Harry Boessenkool

How does the CRCNA handle the moving costs of a non ordained person to a foreign country?

That is on the way out. What about returning from that assignment after, say, 20 years?

Thanks.

A position with this job description applies to a very, very large church. To put context to a job description like this you need to supply the context  (number of other employees this person is expected to work with). The average church in the CRCNA has only 225 members (1103/282500 source 2013 year book). A church that size would not have a function you outlined. But publishing these job descriptions is a good idea.

We received in our church mailbox two 4x6 flyers from safe church ministry. If they were meant to reach all members of the CRCNA some 600,000 of these would have been printed.  At 5 cents each the cost of printing would have been $30,000 and shipping to 300 churches another $3,000

In fairness I should mention that at the same time the same size flyers arrived from world renew, world missions and disability concerns. A total cost of $82,500.

Surely we can find a more responsible way to allocate the churches resources.

This info is from 2014. Can it be updated. Also how about a sheet for Canada.  Thx

This is a great addition to my post of Feb 2017. It clearly shows the separation between salary and housing allowance. Even if it is USA info the separation of income is telling. If the CRC in the US does the same to calculating pensions as the CRC dies in Canada then my point is even more valid. 

Network manager...We should tie these compensation topics together because each comment adds value.

I get the impression you are an apologist for the Muslim Faith. Until I see Muslim leaders as a group distance themselves publicly from the events of those 250 girls in Nigeria and from the establishment of a caliphate in Syria and Iraq which minces no words about their objectives, I fail to see the relevance of what you and the CRCNA are trying to do. 

I would refer you to the latest news letters from MERF as to the events in the Middle East.

I have a question of a general nature. How many non ordained employees of the CRCNA in Canada or the USA are responsible for raising their own salaries and expenses? I am thinking of people like Greg Sinclair, as an example? Of course the better question might be is there a policy that might cover this type of situation?

Thank you.

Consult Calvin University and review all of the CRCNA year books they have in their Library. If you start in 1980 and review all of them till 2020 it might show a trend in  what year how many people considered membership in the CRCNA important (at least if Councils who reported the data, ideally included only "real" members).

I do not intend to be irreverent, but I believe there is no census taking in heaven. It is a big deal here on earth in every part of our lives. 

Hi Nate... this is a good question.

Missionaries who work for Resonate have to prepare an annual program budget.

That budget forms the basis of the support they need. So each Missionary will have access to how much money has be sent to CRCNA HO (Burlington or GR) in the past.

They and the missionary also know where/who these funds have come from. To make donations tax deductible (I only can speak for Canada) they have to come via a church or via Burlington.

If your church receives a request from a missionary you have to start with the budget for the program. Then find out from where current support comes from and if there is a shortfall. The missionary should be able to say up front that support from X, Y and Z church are going to cease in the next year and is looking for other churches. That sets the stage for the need. A specific amount should be requested. 

A missionary may have private means of support and they only have to state those in total or as a percentage of the total. These supports are normally committed over a longer period. But in the event of an individual supporter passing away a missionary could be faced with a greater need. Explaining that should not be hard to do.

My personal view is that if the local church wants to provide support they should do so via a commitment that has at least a 3 year term. The amount should then become a budget item subject to review 12 months before the 3 years is up. Mission projects with Resonate tend to be for a longer periods so I see nothing wrong with a ten year support package with tri-annual review. (Every three years)

In our church we did have a discussion on whether there should be separate Sunday collections. I see no problem with that but it has to be understood by the congregation the amount committed will be paid in full if collections do not cover the amount requested. My personal preference is to make it part of the budget that is collected in the usual way.

We had an excellent experience with one missionary who provided a detailed "Resonate Budget" showing income and expenses and several items for special consideration. These were well thought out.

The beauty of this was that when they came to visit (also to preach a sermon!!) we were all able to ask good question about the work because we had all the facts.

Part of the outcome of the request should also be a commitment from the missionary to communicate.  With all the means of communication we have today that should not be a problem. But it should be manageable at the missionary level. Twice a year and visit once every three years.

 (If a missionary gets support from across the continent that could present a problem for travel when on furlong. This something the missionary and the support staff in CRCNA HO should be watching.)

Given the current circumstances I wonder if now is a good time to discuss this issue again?  As a denomination it might be a good idea to see if COVID changes the how people attend church going forward. Has the absence of meeting in a building in the last few months caused people to look for alternatives?  A suggestion might be that every CRC council  keeps a close eye on who (once COVID restrictions are lifted) is still attending and who might not be attending.  Once a congregation starts meeting on site again, 6 months should not pass before the attendance issue is addressed.

Another way to come at this, of course, is to see if regular members have had continued donating?

The key of course is to get a sense of what people who are leaving/stopped contributing, would tell why that is happening. But that requires asking the right questions in a very kind and positive way. Getting those questions right will not be a simple matter.

Thanks a lot. These were very helpful comments!!