Frequently Asked Questions

Q Why do I need to pledge at all?
A There are two reasons. First, it encourages you to consider your giving in a thoughtful and prayerful way. Second, this helps us to set a budget for the year. Without pledges, we are unable to plan reliably for the upcoming year.

Q How do I know if I am current on my pledge?
A The Treasurers will mail a quarterly update to let you know the status of your pledge. Otherwise, you may call the Treasurers personally; pledge information is confidential, between you, God, and the Treasurers.

Q What happens if I fall behind on my pledge?
A The church understands that life happens. We ask only that you set a thoughtful, prayerful goal and try to meet it. No one is going to harass you if you cannot meet your pledge. Since we use the pledges to plan our total budget and activities, we hope you will base your pledge on what you reasonably expect to commit. If you fall behind, we hope you will catch up when you are able. If you cannot recover, let the Treasurers know. If you exceed your pledge, we are grateful for the generosity. No matter what, we thank you for being part of this faith community.

Q I am already contributing money to the church each week. Are you asking for more?
A If you have been contributing to the plate each week, we ask you to consider formalizing your contribution by signing your 2011 pledge card. We base the budget on the results of the pledge campaign. Even if your income varies each month, please consider pledging a minimum or average monthly amount consistent with your comfort level. You can always add to your contribution for any given month which will be reflected on your quarterly update provided by our Treasurers. This would greatly assist the budget process.

Q The parish expense budget for 2010 is $746,000. Why do we need $824,000 in 2011?
A All expense categories are up modestly but the primary increases are a general salary raise (the first since 2007), a large increase for buildings repair and maintenance (based on actual annual costs since 2006), and the first increases for ministry programs since 2008 (for music, youth, Christian education, outreach). There is also a modest increase in our assessment to the Diocese of Louisiana as explained below.

Q Why do we have such a large staff for a church our size?
A Despite our location in a beautiful small town, we are now a church of 1,500 members and 528 households who live in ten zip codes. We are not a small church. For a church this size, our staff is not too large. We have two full time clergy and three other full time employees who receive a salary and benefits. We have a part time priest who receives a housing allowance and health insurance. Our other staff serves us in music, nursery, communications, bookkeeping, Christian education, sexton, and reception. They are part time and receive no benefits. Most of them were active members of the parish before coming to work for us. All view their work as a ministry and not just a job.

Q What about Caritas, CEEP, Mission Beyond, Third Sunday Concerts, Heifer International, and other annual outreach ministries of Christ Church? Where do they fit in the operating budget?
A They don’t. The financial support for Caritas, CEEP, Mission Beyond, and other community service programs is generated through specific, off-budget appeals.

Q Why do we have to send so much money off to the Diocese of Louisiana every year?
A Compared to other dioceses, our assessment and asking are quite fair. It is calculated based on our annual income at Christ Church. Because we are the Episcopal Church, we pay a tax to support the office and ministry of the Bishop. Because we are parishes, missions and schools together as the diocese of Louisiana, we also pay an asking to enable the diocese to operate campus ministries, support missions both in the lower 9th and the piney woods, and perform other services for the whole diocese. Our 2010 assessment and asking are 4% above 2010.

Q What is our arrangement with Christ School for its use of parish buildings?
A Christ School is our parish school and is wholly owned by Christ Church. The school reimburses the church at mutually agreed-on rates for the buildings and services it uses for the Early Childhood Center at the Covington campus. This arrangement is fair and operates smoothly.

Q Why don’t we use our endowment to defray some of these costs as so many other Episcopal churches do?
A Although Christ Church has been around for 164 years, our endowment is quite modest, about $100,000. We do have various “restricted” funds which are invested but cannot be used for operations or general repairs. Of our 500+ families, 322 contribute financially to the parish in a regular, consistent way. We build our operating budget based on those gifts and pledges.