United in Impact: How apportionments connect our generosity to God’s mission

Through our stewardship series, "what we CAN do", we’ve reflected on how faith calls us to invest our time, talents, and treasure in God’s work. We’ve explored generosity as gratitude, change, and trust—realizing that God has already given us enough for the work we’re called to do.

One powerful way Sterling United Methodist Church puts these values into action is through our apportionments—our church’s connection to the larger mission and ministry of The United Methodist Church.

What Are Apportionments?

Apportionments are the way Sterling UMC links our local ministry to the wider body of Christ. Every year, our congregation contributes a designated share of support for mission, ministry, and administrative functions across our district, conference, and denomination.

Your gifts help send missionaries, provide disaster relief, create worship and educational resources, and advocate for peace and justice both globally and locally. Through these contributions, we help start new churches, train clergy and community leaders, support seminaries and campus ministries, and provide transformative scholarships to students in need. We also help sustain chaplains, provide vital training for pastors, and ensure their health and retirement benefits are secure.

In short, apportionments make it possible for United Methodists everywhere to do more together than any one church could do alone.

Our 2026 Commitment

For 2026, Sterling UMC is asked to pay $52,644 in total Conference Apportionments and $8,724 for District Apportionments.
These amounts include:

This support sustains ministries of mercy, justice, education, and outreach across Virginia and around the globe.

facing the challenge together

Apportionments for all Virginia Conference churches are based on each congregation’s net operating expenses (excluding benevolences, capital improvements, loans, and apportionments themselves). The amount is then calculated proportionally across the conference. Though the totals have decreased in recent years due to church closures, disaffiliations, and budget cuts, our shared connection remains essential.  

Churches that fall short of their apportionment commitment face reputational, relational, and operational challenges in their relationship with their conference and denomination. This may also be a roadblock to other fundraising, such as capital campaigns. 

While Sterling UMC paid 95% of our 2024 apportionments, only 11% of our 2025 apportionments had been paid by October.  This gap affects mission outreach, clergy care, and our participation in the greater work of the Church—but with renewed commitment, we can close it together and continue transforming lives through connectional giving.

Why Your Apportionments Matter

Churches that fall short of their apportionment commitment face reputational, relational, and operational challenges in their relationship with their conference and denomination. This may also be a roadblock to other fundraising, such as capital campaigns. 

When we support apportionments, we:

Fully funding apportionments shows our faith in action—it’s how we say “yes” to God’s call to generosity, persistence, and connection.

United in Purpose

Prioritizing apportionments, even in challenging times, expresses our shared commitment to love, serve, and grow together as the body of Christ. It honors our promise to those who have dedicated their lives to ministry and ensures our impact reaches far beyond Sterling.

Through faithful giving, Sterling UMC continues to transform lives and communities—united in impact, united in hope, and united in purpose.