The 1992 Book of Discipline provides that the GCFA shall recommend the formulas by which all apportionments to the annual conferences shall be determined, subject to the approval of the General Conference (¶ 906.1c).
1. The World Service Fund. To insure that the total missional objectives of the World Service program will be fully realized, annual conferences shall be apportioned the World Service goal according to the formula which follows, and it is expected that local churches will undertake to pay World Service and Conference Benevolence apportionments in full before undertaking Advance special or other benevolent commitments.
The 1997 World Service Fund goal of $62,587,000 shall be apportioned to the several annual conferences on "decimals" derived from the following factors:
a. One-third, or $20,862,333, on the basis of the average lay church membership for the two reporting periods ending December 31, 1993, and December 31, 1994, as recorded in the General Minutes of the Annual Conferences of The United Methodist Church.
(1) The average lay membership for the above-mentioned years in the 64 annual conferences whose apportionments are determined by the formula is 8,548,726.5.
(2) The "decimal" for this one-third of the total apportionment is determined by dividing one-third of the amount to be apportioned on formula by the average membership, after taking into account the figures for those annual and missionary conferences which are exceptions to the formula (see Section c below). The resulting decimal is 2.436072437.
b. Two-thirds, or $41,724,667, on the basis of non-building, non-benevolence expenditures (i.e., the total paid for all purposes minus payments for indebtedness, buildings, improvements, and benevolences), based on the average figures for the years mentioned in (a) above. For the purposes of this apportionment formula, amounts paid for benevolences are understood as local church expenditures recorded as benevolences in the General Minutes. These are: a) amounts remitted to annual conference treasurers and United Methodist connectional agencies, except those which are to be classified as clergy support or connectional administration on the Local Church Report to the Annual Conference, consistent with definitions found in ¶ 711.1-.2; and b) amounts classified on the Local Church Report to the Annual Conference as "benevolences paid directly by local church."
(1) The average non-building, non-benevolence expenditures for the above-mentioned years in the annual conferences whose apportionments are determined by the formula is $2,035,210,079.
(2) The "decimal" for this two-thirds of the total apportionment is determined by dividing two-thirds of the amount to be apportioned on formula by the non-building, non-benevolence figure, again after taking into account the figures for conferences which are exceptions to the formula (see Section c below). The resulting decimal is .020465029841.
The two resulting "decimals" are then applied to the appropriate figures for each annual conference, using the figures as shown in the 1994 and 1995 editions of the General Minutes of the Annual Conferences.
c. The Iglesia Metodista Autónoma Afiliada de Puerto Rico, Rio Grande Annual Conference and the Alaska, Oklahoma Indian, and Red Bird missionary conferences shall be exceptions to the above formula, and GCFA is authorized to negotiate general fund apportionments with the representatives of those annual and missionary conferences in amounts deemed equitable by the Council, the conferences, and the affiliated autonomous church involved.
d. For the years 1998, 1999, and 2000, the amounts approved by the General Conference as the total of the World Service Fund for those years shall be apportioned to the several annual conferences on decimals determined by means of the procedure specified above. The decimals for those apportionment years will be calculated using average membership and average local church non-building, non-benevolence expenditures for base years according to the following schedule:
Apportionment Year Base Years
1998 1994, 1995
1999 1995, 1996
2000 1996, 1997
2. The Black College, Africa University, General Administration, and Interdenominational Cooperation Funds. The respective amounts approved by the General Conference as goals for these funds shall be apportioned to the annual conferences by means of the same formula as is used for apportioning the World Service Fund.
a. One-third of the goal approved for each of these funds for each year of the quadrennium shall be apportioned in the manner described in §1a and 1d of this report.
b. Two-thirds of the goal approved for each of these funds for each year of the quadrennium shall be apportioned in the manner described in §1b and 1d of this report.
c. The apportionments for these funds to the Alaska, Oklahoma Indian, and Red Bird missionary conferences, the Rio Grande Annual Conference, and the Iglesia Metodista Autónoma Afiliada de Puerto Rico shall be amounts determined by the Council in negotiation with them.
3. The Ministerial Education and Episcopal Funds. The formulas to be used in determining apportionments for these funds shall be as described in the reports dealing with those funds, except that the apportionments for the funds to the Alaska, Oklahoma Indian, and Red Bird missionary conferences, the Rio Grande Annual Conference, and the Iglesia Metodista Autónoma Afiliada de Puerto Rico shall be amounts determined by the Council in negotiation with them.
4. In adopting this report, the General Conference authorizes GCFA to make such changes in the language and definitions in this report as other General Conference actions or changed circumstances may require, while preserving as much as possible their substance and content.
General Conference Webmaster: Susan Brumbaugh
PETS Creator: John Brawn
Petition Text: 21118-FA-NonDis-O
1996 United Methodist General Conference