Travel Expenses
January 24, 2013 in Sovereign Grace Ministries
The other day, in the comments of the Amended Lawsuit post, the topic of Sovereign Grace Ministries’ financial statements came up. You can view SGM’s newly released 2012 statement here. A previous statement can be viewed here. Commenter “Unassimilated” had some interesting observations about SGM’s travel expenditures:
So it appears that SGM operations were in the RED for $1,231,370 for 2012. Perhaps they could trim the $560,660 in travel expenses. (This amount is typical for both SGM and CLC.)
If the average travel day cost them $280 per day, that translates into 2002 travel days, or 133 days of travel for fifteen SGM employees.
How that heck does one rack up these kind of cost??? What kind of entourage goes out with these SGM men?
Who cares? These numbers are hard to relate to you say? Not so. Some thoughts:
The typical Fortune 500 company spends only .83% of their annual revenue on travel, while the typical government and non-profit entity spends only .24%. Both according to JP Morgan. With revenues for SGM at $4,702,559, their travel budget should be about $11,286 to match other non-profits. They would have to spend $39,031 in travel to match the typical spending patterns of a Fortune 500 company. They spent $560,660.
Let’s unpack this a bit more and see how they compare to…let’s say…the Southern Baptist Convention.
The SBC in 2009 had a budget of $9,481,903. So did they spend a million, a million five? Nope, $68,901. That’s right, $68,901.
The SBC is an organization with a reported 45,764 churches in 2011.
People of SGM, and CLC for that matter, who spends about the same as SGM for travel. You are being fleeced in a monumental way. Demand some deeper accountability. There is no reason why this ministry, or CLC should be spending more than fourteen times of what Fortune 500 companies spend on travel. Or fifty two times more than the typical non profit spends in travel.
Just who’s in your wallet?
I’ve never been much of a numbers girl, but even I can see that SGM’s travel expenditures seem disproportionately high. What do you think?
© 2013, Kris. All rights reserved.
Not sure what traveling the pastors at CLC are doing but, SGM has sent members of the team to a lot of other countries throughout the years and lots of conferences.
Both entities should reveal to members exactly what they do with the money they are given. It is a major flaw in their business model and one of the biggest reasons we left.
This, ““SGM intends to vigorously defend against this class action suit.” has been bothering me all day today. So amazing how they can “vigorously” defend themselves – when many of us had to respond to their accusations whether true or not.” To not respond affirming meant rebellion and pride…..and they will not only defend themselves but “vigorously”. That word really bugs me. It is again them exerting their forceful assumed authority. Come on! They could have said if the lawsuit presents any claims that are untrue we will do our best to defend the reputation of the church – however, if any claims are true we will take full responsibility for our role. We are open to having our actions reviewed. Something along those lines. What about the moms who could not vigorously defend their children without being labeled as sinners by SGM? And reading Brent’s post I will seriously throw up if they say counseling was requested by the families – BS. They could get many people to testify that counseling was REQUIRED! We were trained to go to our CGL with every detail of our lives, and if it was something big to see a pastor. And, our CGLs reported on our lives on a monthly basis to the pastor. UGH! WHEN WILL THESE PEOPLE STOP!!!
This is interesting – http://www.churchlawandtax.com/private/library/viewarticle.php?aid=78
Sorry, I should have clarified on the previous post. By make available, I was referring to either having an all church meeting, including visitors who might be curious, and presenting hard copies to be picked up or passed out. At least, plenty of copies available for those who wanted, and line by line items walked through with an overhead and question and answer times open during or after. The other format we’ve witnessed is the simple mailer to all members, with contact numbers provided for questions or comments, not just a link in a website, although that should remain up, as well. If they’re going to run a church like it’s a business, you’d think they’d provide at least that much accountability to those who fund it, since it’s God’s money.
It’s not just SGM.
“The belief of [religious] authorities that they, and not the civil system, should handle (or, too often, cover up) such cases was central, but the enforcement mechanism was the pressure of neighbors and colleagues, which could be frank in its cruelty.
Read more: http://www.newyorker.com/online/blogs/comment/2013/01/isolated-victims-from-williamsburg-to-notre-dame.html#ixzz2IxCJqEKN
I never post on here. But had to share CJ latest blog. Lance Armstrong lying lips. And claims lance lied on Oprah. I responded to his blog and said at least Lance said sorry. You hid sex abuse , and what do you call that, lying maybe? I dont want to bash this man but people wake up..Read the blog for yourself. God wont be mocked, your hurt children , you will be judged. SGM has to end
http://www.mahaneysports.com/blog/2013/1/23/lance-armstrong-and-lying-lips-1
“This is blame shifting of the worse kind. Honestly, I hate this type of manipulation. Everyone knows SGM pastors expect, and people have been taught, that they must come to their overseers with their problems because they are the God ordained means of help. To not come is sin. To not follow their “biblical and spiritual direction” is also sin. No member in a SGM church would consider it a voluntary to seek out their pastor if their child was sexually assaulted by a family or church member. Such a pursuit is mandatory per SGM teaching.”
This would be the perfect opportunity for Brent to admit and apologize for being one of those SGM pastors who expected his counsel to be heeded and who would have considered it sin to not obey it. Brent, a simple I am sorry would go a long way. You contributed to this culture, too.
Ruth, I could be wrong but it appears to me that Chad wrote that (he must be being handed down the business) and he quotes his father in the article. The most twisted quote EVER from an article by CJ, ….”And this story should humble and sober us. It should make us ask: Are there any so-called “secret sins” in my life? Is there anything I have done that I hope nobody discovers? Is there anything right now in my life that I should confess to God and the appropriate individuals?” Well, yeah CJ – there is! So, I got to wonder is Chad buddy buddy with daddy – or did he choose that quote for a reason?…either way that is an interesting question for CJ…maybe he can answer the question under oath in court since he preached this stuff to countless others with no intention of applying it to himself.
Ruth
Thanks for posting the link for the Mahaney Sports blog. It is baffling but in some ways not surprising that C.J. Mahaney could write something like this.
A lot of what Mahaney (and son) share and criticize is exactly what C.J. Mahaney has done.
Here is part of what Mahaney and son wrote:
What about C.J. Mahaney hiding the blackmailing he did to Larry Tomczak for 10 years and the conspiracy to keep this sin hid? Did C.J. Mahaney “mock God” by those actions?
What about C.J. lying to CLC when he made all these statements about Larry Tomczcak leaving PDI/SGM?
What about C.J. Mahaney not practicing the items he was writing in his book about humility and how even SGM Leaders questioned that?
What about C.J. Mahaney hiding his son’s sin of smoking pot that others were expelled from the CLC school for?
Sin finding one out? C.J. Mahaney should speak about his own experience where his sin found him out. Oops, I forgot, C.J. declared his sins “ordinary.”
We all know the “secret sins” that C.J. Mahaney hid. C.J. Mahaney should talk about his own situation and his actions instead of talking about others.
C.J. should also talk about hiding his own sin. What affect has that had? Christians disillusioned, splitting up a “family” of churches, etc.
For C.J. Mahaney to put out something like this, after all he has done again is just baffling. Talk about pointing out specs in someone else’s eye when one has a log in his own eye. What is sad is that apparently C.J. has no clue of his sin or his hypocrisy.
Did C.J. Mahaney forget the first part of Psalm 52 where David mourns, confesses and repents of the sin he did with Bathsheeba? After that David says:
Then I will teach transgressors your ways,
and sinners will (Y)return to you. (Psalm 52:12)
It was only have this confession and mourning of his sin that David thought he could teach transgressors.
David also feared and asked God not to take His Holy Spirit from him. David had seen what God did with Saul and was fearful this would happen to him.
Again just baffling with Mahaney.