The Diocese of Southern Ohio is engaging in an exciting transition. We will be discerning, as a body, the mission of God in the Diocese of Southern Ohio and how we will align our financial resources with that mission. This marks the start of new innovative programs, the advancement of existing programs, and the phasing out of completed programs.
The budget committee’s responsibility is to balance the financial requirements that support the missions and ministries of the diocese with the financial needs of individual congregations. This involves matching anticipated expenses with expected revenue. As we prepare the 2025 budget, we are all tasked with discerning how our ministries help to build up the body of Christ in doing the work that God has given us to do.
The budget process begins in early June, when the Budget Committee sends application forms to ministry leaders who are responsible for each area of the operating budget. Each leader is asked to utilize zero-based budgeting to develop their requests: a process by which each expense is evaluated and projected based on the need for the upcoming year rather than as an adjustment of the previous year’s amount. Budget applications are due by June 30.
The 2025 budget process also includes a way for clergy and parishioners to propose innovative programs for the Diocese to support. The sponsor of a proposed new program can use a new budget request form to describe the program, why it is important to the diocese and how it will further our common mission. The sponsor of the new program will also provide a preliminary estimate of costs and how those funds will be deployed. We request the New Budget Request forms be returned to Budget@Diosohio.org by June 17. You can download the New Budget Request form in Word or PDF formats.
The Budget Committee, in consultation with the diocesan liaison, will determine if the request falls under the auspices of an existing commission or committee or is a new mission the diocese wants to support. A Budget Committee member will be assigned to the program to either guide the leader proposing the budget to an existing commission or committee or help craft a 2025 budget request and serve as its advocate in the budgeting process.
Once it has received budget requests, the Budget Committee develops the budget in accordance with Canon XIII of the Diocese of Southern Ohio’s Constitution and Canons. As it does so, the Budget Committee confers with the Trustees and diocesan finance staff to ensure that the forecasts for income from congregational mission share, investments, and diocesan funds are accurate.
Once the Budget Committee has completed the budget, the Convention Budget is submitted to the Diocesan Council for review and approval. Then it is submitted to the diocesan convention. Once the new budget is approved, the Finance Committee, along with Diocesan Council, oversees its implementation.
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2024 Budget Overview
For the 2024 budget, the amount of funds requested by budget owners represented an increase of 14.5% over the requests received for 2023. The Budget Committee was able to fund 84% of the requests submitted.
