2016 Wesleyan Discipline:United Stewardship Fund (USF): District regulations

2015. District Responsibility. Each district and provisional district, with the exception of the work under the Global Partners Division, shall be responsible to raise its share of the United Stewardship Fund, including the USF-General Fund and the USF-Educational Institutions Fund, in accord with the following regulations:

(1) District Obligation. The obligation of a district or provisional district shall be an amount equal to the designated percentage of the total base income, as defined in 2016 Wesleyan Discipline:2005:1–2, of all developing churches and churches of the district, subject to such exceptions and adjustments as are indicated in 2016 Wesleyan Discipline:2005:3. When this amount has been paid in full to the General Treasurer/Chief Financial Officer, for both the USF-General Fund and the USF-Educational Institutions Fund, a district has met its obligation to the United Stewardship Fund. The computations for the district obligation shall be based on the financial reports of the local churches as compiled by the district statistical committee (2016 Wesleyan Discipline:1352:1), prior to the annual district conference.

(2) District Apportionment. The district conference shall apportion its total obligation among the local churches under its jurisdiction by assigning an amount to each as its share of the USF-General Fund and the USF-Educational Institutions Fund respectively, under whatever plan the district conference shall adopt after receiving a recommendation from the district board of administration (2016 Wesleyan Discipline:1233:11; 2016 Wesleyan Discipline:1337:6). Each local church shall be promptly notified of the amount assigned by the district by the person appointed by the district superintendent. The district treasurer shall promptly notify the General Treasurer/Chief Financial Officer of the district USF obligation on forms provided by the General Treasurer/Chief Financial Officer (2016 Wesleyan Discipline:1337:6).

(3) District Administration. The district board of administration shall be responsible to administer the district plan for raising the United Stewardship Fund and shall be responsible to see that the district obligation is paid in full for both the USF-General Fund and USF-Educational Institutions Fund (2016 Wesleyan Discipline:1233:10). All USF money received by the district treasurer shall be remitted monthly to the General Treasurer/Chief Financial Officer on the approved forms.

2025. Local Church Responsibility. The pastor and the local board of administration shall be responsible for the faithful collection of the amount assigned by the district to their church, and shall raise it on the undivided plan. The local church treasurer shall forward all money received for the USF- General Fund and the USF-Educational Institutions Fund monthly to the district treasurer (cf. 2016 Wesleyan Discipline:842:4). A local church has met its obligation to the United Stewardship Fund when it has paid in full to the district treasurer the amounts assigned to it by the district for both the USF-General Fund and the USF-Educational Institutions Fund. In a developing church, the pastor and the local advisory council shall have the responsibility for raising the United Stewardship Fund. 2030. Developing District Responsibility. The obligation of a developing district, or of the churches within a developing district, to the United Stewardship Fund shall be determined by the General Board (2016 Wesleyan Discipline:1655:22). The assigned obligation shall be raised by the superintendent of the developing district, under the direction of the Executive Director of Church Multiplication and Discipleship and in accord with the Policy of the General Board for the Church Multiplication and Discipleship Division.