Executive Council approved the 2026 churchwide budget December 11, reflecting $45.3 million in expenditures. The figure is $362,000 higher than the forecasted expenses for 2025. Almost a third of the costs, or $13 million, is for operations, financial, and legal matters.
Consistent with Presiding Bishop Sean Rowe’s commitment to provide more support to dioceses, $7.3 million is allocated for the Presiding Bishop’s ministries, a $2.6 million increase from the 2026 triennial budget. The allocation includes increases for initiatives requested by dioceses, including church planting and leadership training, as well as new programming in conflict resolution for Title IV cases and real-estate development.
The budget reflects a churchwide revenue of $45.8 million, which is $2.2 million lower than what is in the 2026 triennial budget. The decrease is fueled in part by a $1 million in assessment relief to dioceses. According to Chief Financial Officer Chris Lacovara, the amount reflects the total of all assessment-waiver requests. Half of those requests came from Province IX, where dioceses have historically struggled with the mandatory contribution.
An assessment refers to the proportionate amount each diocese is expected to contribute to the wider church based on its financial capacity. Almost 75 percent of the Church Center’s revenue comes from diocesan assessments, or $30.3 million.
Council member Timothy Gee of El Camino Real, responding to a question by council member Annette Buchanan of New Jersey, said that all applications for assessment relief were approved. Some dioceses included project plans showing how they intend to reach the full assessment in the future and how they are working toward “being full, active dioceses in the communion.”
Dioceses that did not provide as much detail also had their waiver requests approved, though Gee said the Assessment Review Committee will reevaluate next year to ensure a more stringent review. It is possible that more documentation will be required for future requests.
“It was a large number of requests that came through this time … hence, that’s why the amount went way over the $100,000 we originally planned when we put together the triennial budget,” Gee said.
Council member Eric Metoyer of the Diocese of California sought clarification about whether there were any changes to the $515,000 allocated for Creation Care. Lacovara replied that there were none. Joe McDaniel, council member from the Diocese of the Central Gulf Coast and convener of Deputies of Color, asked about a note indicating “minor modifications repurpose budget expenses” for African Descent Ministries.
Lacovara said the change came from the Church Center’s chief of mission, the Rev. Lester Mackenzie, who shifted some allocations to keep total expenditures within the triennial budget. Lacovara emphasized that these reallocations were very minor, providing a $3,000 item as an example.
The budget passed after more than an hour of discussion among council members, some of whom expressed concern that they did not receive all documents in full. One member suggested moving the vote to the next week because of the technical error. House of Deputies President Julia Ayala Harris, serving as presiding officer with Rowe, underscored the need to vote on the budget during the online session.
Resolution FIN030, the churchwide budget, was adopted by the governing body with 88 percent of the vote. A meeting of Executive Council’s Executive Committee followed to determine the in-person sessions of Executive Council for 2026.
The 38-member governing body serves as the board of directors of the Episcopal Church.
Caleb Maglaya Galaraga is The Living Church’s Episcopal Church reporter. His work has also appeared in Christianity Today, Broadview Magazine, and Presbyterian Outlook, among other publications.
