Giving Through The United Methodist Church
As United Methodists, believe that that every person is of sacred worth, and that every person has valuable gifts and graces that make a difference in the world. We also know that by working together, we can accomplish much more than we can alone. That is part of the reason we participate in what we call a "connectional church" structure.
When people contribute to a local United Methodist Church, they support the ministries of that church in that community. Their financial contributions help provide spiritual programs and services for that community, including staff costs, materials, and building maintenance. About 83.2% of United Methodist offering stay in the local church.
But we also work together, beyond our own churches and communities, to share God's gifts with the world. The "first mile" of this sharing takes place through "apportioned funds," or what we in West Michigan call "ministry shares." There are Conference and District Ministry Shares, which support ministries regionally, and General Church Ministry Shares, which support ministries throughout the world.
Together, through our connected congregations and those who support them, we accomplish what no single church, district or annual conference ever could hope to do. In this way, each individual, each family, each congregation gives a fair share for the church's work. We combine our prayers, presence, gifts and service to make a significant difference in the lives of God's people…in every place we can…as often as we can.