The United Methodist Church’s financial leaders are sounding the alarm that the denomination cannot continue funding ministry the way it has before.
“The church’s financial house is on fire,” said Bishop David Graves, General Council on Finance and Administration (GCFA) board president. “My intent is not to create fear but to address the reality with honesty and urgency.”
The denomination is facing an increasingly precarious U.S. economy while still dealing with the aftermath of a splintering that saw a quarter of its U.S. churches leave. While the denomination has more than 11.2 million members across four continents, U.S. congregations still support the bulk of denominational finances.
“When a house is on fire, the first thing you do is focus on what matters most. For us, that is people, mission and ministry,” Graves said to a chorus of board members saying “Amen.”
“That means every church and conference doing its part through apportionment giving — not because of obligation alone, but because ministry depends on it.”
Apportionments are shares of church giving that sustain United Methodist ministry beyond the work of individual congregations. Denomination-wide ministries receive apportionments from conferences, regional bodies that in turn receive apportionments from the local churches within their borders.
However, Graves — who leads the Tennessee-Western Kentucky Annual Conference, also acknowledged that many local churches as well as their conferences are having a tough time meeting their own financial needs.
3Q Collection Rate Same Level as 2009 Great Recession
As of the end of October, U.S. conferences had given about 51.8% of the year’s requested apportionments — or about $45 million so far. Conferences in Africa, Europe and the Philippines overall have paid about 40.7% of requested apportionments — or about $623,400 so far.
While both collection rates are higher than at the same time last year, the total receipts are about $14.8 million less overall. That’s because the denomination’s General Conference, after church disaffiliations, cut the 2025-2028 denominational budget by about 40%.
At this point, the GCFA is projecting an 83.6% apportionment collection rate for 2025. A survey of U.S. conference treasurers in August found that they expected a slightly higher collection rate of 84.5%. Either way, that collection rate is about the same as what the denomination saw during the worst of the Great Recession in 2009-2010 — and represents a significantly lower amount of dollars than seen then. Basically, even as the denomination asks for less, the portion collected remains historically low.
That drop has huge implications for the ability of the denomination to fund ministry going forward, including work mandated by General Conference, the denomination’s top lawmaking assembly.
As the denomination adjusts to more financial constraints, Graves also noted that many in the denomination are already finding ways to save money through technology and by looking for alternatives to apportionments to support ministry.
Rethinking Ministry for the Future
Post-disaffiliation, the denomination is rethinking ministry in a variety of ways. A number of conferences also are seeing a boom in church planting often led by committed lay people who wanted to remain in the United Methodist fold even as their former congregations left.
“The fire is real,” Graves said. “And so is our hope. And together, we can protect what matters and rebuild for a faithful future where people experience the love of Jesus, God’s amazing grace and the presence of the Holy Spirit.”
Your Generosity Helps Bishops Provide Mentorship and Leadership
When you support the Episcopal Fund apportionment you help pay the salaries and expenses for United Methodist Bishops and allows them to travel across their episcopal areas providing mentorship and leadership. Please encourage your leaders and congregations to support the Episcopal Fund apportionment at 100 percent.
excerpt from a story by Heather Hahn, assistant news editor for UM News
This story shows the impact of the Episcopal Fund—one of seven apportionment funds of The United Methodist Church—to sustain the leadership and oversight of bishops who guide our shared mission. Through this fund, the Church provides fair compensation, support, and accountability for episcopal leadership across the connection. Together, we ensure that every conference has the guidance needed to carry out ministry effectively and faithfully.
When your church supports the Episcopal Fund, you uphold the shared leadership that unites our Church in mission and ministry.
