World Church Budget

A Plan for the Coordination of Resources and Expenditures

This standard definition of a budget has applied to the ways World Ministries Mission Tithes have been used for many years. Every year the World Church Finance Board, acting under the authority of the World Conference, approves the World Ministries Budget. This year’s meeting of the World Church Finance Board occurred May 3–4, 2008, during which it approved the budget for Fiscal Year 2009 (July 1, 2008—June 30, 2009) in the amount of $28,870,000.

This budget, shown below, represents a plan that is much more significant than just the few numbers shown. The plan for the use of World Ministries Mission Tithes and other sources of revenue was developed to implement the ministry priorities identified by the First Presidency. These priorities were shared with the World Church Leadership Council in January 2008, which engaged in a discernment process of clarification and identifying those categories of ministry priorities most important to fund in the Fiscal Year 2009 budget.

The result of this discernment process was shared with the Budget Planning Committee, which is charged with preparing a recommended budget for consideration by the World Church Finance Board. The categories of ministry priorities included in the budget are: (1) clarify church identity, mission, and message; (2) implement Council of Twelve Field Mission Plans; (3) implement holistic leadership formation; (4) implement lifelong disciple formation; and (5) provide International Headquarters professional, administrative, and technical support services. Specific planned expenditures for these priorities are included in multiple places in the budget since the priorities are integrated into all sections of the budget.

The January 2009 Herald will include a special section providing much more information about the ministries included in the plan, which is funded by the budget. There are some important figures to note in the budget shown here. The largest item included in the income budget is World Ministries Mission Tithes at $10,500,000, which is 36 percent of the total income budget.

This represents a $300,000 increase over the amount received in Fiscal Year 2008. The largest section in the expense budget is the Field Ministries section at 51 percent of the total. This section provides funding for field ministers and missionary outreach. The second-largest expense section is the International Headquarters Ministries section at 32 percent. This section funds the administrative and technical support services provided to congregations, mission centers, and IHQ.

Thank you for your past support of the budget through the generous sharing of World Ministries Mission Tithes. Watch for the January 2009 Herald to learn more about how much difference your mission tithes are making in the world.

—Dave Brown
The Presiding Bishopric
Budget Planning Committee, chair