Mission Mid-Atlantic Financial Update

A few weeks ago, you should have received some documents related to our 2012 Annual Conference, including the Proposed Budget for 2012-13. Our annual meeting is now just a few days away, and we need to pass along some vital information about our financial status in preparation for our time together.

As you know, Mission Mid-Atlantic has struggled financially for years. Unfortunately, only half of our member churches contribute to Mission Mid-Atlantic and our current status is fragile. As of April 2^nd, there was $8,000 remaining in the General Fund. Unless something changes quickly, current projections tell us the General Fund will run out of money by the end of July.

The Proposed Budget for 2012-2013 reflects additional cuts from last year’s budget to address this downward trend. Each Mission Mid-Atlantic staff member uses funds budgeted for their use in a conservative manner. Our office space is provided by Clayton Baptist Church free of charge, and the size of our staff is minimal. It is hard to find any more fat to cut from the budget. The next step will be to cut staffing hours or positions unless funding increases.

The ironic truth is that we currently have over $300,000 in the bank designated for church planting. One brick of church planting is having healthy churches to launch and support the plant. This past year alone, at least 16 different churches were assisted by way of mediation, pastoral transitions, assessments, consultations, and leadership training - all with the goal of building healthy churches. All of the expenses related to these efforts were paid for by the General Fund. Without this brick, we will be missing an integral part of our church planting foundation. Although for years we have looked at these two facets of our association as being separate, they are indeed woven together.

We are experimenting with new strategies to help support Mission Mid-Atlantic. We held the first Run 4 Healthy Churches on March 10^th and raised approximately $2,000. We hope to hold that event again next year and look forward to your church supporting us in this effort. We will also plan other creative events such as this to raise awareness and financial support for Mission Mid-Atlantic. But right now, we need to address our immediate future.

This is an opportunity for our member churches to make a commitment to support Mission Mid-Atlantic. Your response may be through a one-time gift. If your church is not contributing to Mission Mid-Atlantic, we ask you to begin to do so. If your church is already supporting us, is it possible to increase that support? Anything you can do is really appreciated.

We will be sharing more information about our financial status at our conference in Lancaster. If you cannot attend, please watch for further updates. Thank you for your prayer and financial support.