People give to their local church to support:
- The ministry and mission of the Church
- Provide and maintain buildings and facilities
- Resourcing mission across the country
- Training people for effective ministry and discipleship
- The world church
Most of the Church's income is received through local offerings. Additional income comes from tax recovered under Deeds of Covenant and Gift Aid, with a small amount from the use of premises and investment income.
This income is used in the following ways:
- About 45% on local church costs such as heating and property repairs
- About 45% on the ordained and lay ministry (stipends and housing) paid by the circuit (which is the main reason for the Circuit Assessment)
- About 10% to cover Connexion-wide (ie national and international) expenditure - nearly half of which is grants, a quarter is spent on training, mainly of ministers, and the rest covers areas of the Church's work which is handled on a whole-Connexion basis.
NB: These figures are illustrative and do not reflect what churches may need to pay to their circuit.
Latest info about Methodist giving and how it is being used
Annual Reports for the latest year and archive of recent years