United Church of Canada crest
The United Church of Canada crest. (Courtesy of The United Church of Canada)

United Church forges ahead with $4M in budget cuts

The organization will also be offering emergency loans to communities of faith to deal with COVID-19
Mar. 30, 2020

Over the weekend, The United Church of Canada General Council Executive decided to move ahead with $4 million in budget cuts, in order to manage reductions in Mission & Service donations and assessments from communities of faith. 

“The Executive directed the General Secretary to take whatever steps needed in 2020 to achieve the savings in 2021, according to the agreed budget principles,” notes from the meeting said. Cuts will begin with reductions in the amounts of grants for next year, as well as a decrease in the number of staff at the General Council office.


Want to join the Broadview community and make sure you don’t miss a story?

Erik Mathiesen, chief financial officer for The United Church of Canada, says that these cuts have been in progress for a year and a half, but the timing is bad. “This has nothing to do with COVID-19 at all,” he says. “This is a normal, long-term budget process that’s been planned for the last few years.”

The one impact that Mathiesen acknowledged COVID-19 might have on budget cuts is that while the magnitude of cuts was meant to offer several years’ respite from any future reduction measures, the current economic crisis may reduce that buffer.

Notably, no cuts are currently planned for Indigenous ministries.

In addition, an emergency COVID-19 loans program will be created to support communities of faith as they negotiate the fallout from this pandemic. Program details will be shared once they’re finalized, and according to the meeting notes, “Criteria will be kept as simple as possible to enable timely access to funds.” 

 

Broadview is an award-winning progressive Christian magazine, featuring stories about spirituality, justice and ethical living. For more of our content, subscribe to the magazine today.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published.

our latest issue

latest cover June 2025 Issue
In this issue:
Facing the next century with faith; How the legacy of the social gospel has shaped the United Church; The story of the Indigenous Church and a journey to right relations