Union conferences, such as the Pacific Union, are the level of church administration between local conferences and the North American Division. Unions were introduced in the early 1900s to help with church administration in smaller geographical areas of the country, because travel was difficult and limited. As travel and technology have changed, so has the role of the union.

Part of the Pacific Union’s operating philosophy is to avoid duplicating functions of the local conference. This has streamlined the operation tremendously over the past 20 years and led to specialized leadership in areas of finance, education, communication and religious liberty.

One of the union’s most visible roles involves distribution of money. Let’s look behind the scenes at a few of the special funds that allow growth, advancement and innovation within the Pacific Union territory.

Economic Recovery Fund

Previous administrators had the desire to assist the conferences and colleges in times of financial hardship. The Economic Recovery Fund was developed and has become a source of funds when a conference is struggling because of a downturn in the economy. During the summer months, there can be teacher payrolls to meet when funds are not coming in from tuition. There have been several years when the economy has made it difficult to balance conference budgets. This fund is available to make sure that obligations are met.

Evangelism Endowment Fund

Funds have been given and designated to create an endowment for evangelism. The earnings from this endowment are used to fund creative evangelism projects in the conferences and churches. If you are interested in how your church might take advantage of this fund check out http://evangelism.puconline.org.

Church and School Loan Fund

This fund was previously known as the Revolving Fund. It is difficult for churches to get loans from banking institutions because the title to the property is held by the conference association. This fund allows churches and schools to borrow money for building or refurbishing projects at lower rates and less paper work than might be required from a commercial lending institution.

Income Fund

The Income Fund was designed to allow the pooling of conference and institution specific purpose funds. By creating larger investment pools, there are larger returns. Funds are placed in conservative investments that have been screened for Seventh-day Adventist values. A portion of these funds are also available for loans to churches, schools and institutions. Churches and schools are allowed to deposit funds in the Income Fund.

Education Endowment Fund

The earnings from the Education Endowment Fund continue to grow and provide scholarships for many students from elementary school through higher education. Check with your conference office of education to learn more about scholarship funds that are available.

These are just a few examples of what is provided to assist the conferences, churches and schools. There are many challenges that face the church today. Leadership and the executive committee are constantly evaluating our operation to make sure that the mission of the work in this union is on track.

If there is a particular question or topic that you like to see covered in the future, feel free to contact me by e-mail at treasurer@puconline.org.

Ted Benson

Treasurer