As Florida Conference church members participate in annual charge conferences, the focus of many is on budgets and giving. This story and others in this issue of the Florida United Methodist Review deal with stewardship, connectional giving and some of the issues churches and the conference face related to these topics. Additional stories will be included in the Nov. 12 issue.

LAKELAND — At the end of August churches in the Florida Annual Conference were 2 percent behind in connectional giving, or apportionments, compared to the same time last year, according to the Rev. Tom Marston, the conference’s treasurer.

While the shortfall in giving would represent only about $120,000 of a $5.6 million budget, Marston said even a small shortfall would be difficult for the conference to handle.

"What makes it so tough is the budget is mostly fixed expenses, and there’s not a lot of room for discretionary spending," he said.

The conference’s 1999 budget covers mostly expenditures for salaries, benefits and support items, according to Marston. The expenditures cannot be adjusted without cutting salaries, he said.

In the past, the budget included a significant amount for program expenses and was adjustable. Now, Marston says, most of the costs associated with conference programs are paid for with user-based fees. When someone registers to attend one of the summer camps or the annual Discipleship Weekend training event coordinated by the conference Council on Ministries, the registration fee pays for the program expense. Connectional giving pays for the staff person to be there or to coordinate the event.

Marston said he believes the drop in giving is related to the nation’s economy. "It’s a strange corollary," he said. "When society is having a good economic time, giving goes down."

Marston said he is not aware of any controversies surrounding connectional giving that might be a factor, but that accountability is an issue with many churches. "They all have the same attitude. People want to make sure the money is well-spent," he said.