After The Annual Conference – The Story Behind the Budget
By Daryl Williams
As I stood before the Annual Conference to present the 2027 budget, I was reminded that budgets tell stories. Behind every line item is a testimony of faithfulness, sacrifice, and ministry impact. I want to share with you the story behind the 2027 budget that was presented to the annual conference and what it means to you. Behind all of the facts and figures, there is a story of faithfulness that we can all hold close as we move forward.
Often times, budget presentations can feel like a lot of figures moving quickly across a screen. I have sat through and given enough of them to know that the flurry of information can be overwhelming. I want to take a few moments to talk about the information behind the numbers. The Baltimore-Washington Conference just approved a $18.5 million budget for 2027, and the story underneath those numbers is one of resilience, discipline, and genuine cause for hope.
After several difficult years marked by church closures and disaffiliations, our mission share base has stabilized, and believe it or not is growing again. Continuing churches across the BWC have seen an 8 percent increase in income since 2023. In a season when some would expect decline, this growth signals renewed stability and confidence across our connection. This growth is a testament to your faithfulness. It is the result of local churches making the decision to not quit, to stay engaged and continue to do ministry that changes the world. It is a result of honored commitments to people, communities and the connection.
The 2027 budget continues our goal of leaving more money in local churches for local ministry. The 2027 budget assumes a collection rate of 86%, paired with a benevolence factor of 17.25%, and an expected mission share base of $82.1 million. This creates total mission shares of $12.2 million. While this is an increase of the overall budget of $289,000, 80 percent of our mission shares go directly to ministry teams that serve you and your congregation. Also, for many churches their mission share contribution will work out to a nearly historic low of just 10 percent of local church income. That means your mission shares go to produce and multiply ministry.
The wisdom of Proverbs 27:23 has never been more relevant: “Know well the condition of your flocks.” That counsel is as true for your church’s finances as it was for ancient shepherds. The conference models this discipline at scale. I am inviting you to practice it at home.
Over the summer take some time to start preparing for the fall. Gather your finance committee, stewardship leaders, and church council. Revisit your budget, your mission priorities, and your current giving. Make sure you are doing the ministry that you set out to do when you developed your budget. The future of our conference will be shaped not only by what happens at Annual Conference, but by the faithful decisions made around local church tables every month. Take some time to ask the following questions:
Does our budget reflect where God is leading us, or where we have always been? Vision-driven budgets fund the future. Habit-driven budgets fund the past.
Do we know our personal collection rate percentage of expected giving that will actual come in to the church? If we don’t know that number, we are planning by hope rather than by truth.
What share of our income moves beyond our walls? How are we using our funding to do ministry in the community that we serve? What does our number say about who we believe we are called to serve?
We, the Baltimore-Washington Conference, are doing amazing work. Together we are changing lives and destinies all across this region. Our path ahead calls for the same faithfulness that got us here and I believe we are more than capable of walking it.