Congregational Resources

General Questions

Can I fill out the form online?

Yes. See the online M&S Reponse Form.

Why do we support the Mission and Service Fund?

We are called to be the church, to love and serve others.

A New Creed

Your pastoral charge is part of The United Church of Canada. Our mission, in Canada and around the world, is financed through the Mission and Service Fund. Our support of the Mission and Service Fund is vital if we are to be a national church.

Why do we fill in this form?

The M&S Response Form gives local congregations the opportunity to be intentional about financially supporting their church through the Mission and Service Fund. It provides time to reflect and set targets for Mission and Service giving. The Responses give the wider church some idea of the resources available for mission in a given year.

What happens if we do not reach our targeted M&S Response?

Whatever your gift, it is received with thanks by the Mission and Service Fund. Your local church may decide to "top up" the givings late in the year to achieve the goal. If the goal isn't reached in a given year, pastoral charges are encouraged to take a careful look at how they can meet and surpass their goal the next year.

If people donate more than our goal for M&S, can we keep the excess?

No. Gifts to the Mission and Service Fund are held in trust by local congregations, and the money must be remitted to the M&S Fund in a timely way. There is both a legal and a moral responsibility for churches to honour the wishes of givers.

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About the Response Form

Why do you include information about the number of givers to the Mission and Service Fund?

In most congregations less than half of the "identifiable" local givers also support the Mission and Service Fund. This shows that there's an opportunity to grow-an opportunity to enlist many new givers to the Mission and Service Fund.

Why does the form show M&S money raised as a percentage of total money raised?

Our national averages tell us that Mission and Service Fund gifts are about 8-9\% of all money raised in our churches. Some pastoral charges are much higher and some are much lower. The whole church needs to work at reversing this trend. We need new energy for the United Church's wider mission, and we need to support it with much higher percentages for Mission and Service.

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Making Our Response

How do other pastoral charges determine their M&S Response?

In many pastoral charges, the Stewardship, Mission and Service, Outreach, or Finance Committee analyzes the recent M&S givings. They look at the number of current givers and potential new givers and decide on a fair increase in gifts and givers. The committee may then share its proposal with the Church Board or Council, and the decision is agreed on at a congregational meeting. The M&S Enthusiast can be involved with this task.

What is a helpful process for determining our M&S Response?

1. Gather information
   • The number of givers to Mission and Service; the number of givers to local expenses. What is the five-year trend and is this all we can be doing?
   • What percent of our gifts goes to mission outside our congregation, including local outreach or donations to other charitable organizations?
   • List ways in which our congregation benefits from the M&S Fund.
   • List ways in which others benefit from the Mission and Service Fund.
   • What are the benefits of a unified fund like the M&S Fund?
2. Have the whole congregation be part of the process and approve the decision at the annual meeting, or assign the work to a task group with a variety of people from UCW, Stewardship, Outreach, Board, and Mission and Service Fund givers. This group may then present their recommendations to the whole congregation.

How have some other pastoral charges increased their number of Mission and Service givers?

By educating, setting goals, and creatively persevering. The challenge of increasing the number of Mission and Service givers can be one of the goals of the Mission and Service Fund Enthusiast, with full support of the Church Council and the congregation. The ministry personnel, local church leaders, other church staff, the newsletter editor-everyone-must believe in the goal and use their platforms to encourage new givers and faithful giving. Many members are not familiar with the scope of work enabled by M&S. New members may not even have heard of M&S. Stewardship education, creative sharing of M&S information, perseverance, Mission and Service Fund resources-all important ways to increase givers.

If we are angry or upset about something the church has said or done, what impact does withholding Mission and Service funds have?

When any one of us gets angry at our church, we need to write letters, make some phone calls, get a motion passed by our local and/or regional church courts. There are helpful ways of showing displeasure. It's not helpful to withdraw support from a Fund that helps the United Church carry out a multi-faceted ministry of mission and service throughout Canada and the world.

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Sending in Remittances

How often should we remit Mission and Service Fund monies?

Mission and Service Fund monies should be remitted monthly to the General Council office or, at the very least, quarterly.

When does the Mission and Service Fund close for the year?

The Fund closes on the fifth Monday of the year or February 1, whichever is later. Once the books are closed no adjustments can be made. Every year Mission and Service dollars are remitted to the General Council office too late to receive credit for the year in which they were donated. Please encourage your Mission and Service Treasurer to remit the money on time. This respects the givers' wishes and ensures that mission money gets to work as quickly as possible.

Are there any legalities about designation of funds by donors?

All money designated to the Mission and Service Fund must be remitted to the M&S Fund. In fact, as a registered charity with a charitable number, this is a legal requirement of all our United Churches. Your remittance should clearly state that the gift is for United Church Mission and Service Fund or WDR/Mission and Service Fund. The donor's wishes must be honoured.

Can we include gifts to other mission or outreach work as part of the Mission and Service Fund?

Gifts to these funds are not credited to the Mission and Service Fund. This is because the M&S Fund operates as a pooled mission fund, not a designated fund. Any one-time gift earmarked for specific mission work is called a "supragift" and would not be included in the Mission and Service Fund.

Should people send their donations directly to the Mission and Service Fund rather than through the local church?

There are occasions when donors send gifts directly to M&S. They may not agree with their local church's approach to Mission and Service, or it may be a very large gift that tends to skew the local church's Mission and Service objective. Sometimes people who are between churches or who have no church affiliation make gifts directly. These direct gifts are made through the national office, on-line, or through the Pre-Authorized Remittance program (PAR). The vast majority of gifts to the Mission and Service Fund come through local congregations. This is our way as United Church members and it's a good way! However they are submitted, all gifts to M&S count toward our total M&S objective.