tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4529016898634168069.post7475126483441967167..comments2024-01-09T18:12:48.883+00:00Comments on Phil's Treehouse: Number crunchingPhilip Ritchiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05912352719196616923noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4529016898634168069.post-23940860572686149542011-06-09T18:33:20.984+01:002011-06-09T18:33:20.984+01:00So long as the gospel is preached faithfully, that...So long as the gospel is preached faithfully, that's all that really matters.Sipechhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07867205681422416409noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4529016898634168069.post-23837029493679100202011-06-09T18:22:44.351+01:002011-06-09T18:22:44.351+01:00Welcome to parish ministry.
I think most Diocesa...Welcome to parish ministry. <br /><br />I think most Diocesan staff think of themselves as working at Head Office, where the churches are the branches, or shopfronts, or something like that. As soon as you see it that way, it becomes clear why they push out stuff like this: the only measure of effectiveness of a branch is how much it sends back up the line. Whereas if they understood that the parishes <i>are</i> the Diocese, and that their job is to support them, they would be more interested in identifying church's effectivess in the communities that they serve.Charliehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08102799923678550905noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4529016898634168069.post-44302826033318995312011-06-09T17:50:09.337+01:002011-06-09T17:50:09.337+01:00I ponder this often as Benefice Treasurer. The me...I ponder this often as Benefice Treasurer. The measure of performance is how many are on the Electoral roll and average attendance. This year we had 24 confirmations, double last year, the Bishop came, but it did not even get a mention on the diocesan website.<br /><br />Each diocese has a different way of calculating parish share and my diocese allows the deanery to work out individual benefice and church within benefice share. We actually pay more to support those parishes that are unable to pay. This is part of mission. But it hurts when we have our own issues including elements of deprivation scattered between more afluent areas in our five villages.<br /><br />I'm not popular when, with the Vicar, I give the bad news to PCC treasurers of what they have to pay next year. We are stretched, we struggle, but somehow manage to pay every demand.<br /><br />If we were paying for our own stipendiary and an amount towards shared diocesan expenses it would be simple, but its all of the other services which are included. Often this leads to a 'them and us' feeling among the PCC members.<br /><br />When things are going well, we hear little from DBF, when someone falls behind, say the treasurer is on holiday and can't sign a cheque, we get hassled for payment. DBF is more of a debt collection agency, rather than a Board of Finance.UKViewerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18114944341930758335noreply@blogger.com