[RMC News] From RMC Treasurer: Tithe Transitions Vol. 1, No. 21

[Roe, Ben]

Tithe Transitions
Mission and Money for The Rocky Mountain Conference
Vol. 1 No. 21					January 29, 2008
"...by the fifteenth of every month, each local church treasurer shall remit to the annual conference 10% (+1%) of the previous month's net contributions." 
3 Weeks Remaining to First Report!


Paul Dirdak, our interim treasurer until the first week of January, has left for another assignment (in Africa) but before he left, he finished writing the Tithe Transitions notes.  This week's installment explains a bit about why Tuesdays were chosen.  And I need to explain that it is coming to you late because I've been out with the flu. My apologies. -- Ben


Hello, again.  And another Happy Tuesday.

I don't think I ever revealed the reason for Tuesday letters rather than letters on some other day.  Well, let me confess.  I worked for another UMC organization for a long time, as the Deputy for the United Methodist Committee on Relief, UMCOR.  We sent an electronic letter to a large constituency every week and had not missed a week for more than a decade.  When the UMCOR Hotline started, email was not as popular as it is today, so the Hotline has also been read into a voice recorder which anyone could access by calling a toll-free phone number.  You, too, could get on the UMCOR email list, if you are not already, just by going to: http://new.gbgm-umc.org/umcor/getconnected/hotlineupdates/ and following some simple instructions.

Along the way, pastors told us that Tuesday was the best day for a weekly letter.  It is as early as possible in the week to allow for any adaptation for use in the local church on Sunday, as late as possible to sweep any recent developments, and as separate from last week as possible to be believable about actual current progress.

Therefore, you have been hearing from me on Tuesdays.

I have attended a few of your churches while I have been your Interim.  I have noticed that all of you are learning from your own good experiences, too.  One active experiment which I hope you encourage is providing your members will all the conveniences available for making financial contributions.  Some churches make it possible for members to give on line.  Others make it possible for members to use credit or debit cards to pay their pledges.  Still others have arranged with their banks for members direct or even automatic payments.

There are other benefits to these methods beside convenience.  There are clear and redundant records.  The records are produced instantly, so there is no delay in correcting the inevitable mistakes.  There is the potential of much less variation in giving during vacation months.  Givers make more conscious comparisons with the other causes that they support when they see them all arrayed in one place at one time.

One can only imagine ways in which these technologies could help all of us, together, rather than only the certain adventurous churches that are trying them.  The critical questions to ponder are:  How will any improvements enhance the experience for donor/members in local churches and donor/churches in the Rocky Mountain Conference?  What new opportunities would present themselves for faster, more content relevant, mission education?  How can our life be more transparent for all of us? How can every contribution from donor/member or donor/church be more promptly and accurately acknowledged?

Of course, it is always worthy to put effort into perfecting the expense stream of any non-profit, including of any church.  But it is just as worthy to perfect the administration of income, to the greater good of mission here and everywhere.

Keep learning.  Your new Church Tithe Apportionment is already a source of good new lessons.  Each generation of improvements allows us to see another layer of new lessons which we could not have seen before.  What a great time to be the church!

Best,

Paul

(Written by Paul Dirdak, Interim Treasurer until January 7, 2008)

Please contact Wayne Bettendorf, Conferencer Treasurer, with questions or requests for more information (wayne at rmcumc.com, 800-536-3736 x 151, 303-325-7051)  Skip Strickland, Director of Mission and Ministry, sent an introduction e-mail about Wayne December 20, 2007.  You may read a story about this on the RMCUMC.org web: http://www.rmcumc.org/News/Communications/news.htm#treas

We have been collecting e-mail addresses for local church finance chairs and treasurers so they might get these messages directly. If there are persons who need this information who may not have received it, please help us get it to them by: forwarding this e-mail to them, sharing their email address with us, or by printing it out and handing or mailing it to them.  Thank you for helping this new system to work!  This and previous editions  of T2 are on the web at rmcumc.org/CR/Finance/ (under Church Resources). The remittance form is the second link in the list at the top of the page.

Ben Roe
Information Administrator
Rocky Mountain Conference, The United Methodist Church
ben at rmcumc.com  303-325-7046  800-536-3736x146 
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