As we enter into the second year of the pandemic, both the Alexandria and the Arlington District Finance Committees, in cooperation with the Bi-District Board of Missions, have created an option for prioritizing apportionment payments in 2021. The Virginia Annual Conference created a system for prioritizing apportionments in 2020 and is continuing in 2021. This is the first year for the districts to do so.
Here’s how the District prioritization will work. Priority 1 district apportionments will be the District Fund and the Camp Highroad Fund. Priority 2 will be the Board of Missions Fund. The Board of Missions fund is used to fund new church starts, and we are not planning any new church starts this year due to the pandemic. Therefore, we do not need to receive payment for the Board of Missions Fund. The Board of Missions has enough funds available in its current funds to cover all anticipated expenses for 2021. So, if your church cannot pay 100% of District apportionments this year, we will consider that you have paid what we have asked by paying priority 1, the District Fund and the Camp Highroad Fund. For purposes of pastoral compensation increases, payment of Priority 1 will suffice to be considered 100%. Likewise, payment of Priority 1 will count as enough to qualify for full apportionment payment recognition when the appointments are listed at Annual Conference.
When the pandemic recedes, we expect that the financial constraints that our churches are feeling will also recede. At that time, we will eliminate the prioritizations and return to the pre-pandemic system.
—District Superintendents Jeff Mickle (Alexandria) and Sarah Calvert (Arlington)