Getting Started

I am initiating this blog in order to share with laity and clergy in the Rocky Mountain Conference (RMC) of the United Methodist Church (UMC) thoughts on financial transparency.  My "so that" is "so that the churches in the Rocky Mountain Conference are better informed on financial matters."  

I believe if that "so that" is accomplished, trust will be enhanced.  

I quite simply conscientiously object to the way we are currently (June, 2017) sharing information. 

I do not believe we are working with a strategic goal of informing the local churches what is going on financially, with a particular emphasis to those matters that are "off budget." 

Our conference budget is supported by what the RMC calls Connectional Giving. This giving is across the connection called "the apportionment" and is the means by which the regional church, the conference, and the national and international church is funded.

This coming year, 2018, a small portion of that budget within the RMC will be met with money from other sources than the local church in 2018.  It is "safe" to say that the vast majority of the 2018 budget will come from sharing by the local churches of the conference, i.e. all but about $50,000 or so or less than 1%. 

I expect over time, I will engage in some excursions on the budget.  That said, most of my quest for clarity is with resources found in our cash and investments.  Most of these resources are associated with pensions, health benefits, and property.  

My issues here are not ones of fraud or waste.  I will reserve judgment temporarily on the potential for abuse.  I expect to come back to that element of potential abuse some day, but not in this piece. 

I do not remotely suggest the issues are fraud. There is information, if at times challenging to get to and often deeply buried inside of reports or footnotes, to address much of my frustrations if one knows where to look and what to ask.  

I see the issue first as a distinct lack of transparency. I simply believe that the people, represented through the local church, who in much of this actually share their hard earned treasure deserve more clarity about money.  

Here is a dilemma.  One person's transparency is to another, too much information. I will do all in my power to avoid too much information, and try to focus on the narrative behind the numbers.  

The second issue is one of principles.  My view is that the sources of money should be appraised of rebates or under spending.  It is my principle for example, that if the original source of money is the local church, the local church should be told with great intentionality what happens with a rebate or budgetary under-spending.  

If that last paragraph is right now not clear, I hope over time, it will.  I invite you to come back to this periodically and reread as I develop more material for this intentional sharing.  

That is a good place to stop for this post.  

There is no fraud or waste going on here.  I cannot emphasize that strongly enough. 

Selah, Dennis Shaw

The next blog is HERE