by Rev. Greg Ward

   Our UU congregation is a shared expense, enterprise, collectively owned and entirely operated by the vision, volunteerism and support of the membership.  Because folks often come into churches without a background on how they operate, we try to de-mystify the the experience by sharing these simple facts.

   Unlike other denominations (such as Methodists, Catholics or Lutherans, for example) that employ regional oversight of individual churches (as well as regional support) UU churches have a different ‘polity’ (the rules by which a church operates.) “Congregational Polity” means that each one of the roughly 1000 UU congregations in North America has complete autonomy about what happens in the community. NO outside body (ie., regional or denominational body) tells a congregation how to organize, what minister to call, what staff to hire, what policies to put in place, what to say in their bylaws, how to organize, how to conduct worship services, what hymns to sign, what justice projects to support, what to teach the children.  All these decisions – and the authority to make and change such decisions – belong entirely to the members of each congregation.  This means that each congregation is fully self-supported financially.

   UU congregations are not subsidized by the region or denomination.  There is no “mother-ship” that operates as a benefactor.  Each congregation, besides supporting their own staff, programming and building management expenses, also contribute approximately 5% of their budgets to support the denomination’s work.  In return for this financial support, congregations reap tremendous benefits from over 225 staff who manage things like

• Credentialing and continuing education of ministers
• Ministerial Search process of connecting ministers looking for a church and churches looking for a minister so that each church has the information they need  to decide, for themselves, which minister to choose
• Publishing house that produces the Children and Adult Education Curricula, Music Resources (Hymnals, etc.)
• Taking public stands on major cultural issues such as Marriage Equality (for which UUs were instrumental in advancing legislation to legalize), Anti-racism and anti-oppression, voting access, etc.
• Field staff to support congregations with resources, trainings, counsel, etc.

   The total budget for Mission Peak Unitarian Universalist Congregation for 2021-2022 is approximately $246,353K, which includes funds from a one-time PPP loan and deficit spending.

Revenue comes from one of 5 ways:

• Pledges- member’s contributions
• Fundraisers like the Black and White auction
• Sunday Collection Plate where once a month we share our collection with a community agency   with which we partner in our values-driven justice efforts
• PPP Loan money which is a temporary source
• Deficit Spending that draws from a Restricted Fund that is rapidly diminishing and is a practice that we need to stop ASAP

What are the expenses for the operation of Mission Peak?

• Staff and contract employees
• Rent 
• Denominal Support
• Program Expenses
• Administrative expenses
• Miscellaneous

   To get a clear idea of what of what “pledging”  or “Member Support” means for each member, it’s important to know the following:

• There are approximately 80 members of MPUUC, but since many are married or partners with one pledge between them, there are 60 pledges.
• The cumulative pledges of all member families this year are $204K
• This equates to an overall average pledge of approx. $3600 per pledge
• It is important to recognize that in our geo-index, average pledges for congregations range between $2,000 and $4,000 per pledge.

   It is important to note that there is not an assessment of fees for membership in our congregation. Unitarian Universalism places a high value on inclusion.  We know some members/families are not able to pledge the average and STILL be able to afford basic necessities for themselves and their families. We also know some members/families can afford to pledge above the average.  We count on those who CAN pledge more to make it possible for those who CANNOT.  At MPUUC, pledging ranges from those who cannot give a financial pledge to those who can give a few hundred dollars, to those who pledge $25k.

   A healthy, stable, resilient congregation of our size and geo-index (cost of living in our area) strive to have a bell-shaped curve of financial giving, with most folks giving about the average. Having large donors who can make it possible for those without discretionary funds is essential to the congregation.  But, it is unfair and not sustainable to rely on just a few families to be the top donors.  Our mission, values and principles of inclusivity are supported by EVERYONE who has the ability, by providing funds, to make it possible for members of limited financial means to be fully in community.  Donors of limited means choose Mission Peak, bringing their vision, leadership, partnership and love, when they feel invited, welcomed and included.  Donors of significant financial means choose Mission Peak for as long as they don’t feel taken advantage of.

   We have been operating with a deficit.  If we are going to step into a healthier moment for Mission Peak and operate without depending on our most generous donors to subsidize our congregation – or draw from a rapidly depleting reserve fund – we need to increase our financial support at all levels.  We need a combined pledge total of at least $220K to meet this Moment that Matters.  We are a resilient, committed community and we can support Mission Peak, going Forward Together!

   We are extremely pleased to announce we have 3 families which have contributed Matching Funds again this year to incentivize our giving.  These matching funds will be distributed by the following strategy.

• 2:1 Matching for all NEW pledges
• 2:1 Matching for all increases in pledges
• $100 Matching for all pledges that are maintained at current levels.