Synod puts off buying “second staff car”
© Pretty Good Lutherans
The purchase of synod staff cars may not be a big deal for the average Lutheran.
It’s a different story for outsiders. They find it hard to put the ELCA financial situation in perspective because of how money is sometimes spent by church leaders.
In the letter below, Bishop Thomas Aitken outlines the financial situation in the Northeastern Minnesota Synod. The letter is posted on the synod’s Web site.
As part of the synod’s cutting back measures, Aitken says a decision was made to “put off the purchase of a second staff car.”
Many corporations did away with providing cars years ago as the cost of vehicles, insurance and gas increased. Instead, they offer mileage reimbursement.
Question for readers: Are cars generally purchased for ELCA synod leaders? How do you feel about your donations being used in this way?
Your respectful comments are welcome and appreciated after you read the letter, which follows. Two Bible passages removed by Pretty Good Lutherans are noted.
Here’s Bishop Aitken’s letter:
(BISHOP’S LETTER -CONTINUED)
Let me begin with thanks.
Thank you, Christian, for your partnership. Thank you for the financial support you provide to do shared ministry. Thank you for your prayers.”
[Bible passage from Philippians 4:14ff was inserted here.]
The stark reality.
Congregational mission support to our synod is $173,451 behind the intent amount (dollars pledged to the synod by congregations). For the first time in the history of our synod, payments to our Ministry Partners have been delayed due to a lack of funds.
The difficult question, “Which commitments to our Ministry Partners must we reduce?” has entered our conversations. In the last Synod Reflections, I wrote about the national economic downturn and the impact it has had on many of us.
I concluded that we can and should appeal to each other and hold fast to the power of the Risen Christ and the Holy Spirit to meet the challenges facing us. The reality of our current shortfall is that there may be a deep impact to real people who do ministry on our behalf. I’ve shared a few examples on the following page.
- We put a moratorium on purchasing equipment, cutting that expense.
- We put off the purchase of a second car for staff use.
- Carpooling to meetings is standard procedure. To further cut travel expenses, we routinely evaluate the need for meetings and/or the necessity to travel to meetings.
- Thermostats in the office are turned down – heating will be closely monitored this winter.
- Purchase of office supplies is limited to direct conscientious need.
- One staff member reduced salary and hours by 20% for the last three months of the synod’s fiscal year.
As your bishop, I am convening people from around the synod to examine our synod’s budget, our staffing needs, our programming, etc., to determine ways we can be pro-active as we look ahead to 2010 and beyond.
I ask you as individuals and as congregations, to faithfully find ways that make it possible to fully fund our Ministry Partners. Make every effort to reach your congregation’s mission support commitment to our synod.
For those who can, I ask you to give beyond your commitment – to go the extra mile. Sometimes those who can, make up for those who can’t. This is what it means to be the body of Christ. I welcome your prayers, insights and actions for the sake of God’s mission through our continued partnership.”
[Bible passage from 2 Corinthians 8:1-5 was here]
Together in Christ,
† Bishop Thomas M. Aitken
Northeastern Minnesota Synod, ELCA
_____________________________________________________________
Photo of coins by Tattooed JJ. Creative Commons license.
Framed photo of blue candle by Outsanity. Creative Commons license.
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Jeff Courouleau
November 27th, 2009 at 1:02 pm
Wow. I’ve never known of a synod owning a car, and I’ve worked with synods up and down the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic states.
November 27th, 2009 at 2:42 pm
I have no idea how common it is. In Metro New York, mileage reimbursement seems to be the norm — if the synod owned a car, it would have to pay for Manhattan parking space, which costs more than some houses.
But how confident are you that corporations have done away with owning (or leasing) cars for employees? I thought it was fairly common. I do know of a few churches that have done it — either lease something for the pastor, or buy a junker outright for collective staff use.
In any case, I can readily believe that a synod car would make a much bigger difference in the Plains states than on the crowded Atlantic coast, and I wouldn’t want anybody rushing to judgment here.
November 27th, 2009 at 3:31 pm
Years ago, I lived in Duluth, the synod in question. Driving around northeastern Minnesota is not like driving around Texas. My job involved driving around a territory larger than the synod.
In the early 1990s, the newspaper there had, perhaps, six cars for reporters and photographers to share. Those cars quickly disappeared as the cost of vehicles, insurance and gas increased.
No, not every corporation has done away with company cars. But many have done so.
November 30th, 2009 at 9:42 am
Synod Cars: it would probably be useful to see a ‘breakdown’ of costs, mileage, etc. Sometimes it makes more sense from a financial perspective to have a company fleet of vehicles, sometimes it doesn’t.
A synod as a ‘non-profit’ would have a different outlook on maintaining assets: there aren’t financial statements scrutinized by possible investors as there are at for-profit companies who have been trying harder to keep assets off the books (like cars) that depreciate in value if they aren’t necessary for other reasons.
November 30th, 2009 at 10:07 am
Helpful information. Thank you.
December 1st, 2009 at 12:54 pm
As a member of the synod council of 2 different synods we studied this issue. It is often cheaper to have a synod car than to pay for mileage reimbursement. It depends on the miles driven, the age of the driver, etc. In one synod, we traded the cars in every 40,000 miles. One assistant had the car traded approximately every 8 months. That is approximately, $30,000 a year. Car payments, insurance, gas is cheaper than that (especially if a church/synod member is a car dealer).
December 1st, 2009 at 1:27 pm
Thanks for the feedback.