[Episcopal Church Office of Public Affairs press release] The proposed budget for The Episcopal Church in the 2016-2018 triennium is available for viewing here.

The document was approved by The Episcopal Church Executive Council at its January meeting.

The proposed budget is now submitted to the General Convention through the Joint Standing Committee on Program, Budget, and Finance, which will meet to consider the proposed budget February 23 – 25.  That committee will conduct hearings at General Convention and present a Budget to a joint meeting of the House of Bishops and House of Deputies on July 1.

The Episcopal Church 78th General Convention will be held June 25 – July 3 at the Salt Palace Convention Center in Salt Lake City, UT (Episcopal Diocese of Utah).

Prior to its January meeting, Executive Council received input on the proposed budget from a wide range of church members and leaders, including Committees, Commissions, Agencies, and Boards; Executive Council committees; members of the Joint Standing Committee on Program, Budget, and Finance; the officers of the Domestic and Foreign Missionary Society; bishops and deputies; and the church at large.

“The Finances for Mission Committee is very grateful to the many people who have given us input and feedback to help us develop this proposed budget for the coming triennium,” noted Executive Council member the Rev. Susan Brown Snook, Diocese of Arizona, and chair of Executive Council’s budget committee. “We are especially grateful to the members of Program, Budget, and Finance for their presence and input with us throughout this budget development process. We believe that this proposal represents a balanced and visionary way to carry the church into the next few years, which we pray will be a time of transition and growth for the church.”

Proposed budget details
Of significance in the proposed budget:
•    The proposed budget lowers the diocesan assessment from 19% in the current triennium to 18% in 2016, 16.5% in 2017, and 15% in 2018. It also increases the exemption for each diocese from $120,000 to $175,000 per year.
•    The proposed budget includes grant money for the important Marks of Mission initiatives:
–    In Mark 1, it raises the amount of money available for grants for church planting and new initiatives from $2 million to $3 million.
–    In Mark 2, the program of Province IX Sustainability that was begun in the 2013-15 trienniums continues; the amount of Campus Ministry Grants increases to $400,000; youth and young adult ministries, including the Episcopal Youth Event, receive full funding; and $100,000 is provided for the ministry of Forma.
–    In Mark 3, funding continues for the Young Adult Service Corps, and funding is provided for matching grants for diocesan and parish World Mission work, meeting the 0.7% spending target for the Millennium Development Goals.
–    In Mark 4, it provides funding for Domestic Poverty and Jubilee ministries
–    In Mark 5, it provides $500,000 in grants for environmental initiatives.
•    In the area of Supporting Mission through Local Efforts in The Episcopal Church, it provides $1.5 million of funding for long-term development grants for domestic dioceses, and $400,000 of grants for higher education, particularly in Historically Black Episcopal Colleges and Universities
•    Funding for the Anglican Communion is restored to earlier levels, at $1.2 million for the triennium. Funding of $300,000 is also provided to help Anglican Communion covenant partners with long-term sustainability.