Contributions to Per Member Asking (PMA) and Percentage of Income (POI) received by the Office of the General Assembly in fiscal year 2023 (FY23) through September 30 total $520,482.
The total is $42,200 (7.5 percent) less than the $562,682 FY23 PMA/POI support projection to fund the EPC’s overall mission, vision, and strategic priorities. The year-to-date total is $11,391 (2.1 percent) lower than the amount received in the same period in FY22. September PMA/POI support of $138,641 lowers the 12-month rolling average for monthly contributions to $189,968—3.9 percent less than the rolling average as of September 30, 2021.
“I don’t think there’s any question that we’re experiencing the effects of high inflation and the current economic climate,” said Dean Weaver, EPC Stated Clerk. “In the midst of this difficult season, I am grateful for the continued support from our churches.”
Of the $520,482 received, $104,096 (20 percent) was contributed to EPC World Outreach.
In addition to PMA/POI contributions, $417,719 in designated gifts were received through September 30. This total was $181,549 (30.3 percent) lower than the $599,268 in designated gifts received in the same period in FY22.
“While we never like to see a drop in restricted giving, much of the difference can be attributed to more than $80,000 in donations last year to our Emergency Relief Fund following hurricane Ida; $22,000 in donations to the Syrian Refugee Relief Fund; and $70,000 in gifts to the World Outreach ministry in Lebanon,” Weaver said. “If we don’t consider those three funds, giving to EPC ministries and causes is within $6,000 of last year’s total.”
Designated gifts include support for World Outreach global workers and projects, and contributions to EPC Special Projects such as Emergency Relief, church planting and revitalization initiatives, and the EPC’s Thanksgiving and Christmas offerings.
Of the total, $407,194 was designated for World Outreach workers and projects, and $10,525 was designated for EPC projects. These amounts only reflect gifts received and distributed by the Office of the General Assembly, and do not reflect donations given directly to WO global workers or other projects.
Commissioners to the EPC’s 42nd General Assembly in June 2022 approved a transition from the Per Member Asking (PMA) funding formula to a Percentage of Income (POI) model. Under PMA, churches were asked to contribute $23 per member to the Office of the General Assembly. The POI model is a request for churches to support the national level of the denomination with 1 percent of undesignated receipts. The shift will phase in over three years, with full POI implementation expected at the start of FY26 in July 2025.