The financial outlook of the ELCA is not much better. They learned from ECUSA’s mistake just a few weeks earlier, though. The one thing that large corporations know how to do is make the books look good. Finances are mostly what you present for public consumption. Enron knew how to do this well. You shift some things around, and voila! your books are looking pretty good.

The ELCA, who stands shoulder to shoulder with ECUSA in terms of its disarray and radicality, released it’s financial report for 2006. It told of positive financial results for the last fiscal year, saying, “Increases in total receipts, including mission support funds, plus a record year for contributions to the World Hunger Appeal of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), contributed to overall positive financial results for 2006 for the ELCA churchwide organization, based in Chicago.”

The picture of Skelton, the ELCA treasurer, is wonderful. She is smiling brightly, as if to celebrate the bright financial outlook of the denomination. It’s propaganda in grand form. A closer look at her report leaves one quite troubled.

The report reads, “Total current operating revenue to the ELCA churchwide organization was $82,904,000 for 2006, an increase of $900,000 over 2005, she said. Expenses totaled $79,934,000, up $1.8 million from 2005.” The Synods contributed a combined total of 65.7 million dollars. Commenting on where the rest of the budget comes from the report said, “sources of income in these categories included missionary sponsorship, bequests and trusts, investments, endowments, support from the ELCA Mission Investment Fund for new ministry starts, the Vision for Mission fund, fraternal grants and other sources.”

So, expenses are up, the national churchwide revenue has remained virtually static over the last 17 years or so, and while giving from Synods has increased, there’s no mention of how much of that revenue was gained from selling off defunct congregations in the synod, or how much of it came from bequeathals and endowments.

It looks like a pretty good financial outlook, but even a family knows that you are in trouble if 20% of your expenses have to be paid from your savings or retirement fund. It’s only a matter of time until your money is gone. That’s right, 20% of the ELCA’s expenses come from places other than the offering plate on Sunday morning. This isn’t a healthy financial picture any way you frame it.

As the radicality of Mark Hanson and his cadre passes the ELCA up, we can expect a greater percentage of the budget to be taken from the savings accounts, as well as from congregations that are closed down and sold off. Ultimately, and hopefully, the wisdom of my mother will call these radical denominations back to reality. Money doesn’t grow on trees, she says.

END