As 2025 draws to a close, it is time to review the finances of our conference. We have great reasons to praise God for His blessings, as well as matters requiring earnest prayer. Below, you will find six images that summarize our financial outlook through the third quarter of the year. You will see that, although tithe giving has decreased compared to the prior year, major expense areas (such as medical, camp meeting, and moving expenses) are below budget. Through September, our unaudited financial statement shows us ahead of budget by over $650,000. While we still anticipate other expenses will decrease this number in the fourth quarter, we anticipate ending the year with a gain on operations, should we see a robust return of tithe in December. We also anticipate at that time to pay off our operating line of credit with the North Pacific Union Conference in full.
While we are thankful for these blessings, we also have as a matter of prayer the growing costs that impact our conference in various ways. One such matter on our heart is the rising costs incurred by our local congregations. To gain a better understanding of these financial burdens, we conducted a survey of 120 churches in the Oregon Conference. Our study found that 67.5% of the churches tested spend at least 50% of dollars retained by the congregation on core expenses (insurance, building rent/mortgage, utilities) and education-related costs. With this and other information in mind, we are looking at how things can potentially be done differently in the future. Here is a deeper snapshot of where we stand financially.
Through September 2025, tithe was down 2.89% when compared to the same time in the prior year. October remittance was positive and decreased our overall loss to 1.92%.
The September statement shows an actual loss of $945k compared to a budgeted loss of $1.598 million, which places the conference $653k ahead of budget! Major reasons for this positive variance include (1) under budget medical expenses, (2) camp meeting expenses were under budget and income was over budget, and (3) fewer needs for moving expenses and substitute teachers in our education functions. Our budget anticipates that December tithe, which is traditionally our largest month of receiving income, will balance out the current budgeted loss for the year.
As mentioned above, the camp meeting budget exceeded expectations. The total cost of camp meeting ended at $328k on a $390k budget. Total camp meeting income exceeded budget by around $44k. This means we have around $105k of funding remaining to be used on a future camp meeting.
Through September, our line of credit with the NPUC Revolving Fund totaled $2.57 million. Since that time, we have been able to make payments back to the NPUC, and as of 12/5, the line of credit balance is $1.65 million. If the conference has a strong December tithe, we anticipate being able to pay the balance in full in January 2026.
Treasury conducted a study of local church finances to gauge the financial capacity of our congregations. Specifically, we wanted to know what percentage of church budget (and other local) income is being used on (1) education-related expenses and (2) core operating expenses (utilities, insurance, facility rent/mortgage, equipment).
Of the 120 churches tested in this study, 67.5% of them spend at least 50% of their budget on the two items listed above (core operating expenses and education).
We ask that you join us in praying for the continued financial health of our conference, churches, schools, and members. Although Satan throws challenges our way, we serve an amazing God who can carry all burdens. Thank you for your continued financial support, both at the conference and your local church and school. Your gifts back to God are making a difference in drawing people closer to Him!
