Donations to the Episcopal Church are down about $3 million this year, mostly because some local dioceses are withholding or reducing their contributions in protest of the church's first openly gay bishop, a key governing body was told Monday.
However, the dip is small enough — about 6 percent — that it won't significantly hurt church operations, officials said.
The executive council of the Episcopal Church, which administers the church's programs and policies, learned at a meeting in Tampa that revenues are now expected to be about $45 million this year.
The church had anticipated bringing in about $48 million when the budget was first crafted in August. It was also in August when New Hampshire Bishop V. Gene Robinson, who has lived with his male partner for years, was first confirmed by the Episcopal General Convention.
Since then, parishioners and their local leaders upset over the direction the denomination has taken have moved to withhold or limit contributions to the national church in protest.
Kurt Barnes, the national church's treasurer, called the lower contributions "almost not material" in the effect on church operations.
"The reduction is well below what nay-sayers and doomsdayers were predicting last August," Barnes said.
Presiding Bishop Frank Griswold said the church intends to keep some vacant jobs open and trim other expenses, but added that its religious and charity missions will not be affected. He said church operations would be "slightly curtailed."
Tough economic times also have an impact on donations, although Barnes said most of the decline in revenue is the result of parishioner protests.
The national church has pledges of $16 million from 51 dioceses, along with pledges of future support from another 33 dioceses totaling $8.1 million. Two dioceses, Pittsburgh and Dallas, have refused to send any money to the national church in protest.
Bruce Mason, spokesman for the American Anglican Council, a conservative group of Episcopalians, said the reduction in financial support for the national church might be slight this year but that doesn't mean it will remain so.
Mason said some dioceses have tapped endowments to make up for parishioners' cutbacks.
"The bottom line is, people are withholding money," he said. "It's a gradual thing that will trickle up from the pews to the national office. This has been something that has torn the Episcopal Church apart."
The more than 7,000 congregations of the Episcopal Church receive $2.14 billion in offerings a year, and forward a portion to the national church. Individual dioceses are asked to send 21 percent of their income, but about half of the dioceses who have already made their financial pledges to the national church fall below that threshold.