See this post for an explanation of the Responsorama series.
Q: According to Synodical accounts, Issues, Etc… lost $250,000 in 2006. In that same year, the Fan Into Flames program lost $2,258,000, yet Issues, Etc. was cancelled. Granted, I am not good at math, but isn’t $2,258,000 more than $250,000?
Hemingway: Yes, in his letter to the editor of the Wall Street Journal, President Kieschnick cited the $250,000 figure as a “loss.” The thing is that neither Issues, Etc. nor the expensive Ablaze! program’s financial arm (Fan Into Flame) is a loss. They are both programs that were subsidized by the Lutheran Church — Missouri Synod. One could say that David Strand, the executive director of the Board for Communication Services “loses” $150,000 or whatever his salary is. David Strand doesn’t bring in a dime to the Synod’s coffers. But his is a position that the church has decided to fund.
The Synod spends about $100 million a year. That doesn’t mean we’re losing $100 million a year. It means we’re spending the generous donations of congregations and individual donors in the way the leadership sees fit.
Issues, Etc. was a bargain — even if you accept the figures about how much it cost to produce and how much support it received. Unlike President Kieschnick, I don’t think that the recipients of Synodical programs should bear the cost alone. We don’t ask tsunami victims to pay for their food and clothing, do we? We fund and subsidize disaster relief, seminaries and missionaries. They are not business losses.
The thing is that the radio station has a secular commercial arm (the FM side) and a Christian arm (the AM side). If the FM station weren’t bringing in enough money — and it wasn’t — it would be appropriate to discuss that in business terms. But Issues, Etc., was a ministry of the Word. Through the program, Pastor Todd Wilken proclaimed the Gospel to the nations. Of the programs run by Synod, it was one of the least expensive and most effective.
Filed under: Updates
Yes, when someone calls up the Church and wants to talk to me about a product they have to sell, and they mistakenly identify themselves as a Christian ministry, I always greet them with: Oh, great! What are you giving me for free, for that’s what Christian ministry is all about. “Freely you have received, freely give.” The conversation never lasts long after that – funny thing.
I really like the comment that the way the Synod is computing the figures anyone who is not able to prove they are bringing in money is a losing proposition, therefore, Mr. Strand could say he does not justify his job monetarily. I went to a church where the minister was extremely focused on money (LCMS), had a side business and his goal was to leave one million dollars to the church. I left. I hope I don’t have to leave the LCMS entirely.
I am sure the IRS will be interested in speaking with the President of the LCMS when one of his ministries starts making a profit.
I hope those who give $ to the synod don’t get into trouble for writing that gift off when it comes to tax time.