Members of the Connectional Table met on March 14, 2020 to evaluate 2021 budget requests from boards and committees.

It is the role of the Connectional Table to review requests for funding under the programming budget (Fund 2). As part of its responsibility for the program budget, the Connectional Table is charged with ensuring that boards, committees, and agencies are functioning in alignment with the Conference’s mission, vision and five critical values as laid out the in the Strategic Plan. 

The Connectional Table’s recommendations are passed to the Conference Council on Finance and Administration (CCFA), which develops the annual Conference budget proposal. The proposed budget then goes before the Annual Conference in June. 

Thirteen groups submitted budget proposals for 2021 totaling $183,780; another five groups, including the Christian Unity and Interreligious Relationships which has a budget of $14,000 for 2020, did not submit requests.

The total requested for 2021 was $217,780. The Connectional Table approved $189,680 in total funding – offering level funding to Christian Unity and Interreligious Relationships, which handles our membership in state councils of churches, and $500 each to the other groups that did not request funds. This is an increase of $1,070 from what was approved for 2020, which was $188,610.

It has been the practice of the Connectional Table to allot a minimum budget of $500 to groups to allow them to meet and organize. Those that were unable to submit a request for funding during this process are able to come to the Connectional Table for mid-year funding. The Connectional Table has a fund to meet these requests and those for ministry needs that emerge outside of the regular budget cycle. The Table approved setting aside $20,000 for this purpose in 2021.

Boards and committees get assistance in preparing their budget requests at the annual leadership retreat. Each fall, leaders of the Conference’s boards, committees, and agencies gather with the Connectional Table to prepare for the budgeting process. The retreat is designed to resource Conference leaders in a number of ways including drafting their budget requests, accessing Conference resources, connecting across the Conference, raising up new leaders, and preparing for Annual Conference. 

Members of the Connectional Table are assigned to boards and committees as liaisons to help them through the budget process and to foster connections across the Conference.

The Connectional Table has created a template for boards to use in submitting their funding requests and has shared its process for evaluating requests (read more about that here). Requests for the next year’s funding are due March 1.