GIVING

 

Finances at St Andrew’s Roseville

At St Andrew’s, all the money to pay for the ministry comes through the generosity of those who attend St Andrew’s either as members or visitors. There are no financial subsidies from the Sydney Anglican Diocese or the Australian Government.

At the Annual General Meeting of Parishioners each year, the members of the church elect people to positions of Wardens and Parish Council who are responsible for the financial management of the church. Parish Council are elected representatives of the church who approve a yearly budget they believe supports the current ministry, and can be achieved by the members of St Andrew’s.

The Wardens are then responsible for the implementation of this budget: paying expenses and staffing costs as well as using finances for the maintenance of property.

The Wardens at St Andrew’s have appointed an honorary Treasurer to help them with the finances of the church, and engaged an external company called EXDIA to do bookwork and set up payments. Only the Wardens and Treasurer authorise any payments made on behalf of the church.

What does General Offertory support?

The bulk of funds received each week go towards staffing costs and allowances, with the remaining funds set aside for utilities, Mission and Aid and the PCR Levy from  Sydney Diocese. The PCR (Parish Costs Recoveries) covers the costs that the Diocese incurs on our behalf such as insurance, superannuation and long service leave for clergy, and the running of various essential functions like Safe Ministry training and the Professional Standards Unit. 

How can people give at St Andrew’s?

There are different ways that we encourage people to financially support the ministry at St Andrew’s Roseville. Our preferred method is by direct deposit, where you organise with your bank a weekly or monthly transfer into the church’s bank account.

The details for this are:
Name: St Andrew’s Anglican Church Roseville
BSB: 032 086
Account number: 387 248

Alternatively, we can accept cash or cheque. If this is your preference there is a letterbox on the wall you can place your donation in at the back of the church when you attend on a Sunday.

Why do we prefer EFT donation?

We are thankful for anything given towards our ministry. While cash or a cheque is a wonderful way to give, it needs to be collected, counted and then banked. On top of this, we never know how much money might come through cash donations each week and month, so it is hard to plan ahead. Regular EFT giving ensures funds arrive directly from your account to ours, and if you are away then your giving is still supporting St Andrew’s ministry. This gives us the ability and confidence to prepare and plan ahead.

 

Why should you support a church financially?

 It is important that we look at the Bible to see what it says. In the New Testament, the bible does not set an amount to give, like in the Old Testament which was 10% of the family’s total income. However, it does provide some helpful guiding principles:

  1. Christians give, because Christ first gave to us. In 2 Corinthians 8:9 Paul reminds us how the despite Jesus being ‘rich’ in his position as the Son of God, he became poor for our sake by going to the cross to pay the price for our sin, so that we might become rich – seen as the righteous children of God. At St Andrew’s we recognise that everything that we have, both materially and spiritually, only comes by grace of our Lord Jesus. So, as we give back to the ministry here, we are only giving back what he has given us in the first place.
  2. Christians are to be generous in the way that that they give towards Christian ministry. In 2 Corinthians 9:11, Paul reminds the Corinthians that they have been enriched in every way, so that they can be generous on every occasion. At St Andrew’s we do not prescribe what people should give, however, we ask you to be generous in the way you support the ministry here.
  3. Christians are to financially support those set aside for ministry. In 2 Thessalonians 3:9 Paul says that gospel ministers have a ‘right’ to be supported by those they minister to. At St Andrew’s, the bulk of the money given goes directly to supporting the staff to live. If we don’t reach the budget, then it has a direct impact on the staff team.
  4. Christians are to support their local church first, then give to other Christian organisations. In 1 Timothy 5:17 he says those who preach and teach are worthy of double honour. In other words, those who minister directly to you, should receive the first fruits of your giving in order to make sure they are looked after. At St Andrew’s, we encourage you to give to ministries outside of the church, but not at the sake of our own budget. See the next reason for this …
  5. Christians are to bring to completion what they said they would. In 2 Corinthians 8:6 Paul reminds the Corinthians that they had promised to give and so they should bring this to completion. At St Andrew’s, the Parish Council represent the whole church in putting together and committing to a budget. So, to bring the budget to completion each year is the responsibility of the whole church. 

How do you calculate how much your household should give?

Some find the Old Testament principle of tithing (giving 10% of their income), a helpful starting point. So, let’s examine what it might look like to give in this way. The minimum wage is flagged in grey.

God loves a cheerful giver

You should not give so much that you become poor. Paul says in 2 Corinthians 8:13 Our desire is not that others might be relieved while you are hard pressed, but that there might be equality. However, you should give so that you notice that you are giving. But there are also seasons for giving, and we recognise that some can give more than others at certain times. Paul goes on in 2 Corinthians 8:14 to say, ‘At the present time your plenty will supply what they need, so that in turn their plenty will supply what you need. The goal is equality’.

Another principle to consider is from 2 Corinthians 9:6-7: Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.

Are there tax-effective ways to give?

Yes, however, 90% of the yearly church budget does not allow for a tax-deduction, the majority of money given to the church will not allow for a tax-receipt. Contact our Wardens to learn more about contributing to specific tax deductible funds.

Kickstart Initiative

We have calculated that up to 10% of our budgeted expenditure can come via tax-deductible funds, and so we encourage people to maximise their giving through the Kickstart initiative, which we launch at the end of each year. Having this portion of our budget for the following year secured helps with cash flow and gives the Wardens and Senior Minister confidence to make decisions around our financial planning.

 

What about Mission and Aid?

At St Andrew’s, we currently give 10% of all that is collected from General Offertory to certain Mission and Aid Partners. You can see who our long term partners are by clicking here.

In addition to this, we also support 5 Partners on our Mission and Aid Sunday once a year. This provides the saints of St Andrew’s an opportunity to be generous to specific short term partners, who we commit to supporting for around three years. Parish Council has appointed a chairperson for a Mission and Aid committee, who responsible for developing and implementing our policy for Mission and Aid partnerships.

Would you like to know more?

Feel free to contact the Wardens – Luke Hall, Alys Martin or Aaron Black, our honorary treasurer, David Vidilini, or Senior Minister Mal York for any further information.