Treasurer's Notes

8/16/2023

Stewardship and Giving to God
Finance committees, have you begun to plan your stewardship emphasis as you go into the fall? This is the lay members' responsibility and the clergy simply help this by teaching every Sunday all year long through their worship time. Every church should help their folks examine how God is blessing them now.

The stewardship committee should encourage every member to respond to God’s generosity by increasing their giving back to God. Teach generosity and tithing and challenge your members to work toward tithing their personal income and if they are already tithing, encourage them to begin to give more by giving additional gifts to God above their 10% tithe.

Tithing and giving to God is not a part of the local church budget process. It is responding to God’s giving to us. Once the committee has an estimate of a giver’s promise to God, then the committee can begin the financial planning for 2024.

The Local Church Budget Process
It is that time of year that we begin to think about our 2024 local church budget. Please be responsible in your planning for 2024. Review your spending this year and compare it to this time last year. I believe you will find inflation has crept into your church operations. Control those expenses the best you can, but be sure you allow for cost increases, and do your best to remember that mission and ministry will also face cost increase. Allow for that to happen so that you can continue doing the work God is calling your church to do.

In the 2023 session of annual conference, the local church conference members and clergy voted to approve no increase in mission shares. The amount you were apportioned in 2023 will be the same for 2024.

Direct Invoice
The direct invoice pays our employer’s share of pension and medical insurance for our pastors. Remember that we do this in a connectional way. Each church pays based on what it can afford to pay their pastor. It is a percentage of the compensation package and is also based on the status and time served by the pastor. You will find the rate has not gone up for 2024. When you properly fill out the 2024 Clergy Budget Compensation report for charge conference, that local church cost is determined for you on the back page of the form.

Medical Insurance Opportunities
Great News for our current and future participants in the medical insurance programs. The rates have not increased for 2024. They are exactly the same as they were in 2023 and as a matter of fact, they have remained the same for many years. We have a great affordable plan.

The amount that you can contribute into your flexible spending account for childcare has remained the same as in the past, $5,000. The health flexible spending account is available to the PPO participants and the health savings accounts are available to the high deductible participants. Watch for more information on the website on clergy medical benefits

Open enrollment is for all ¾ time and full-time clergy, whether you participated in 2023 or not. The effective date of changes is January 1, 2024. Please consider our plans, but remember these things:

You must enroll by assigning the amount to your health care and dependent care FSA or your health savings account-both depending on your status and time serving and your type of health coverage. Only participants in the BCBS/AmWINS conference plan can participate these spending plans and dental and/or vision coverage.
You must enter the amount on your compensation package for salary reduction if you want to use this tax savings method.
Open enrollment participation is important and required in some cases. Be in contact with Jackie McGough at 769.243.7022 or jmcgough@mississippi-umc.org for help with your plans.

Property and Casualty Insurance
The conference wide PACT (Property and Casualty Trust) insurance program is no longer available to the local church and other ministry participants effective January 1, 2024. Local church trustees must search out and buy their own coverage. There are two providers we can recommend to you, both are there for you and will be great help to you.

Gallagher who can be reached at 601.863.3103 or 601.863.3175 are our current conference risk managers and will be available to you in 2024.
New to our list is the General Conference Council on Finance Administration’s plan. The connectional plan is known as UMI which stands for the United Methodist Insurance Program. Jeff Kock (UMI President and CEO) can be reached at 615.481.6621 and Kevin Gallagher (UMI Agent) can be reached at 610.329.4562.

Also, remember that you must get a bond on your treasurer. The conference no longer writes this coverage. You may also want to consider a position bond in lieu of the treasurer bond.

Resource Helps
As always, our website is loaded with information, or you can contact our team by calling the conference office. We are there to resource you.

A Closing Note from David
To each of my United Methodist friends. I am so glad each of you have chosen to remain United Methodist. As I always say, on this side of heaven, I believe our connectional way is the best way to serve God’s world and work. Let’s work together to make disciples of Jesus Christ so we can transform the world. The world needs much transformation, and we need to be there to do God’s work.

Friends, I pray for God’s riches blessings for you all.