Per Capita Games

March 24, 2007 by
Filed under: Religion 

I got another letter from church (Presbyterian Church of Lawrenceville) today.

This one is from the Clerk of Session.  The session decided to ask the members to pay their per capita separate from their pledge in order to save the budget $18,000.  We were given an envelope in which to return the $22 per household person who is a member of the church (including confirmed children).

Here’s the interesting part.  Per capita for New Brunswick Presbytery in 2007 is $21.24.  I found that out from the presbytery website.
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I will give the session the benefit of the doubt for making the amount easy to write and multiply out.  It’s also a tricky way to pay for the cost of sending out these letters (at 75 cents per member, that’s about $600).

I paid $21.24.

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Comments

6 Comments on Per Capita Games

  1. Stewart on Sat, 24th Mar 2007 5:36 pm

    2. The session is not necessarily playing games with you on the amount of per capita. There are many sessions that give the membership of the church the opportunity to contribute to the per capita over and above their regular giving.

    The problem with the calculations is that it is not a neat pass-through for the local church. The assessment to the church for 2007 is based on the membership at the end of 2005 (or beginning of 2006, if you wish). If a person joined the congregation during 2006, the congregation is not being assessed per capita for that member. If a person was a member through 2005, but their membership ended during 2006, the former member may not be available to contribute any 2007 per capita.

    In other words, your session might have a reasonable basis for telling the current membership that their per capita is $22.

  2. jodie on Sat, 24th Mar 2007 7:24 pm

    3. It’s pocket change!

  3. Listing Straight on Sat, 24th Mar 2007 9:24 pm

    4. This always irritates me- I think that I tithe and that the church should pay the percapita out of what I give. I would never ask for percapita above and beyond, and I always make sure I present this side of the argument when talking about it.

    That having been said, there are many church members I have met who feel that this is their duty.

    Here’s my thought. If all church members gave even 5%, paying this percapita would be NOT a big deal in the budget.

  4. Mark on Sat, 24th Mar 2007 10:51 pm

    5. A few notes to answer comments:

    1. I think the membership is on an upswing, but I haven’t been here long enough to know. I do know that we added almost 2% to the membership in my class alone last year. (Besides, if I didn’t count should I pay? 🙂 The answer is yes – because there’s got to be somebody who can’t afford to pay.)

    2. jodie – I wrote the check out for the exact amount to make a point. I give above and beyond my pledge often enough that the 76 cents are well covered.

    3. Listing – I agree. Per capita is not a tax, and the church shouldn’t be passing it along like sales tax.

    If it makes the budget work better to ask me to pay it individually, I’m fine with that. But let’s be honest with the figures.

  5. jodie on Sat, 24th Mar 2007 11:07 pm

    6. Listing Straight,

    I would have to agree that if your church members are really tithing (10%, really? before or after taxes?) then your per capita should come out of it.

    But I can’t get past the fact that it is just pocket change, and arguing about pocket change, to me at least, says we are worrying about money too much. Way too much.

    Jodie

    PS Mark, Suggestion for your church. Don’t try to do fund raising during tax season. That’s when people are at their crabby worst when it comes to money.

  6. Mark on Sat, 24th Mar 2007 11:15 pm

    7. I think that Listing Straight was talking about herself when she mentioned tithing.

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