I`ve had an interesting morning reading through some very old church account books, from the late 1800`s to the early 1900`s, and what fascinating and at time amusing reading it became.
Reading the expenses, there was firstly "horse hire", then "horse and trap hire", followed by "cycle expenses", "railway travel expense" and finally "motor hire". Makes one realise how things have changed so much. And coal, logs and gas mantles were also on the expenditure. Wonder what people in 100 years time will be thinking about the things we use today.
But, I think the thing that really struck me as, at first as amusing to read, but then as one took in the reality and seriousness of it, was that in the quarterly Accounts for several quarters (3 months) of the year, the income was sigificantly less than the expenses - and at the end of the expenses column it showed that the shortfall would be paid to the Minister/s in due course! In other words that they couldn`t pay him his full salary as the income was insufficient !
I wonder what would happen if we today told our ministers we couldn`t do that??!
2 comments:
That does still happen today. Ministers stipends are paid by the circuits, not nationally, and if there isn't enough money in the circuit account at the end of the quarter, they don't get paid in full.
After a few quarters like that, the circuit usually realise they will have to lose a minister, if they don't have enough income to support them.
Thanks for putting me right on that.
I wonder how many other people in churches, (besides me), didn`t know that.
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