Contribute Much More to WCC than Others

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17-September-1996 
 
 
 
96358            German Churches Contribute Much  
                     More to WCC than Others 
 
                         by Edmund Doogue 
                  Ecumenical News International 
 
GENEVA--Some of the biggest member churches of the World Council of 
Churches (WCC) make no contribution at all to the organization, while 
churches in Germany are paying a remarkably higher level of contributions 
to the WCC than churches elsewhere, according to figures released today.  
 
     Figures -- based on the WCC's 1995 finances and released in Geneva by 
the WCC's Office for Income Coordination and Development (OICD) as the 
WCC's Central Committee began its annual meeting Sept. 12 -- show that the 
bulk of overall contributions to the WCC are made by churches in Germany, 
the United States, Canada and northern European countries.  
 
     The figures also show that many of the WCC's biggest member churches 
pay no membership contribution or only a fraction of what they are supposed 
to pay. 
 
     As the WCC is facing a financial crisis, the issue of funding was 
likely to dominate the meeting of the Central Committee, which ended on 20 
September.  
 
     The WCC has 330 member churches around the world. However the 1995 
figures show that of total membership contributions received by the WCC, 
46.26 percent was paid by churches in Germany. 
 
     Membership contributions -- as distinct from contributions by churches 
for specific programs -- pay for the infrastructure and some of the 
services of the WCC. The WCC has made vigorous efforts over the past 18 
months to encourage all churches to pay their membership contributions. 
 
     Although all member churches are asked to pay membership contributions 
-- which are calculated on a scale based on the size of the church and the 
local level of income -- in 1995 only 155 of the then total membership of 
326 member churches paid membership contributions. The minimum contribution 
requested by the WCC is 1,000 Swiss francs (about U.S. $800.) 
 
     Those of the WCC's biggest member churches that in 1995 did not pay 
their  membership contribution, or paid only a fraction of what they were 
supposed to, include the Russian Orthodox Church (50 million members), the 
Romanian Orthodox Church (19.6 million), the National Baptist Convention in 
the U.S.A. (12.6 million), the Bulgarian Orthodox Church (7.95 million), 
the National Baptist Convention of America (U.S.A.) (7 million), the 
Serbian Orthodox Church (6.5 million), the Church of Jesus Christ on 
Earth-Kimbanguist Church, in Zaire (6.5 million), the Coptic Orthodox 
Church, Egypt (6.2 million), the China Christian Council (5 million), the 
Georgian Orthodox Church (5 million), the Philippine Independent Church 
(4.5 million), the Church of the Province of Nigeria (3 million) and the 
Church of the Lord Aladura, in Nigeria (3 million). 
 
     According to other statistics, the top 10 contributing churches in 
1995 -- on the basis of total contributions for membership, programs and 
activities -- were (beginning with the highest contribution) the 
Evangelical Church in Germany (EKD), the Netherlands Reformed Church, the 
Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), the Reformed Churches in The Netherlands, the 
United Church of Canada, the United Methodist Church (U.S.A.), the Anglican 
Church of Canada, the Christian Church-Disciples of Christ (U.S.A.), the 
Evangelical Lutheran Church in America and the United Church of Christ 
U.S.A. 
 
     A list of the top 10 contributing agencies and mission societies 
supporting the work of the WCC shows that all 10 are based in northern 
continental Europe -- including four in Germany and two in Sweden. 
 
     Konrad Raiser, general secretary of the WCC, told journalists at a 
press conference in Geneva Sept. 12 that publication of finance statistics 
was not a form of "blackmail" and the information was previously available 
in the WCC's financial reports. However, Raiser said, it was clear that for 
the past 20 years 10 churches had, through their contributions, allowed the 
WCC to continue its work. It was true, he said, that many Orthodox 
churches, which made up a significant part of the WCC's membership and were 
vocal and demanding members of the organization, did not contribute. 
However, he said,  part of the problem was that Orthodox churches did not 
have the centralized model of some Protestant churches and did not follow 
the Protestant models sometimes used by the WCC.  

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