DULUTH — Jimmy Weaver is counting the cost of ministry, and it continues to rise.

It’s in the form of a digital readout on a gas pump as the pastor of Dry Valley Baptist near Trion refills the church van March 13. Although he pulled into the local Shell station with “somewhere between a quarter and half-tank” of gas, at $3.25 a gallon the tank still requires $73.35 of fuel.

Without the van the church all but loses its ministry transporting families to Sunday morning and evening services as well as to activities on Wednesday nights. Getting to missions locations becomes more complex. Outings for youth become more difficult.

“Since the sharp rise in gas, we’ve been more careful about how often we use [the van],” said Weaver. “We fill it up at least twice a month.”

A year ago Georgians grumbled about the $2.43 average price for a gallon of unleaded. A year later, residents of the Peach State remember those numbers wistfully as summer projections forecast prices approaching $4 a gallon. Weaver finds himself in the same lot as other pastors across the state, revisiting budgetary needs with their staffs to determine the best way to stretch a fuel-efficient dollar.

The rise, coinciding with out-of-school youth in the summer, hits student ministries particularly hard – think of an American Idol contestant making the Final 12 and suddenly losing her voice. Youth ministers are in their prime for building their programs and depend on the summer months to build up their students through missions and fellowship.

“There were other factors, but [gas prices] did play into our decision to forgo a mission trip to Oklahoma and instead opt for an event within the state,” admitted Caleb Land, minister to students at Mabel White Memorial Baptist Church in Macon. “We’ve kept our main camps, but our student leadership has talked about how we’re going to have to cut down on a number of things such as driving into Atlanta. We’ll probably do more stuff locally.”

In rural locations such as Trion, that can pose a problem. For Weaver to make the hospital visit he often drives to Rome or Chattanooga – at least 35 miles in either direction. That distance is often the same for a youth bowling trip or group of senior adults going to see a movie. Weaver said the recent rise in gas prices has caused his church to increase the travel budget by 20%.

“That’s made us have to scale back some in other areas,” he admitted. “We try to not cut a lot, though. We’d rather just not purchase something we’d like to have but can get by without.”

This summer it’s well within the realm of Dry Valley’s van requiring $100 for a fill-up. Weaver said that will lead to more hard decisions in how to spend money. He’s already taking steps to save miles, such as not driving when a phone call will do.

 

Working options

Increased giving is a quick answer, but Weaver stated it’s simply not that easy.

“Trion is a mill town,” he said. “There have been up to 200 people laid off from the mill. Everyone’s feeling it, and that makes it tougher to ask them to give more.”

First Baptist Summerville pastor Kenneth Summey agrees.

“I’ll talk to other pastors around town and there’s been a general decrease in giving. I count a lot of that to less disposable income and the uncertainty of the economy,” he said.

First Baptist doesn’t have a van, getting rid of it years ago due to maintenance and upkeep. Instead, members car pool for trips. A senior adult excursion to Calloway Gardens in April will probably require renting a passenger bus, said Summey.

“We’re looking at the possibility of purchasing a van, but will have to justify it versus the cost of renting transportation. If gas prices continue to rise, we might have to increase what we charge for trips,” he admitted.

As it does before every summer, Collegiate Ministries of the Georgia Baptist Convention arranges transportation for hundreds of student missionaries traveling across the state, nation, and world. When the cost of transporting those students to the mission field jumps, said consultant Warren Skinner, contingency plans are activated.

 

Shot in the dark

“BCM missions opportunities are selected and planned months in advance,” Skinner said. “We make plans based on estimates regarding projected expenses.

“It’s financially supported by the fundraising efforts and sacrificial giving of students across the state each year,” he added. “This helps us teach and model Cooperative Program giving to a maturing generation. Travel costs are always a shot in the dark and there is simply no way to predict the price of oil in ten months. We keep track of past expenses and negotiate expected costs, but obviously can’t predict situations that change economies.”

Skinner said planning for future economic barriers may be a hassle in the short-term, but long-term pays dividends.

“We plan conservatively for the funds we expect – always staying in the black and out of the red. By budgeting this way we normally have some residual left at the end of the year. This allows us to expand our scope the following year and weather temporary storms like $4 per gallon gas.”

John McBride, associational missionary for Polk-Haralson Association, also urges churches to plan ahead. Estimated summertime fuel prices are built into the individual cost for two associational mission trips to Pennsylvania, he said.

“To help offset the cost we’re also asking for a church to provide a bus or van and the association will pick up the gas tab. If that doesn’t work out we’ll use SUVs or mini-vans.”

First Baptist Monroe Minister of Music Royce McNeal said his church raises funds throughout the year for mission trips; he’ll lead one group to Chicago this summer.

“We’ve had some instances when even after the fundraising someone will want to go but not have the money,” he said. “Even then someone else would lend the money to them.”

Prices may go up to spread the gospel, he added, but it’s a cost worth paying.

 

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