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Although a bishop’s main focus ought not to be administration, we do expect our next bishop to have an awareness of corporate responsibilities that come with the role of being the chief executive officer of a diocese.
Financial
management
The Diocesan Council, the Finance and Budget committee, and a Board
of Trustees oversee diocesan financial management. Members of these
bodies are elected by convention. Financial officers also include
an elected non-stipendiary treasurer and a full-time chief financial
officer. The CFO is assisted by a small staff.
How
our budget is determined
The
financial officers produce
materials for convention, including historical data and operating
budgets for the following two years. In any given convention year,
the first year’s budget is reviewed and given preliminary approval
at a previous convention. Based on those expense levels, we determine
a fair-share asking for each parish. The delegates at the next convention
are asked to confirm the then-current year’s budget, based on
fair-share commitments actually received from the parishes. The delegates
also approve a preliminary budget for the following year, to begin
the process again.
The diocesan budget for 2002 is $2,913,628 and this is an operable, balanced budget, supported by $2,333,185 in pledged income, with the balance from trusts and other funds. As we mentioned, the 2003 budget of $3,541,000 will be subject to revision based on the degree of parochial support rendered at year-end.
Under
study
The diocese at large, and the convention in particular, have expressed
the sentiment that our diocesan ministry and mission aren’t
effectively funded at present. As a result of an action of convention,
we’ve formed a financial task force, charged it to study funding
patterns of Northeast dioceses and to report on its findings and recommendations
at convention in 2003. A new bishop may arrive after an altered funding
pattern is in place.
By
the numbers
For a tabular
look at the diocese and parishes, we’ve provided a selection
of data from the year 2000.
Laity Baptized members 47,715 Comfirmed communicants in good standing 38,830 Baptized (under 16) 1,197 Baptized (over 16) 142 Confirmed or Received 845 Average Sunday attendance 18,515 Clergy Canonically resident in diocese, active and retired 344 All clergy, including those licensed to serve 386 Income Total parochial income (pledge and plate) $24,679,830 Income to diocese from all congregations $2,011,000 Net diocesan disposable income (including trust and other)
$2,583,000 Parish classification Not unlike other dioceses, New Jersey classifies parishes, from the smallest Category I or “family parishes” to the largest Category V or “corporate parishes.” Categories are determined by a simple formula that awards points for average Sunday attendance, plus income (Line A, Parochial report).
In 2002, the classification looked like this:
Total number of congregations Category I Category II Category III Category IV Category V