CHURCH FINANCE

Taranaki Daily News, 15 August 1931, Page 5

CHURCH FINANCE

DIFFICULT TIMES AHEAD.

WARNING IN PRESBYTERY.

A note of warning ’of serious financial difficulties ahead for the Church was sounded at a meeting of the Auckland Presbytery on Tuesday evening by the Rev. G. Budd, superintendent of home missions, and by several other speakers.

“There is a serious financial position that has to be grappled with at once,” said Mr. Budd. “There is nothing more certain than, that unless something very drastic is done to raise the budget funds we shall not be able to continue to pay the usual grants. The home mission committee has no capital and no reserve fund. Every penny of it has gone. We may weather this year. We will have some difficulty in completing our undertakings for 1931-32, Unless there is an increase in the budget contributions we simply cannot go on.

“The difference between our income and the expenditure that presbyteries ask us to make is about £l5OO. * Hitherto we have managed to pay out because of reserves, but we have not got these reserves now. Some ministers have not had any salary for as much as three months.” “Most of us could name at least half a dozen email charges that are faced with very serious financial difficulties,” said the Rev. L. H. Hunt, convener of

the life and work committee. He moved that a special committee be set up to receive statements from weak charges and report to the next meeting of presbytery. “If we do not tackle this, we are going to be in trouble in a few weeks,” said Mr. Hunt.

It was agreed to ask all congregations and ministers to report on their financial position to the finance and property committee, which would report to presbytery.