Incipient Collapse

Incipient Collapse

December 31, 2011

We predicted the collapse
Of St. David's Church in 2014.
That prediction has been confirmed
By the present financial crisis.

The rector of the church,
For whom we have great affection,
Has written a mournful letter in the
Monthly publication of the church.

In it, he states that the shortfall for
The coming year's budget will be
Made up again from the reserve, and
"cannot be relied on for more than another year."

He proposes inviting a "planning" committee
To outline means to build up the reserve.
That is not planning, it is fund raising, or
"Development" in the parlance of non-profits.

But a church cannot raise funds from donors;
It must rely on the contributions from members.
Therefore the solution lies solely in recruiting
Many new members to the church family.

As we have often stated, the objective of
"Stewardship" as it is colloquially known is
Not to squeeze more money from the faithful,
But to get more faithful to squeeze money from.

The "perfect storm" discussed heretofore
Militates against attracting new members
In substantial numbers, so long as the church
Continues to follow its obsolete business model.

As we have argued previously, continuing to do
What is failing is not a recipe for future success.
Adding new outreach programs simply stretches
Church resources, while older programs suffer.

If we are to plan the future of St. David's,
We must examine the total environment of our church,
List all available options for growth, sift and discuss,
And determine what we can reasonably pursue.