Measures to reduce expenses were taken with a very clear objective: to optimize resources to further strengthen the mission of preaching the gospel.
Recognizing the economic strains caused by the novel coronavirus and subsequent global lockdown, Seventh-day Adventist Church leaders in South America have reorganized budget and spending priorities.
Administrative expenses have, for several months, been cut with in order to prioritize resources in fulfilling the Church’s mission of preaching the gospel.
“The moment is one of gratitude to God, because the Lord is sending the means for missionary projects to remain strong, relevant and with a profound impact on the spiritual lives of thousands of people,” said Pastor Erton Köhler, president of the Adventist Church’s South American Division. He added, “in the midst of this unfavorable social and economic scenario, the Adventist Church examines its accounts and makes every effort to remain active, in person or in virtual form, and therefore deeply focused on the mission.”
Lower expenses
Pastor Marlon Lopes, financial director at the South American Adventist headquarters, said the greatest reductions occurred in three areas: personnel expenses; administrative spending; and spending on events and materials.
Comparing the first five months of 2019 with the same period in 2020, the divisional headquarters in Brasília has seen a decrease of 18.43% in headquarters personnel expenses; a 31.34% decline in administrative expenses; and a cut of 83.56% in expenses with events and materials, as might be expected with large public gatherings being prohibited in many areas. At the levels of local conferences, missions, Unions, and institutions, the cuts are even greater, Lopes indicated.
In this same period (accumulated up to May 2020 compared to the accumulated period up to May 2019), receipt of tithes grew by 1.07% and offerings were up by 0.19%.
Simplification and automation
Over the past few years, leaders of the South American Division have researched and implemented business systems intended to lower costs and reduce the number of people needed for certain administrative functions. These efficiencies allow more resources to be directed to outreach, evangelism, and discipleship programs.
Pastor Marlon Lopes and the division’s business office exemplifies the results. He explains that the divisional accounting team in Brasilia works with the concept of zero paper (that is, fewer printed copies of documents) with the advancement of digitalization of services and records as well as the centralization of some Business Intelligence (BI) systems . These processes help to better organize data for analysis and monitoring to ensure that the information needed for decisions at all levels is more organized and accessible.
Department directors at the Adventist Church’s headquarters for eight South American countries have seen budget cuts this year and next year, at at retaining missionary work, especially in local congregations.
“We are reconsidering everything and projecting progress for the coming years. The church has been working for a long time to further optimize resources in the administrative areas to strengthen the mission of preaching the gospel. We work tirelessly and we will increase efforts in this direction, because we understand that God expects this of us and we only have reason to be thankful for everything that has happened,” Lopes concluded.
This article was originally published on the South American Division’s Spanish site