Rainbow Covenant

The Rainbow Covenant is a way for United Methodist Churches in the Iowa Annual Conference to ensure connections in a missional outlook. A detailed book on the Rainbow Covenant is available here from the Iowa Annual Conference.

In the words of the conference:

"RAINBOW COVENANT: IOWA ANNUAL CONFERENCE MISSION
Rainbow Covenant seeks to help churches develop an intentional approach to funding mission. Travel the road to the rainbow and remember that each mile means service with more of God’s people. Remember too, that each color of the rainbow represents a different aspect of mission. A road and a rainbow help us keep track of where we are and where we’re going.

Fully Paid Apportionments are the foundation of your giving spiritual pledge that supports our connectional system. These funds provide ministerial support, administrative budget, World Service & Conference Benevolences, and other ministries. Prayerfully consider this to be your church’s first priority, as it is the world service fund for our international mission field.

1ST MILE — BUILDING MISSION CENTER APPORTIONMENT GIVING
The baptismal and confirmation of The United Methodist Church asks the pastor and others to lay their hands on the newly baptized as they speak these words: “The Holy Spirit work within you that being born through water and spirit, you may be a faithful disciple of Jesus Christ.” A person received into membership is asked: “As members of Christ’s Universal Church, will you be loyal to The
United Methodist Church, and do all in your power to strengthen its ministries?” Apportionment support is one of the ways each of us can be a faithful disciple and strengthen Christ’s ministries. United Methodist Hymnal Baptismal Covenant — Page 37-38.
Historically, the church raises money to support ministry in our Conference and around the world by assigning to each local congregation (through a formula approved by the Iowa Annual Conference) their fair portion of our shared ministry.

General Church Support
The general agencies provide a wide range of ministries to serve on behalf of United Methodists everywhere. These ministries help to make disciples of the world by sharing Christ’s love. Supporting these ministries comes from the general church apportionments and by special gifts given by local churches through the Advance Special funding. Programs funded by the general church include, but are not limited to:
• The Episcopal Fund
• General Church Administration
• Jurisdictional Conference Fund
• Interdenominational Cooperation Fund
• World Service Fund including the administration for Advance for Christ and His Church
• Black College Fund
• Africa University Fund
• Advance Mission Projects

Clergy Support Ministries
Our clergy are supported in the areas of education, recruitment, supervision, credentialing and appointment making of clergy. Clergy serving the Annual Conference by their appointment to a local congregation become people who help to make disciples and strengthen Christ’s community as they serve and help that community reach throughout the church. It also supports the death and disability insurance for all clergy as well as 2/3 of the retired clergy health insurance. Ministries supported by this fund include, but
are not limited to:
• The District Superintendent Fund
• Board of Ordained Ministry
• Board of Pensions
• Commission on Equitable Compensation
• Office of Pastoral Care and Counseling
• Iowa’s share of the Episcopal Office
• Direct Bill for Health Insurance and Pension
• Ministerial Education Fund

Local Church Support
Local congregations are supported by the Conference budget in two major ways. Firstly, by direct grants to congregations for specialized ministries or congregational development programs. Secondly, by providing services to local congregations that would otherwise have difficulty providing on their own. Each of the following listed items has the purpose of helping the church of Christ become strengthened and make disciples by sharing the good news of Jesus so that lives and congregations may be changed.
• Salary supplement for clergy mission appointments
• Planting new churches
• Aids for supporting parish nurse programs
• Children’s program
• Shalom initiatives
• Field Outreach Ministers and Leadership Development Ministers to work with local congregations
• Camp and Retreat Ministries
• Justice Advocacy
• Iowa/Nigeria Partnership
• School for Lay Ministry
• Academy for New Ministry Development
• Youth District Empowerment

Institutional Support
One of the ways that the church is strengthened has been institutions that help to educate and provide places of safety for people in the world who have special needs. Our ministry to institutions by direct grants, help God’s love become a real presence in people’s lives.
Some of the institutional ministries include:
• Iowa Religious Media Service
• Scholarships to United Methodist colleges
• Iowa Hispanic Ministry programs
• Support for four Wesley Foundations at our major Iowa Universities
• Support for community centers around the state

Other Ministries
The goal of strengthening Christ’s church requires that many different opportunities become available for people and the church to be in ministry. The church provides a variety of settings for ministry as people seek ways to make disciples for Christ. Some of these are listed below, although the list is not exhaustive:
• Grants to children, whose parents are incarcerated, to attend a camp
• Support for Christian Educators and Christian Education
• Emergency funds when disaster hits a community
• Travel costs and related items when Conference program boards and agencies meet
• Advocacy to children, youth and adults
• Ethnic ministries support

General / Administration Services
Administrative Services within the Annual Conference help to provide the framework so that all mission and ministry programs of the Conference can occur. When these areas of ministry function properly, all other groups can concentrate on ministry and mission. Parts of the administrative activities for the Conference include:
• The Annual Conference Session and its related committees
• The work of the Treasurer’s office
• The activities of a Conference Board of Trustees
• The Conference Communications Office
• The Conference Secretary
• Maintaining our Archives and History Center
• Maintaining a cash flow reserve fund

Fund Raising
Strengthening Christ’s church and making disciples requires resources. The cost of publicity, printing special offering envelopes and special mailings whose purpose is to raise funds for the mission projects and other programs that help strengthen the church are examples of these costs. In order to meet proper accounting standards, all not-for-profit organizations must identify the amount of money expended to raise funds in order to meet its primary mission.

RAINBOW COVENANT CHURCH (2nd Mile):
Your church’s next goal is to fill each spectrum. Your church contributes $12 or more per member to
mission projects over and above apportionments and your church has fully supported projects in
EVERY rainbow mission category.

Rainbow Mission Categories:
Red International Advance Special Projects $1/per member
Orange United States Advance Special Projects $1/per member
Yellow UMCOR Advance Special Projects $1/per member
Green International Hunger/Poverty Projects $6/per member
Blue Iowa Advance Special Projects $1/per member
Indigo Parish Development Projects $1/per member
Purple Special Sunday Offerings $1/per member

OVER THE RAINBOW COVENANT CHURCH (3rd Mile):
Upon completion of the above, a church can go over the RAINBOW COVENANT by adding the following
mission. This church goes beyond the rainbow covenant, contributing an additional $3 per member. This includes $2 more per member to missionary support and $1 more to local and institutional needs.
Missionary Support $2/member
Local $ Institutional Giving $1/member
Your Missionary Covenant Relationship for $5/member or $2,500 per church is also listed here.
Some congregations who have already gone “over the rainbow” are finding a pot of gold by intentionally
teaching other congregations to be more missional."