Big Churches, Big Business

University Park United Methodist Church, Dallas

George O’Reilly spent 32 years working for (the old) Southwestern Bell telephone company. But now he’s overseeing the preschool business as he helps his church continue to prosper in one of Dallas’ most affluent areas.

The church’s director of administration and development is in his fifth year overseeing United Methodist’s multimillion-dollar budget. But an ongoing, $8.5 million building program points to where the church’s competitive future lies.

In August, the church completed a $1.2 million renovation to the building housing its popular Weekday School, on time and on budget. A new multipurpose building and additional renovations are under way as well.

“It shows that children are a priority here, and we wanted to have nice facilities for them and their teachers,” O’Reilly says. “We completed about five months of work in three because it’s something that needed to be done.”

The school, which operates under the church’s 501(c)3 tax status, has its own board of directors and a separate $1.2 million dollar budget. It charges between $1,350 and $6,250 a year, depending on the child’s age and number of days attended.

“I think our prices are in the hunt with others in the area,” O’Reilly says. “But we feel we have the best quality learning for the children, ages infant through kindergarten.”

While working at the phone company, O’Reilly says, his job was to look out for the best interests of the company’s shareholders. Now he says he’s looking out for the interests of the church and its mission.

To achieve the budget surplus he sometimes saw in his corporate job—and hopes to see more of at United Methodist—O’Reilly preaches a gospel of discipline and conservative budgeting.

“You don’t build a big program and then hope is all works out okay. That’s not being a good steward,” he says. “We have two sources of income—our members’ contributions, and room rentals, school, and our foundation.

“I think, historically, churches always lag six months behind the general economy, so I think the future is bright for 2011,” O’Reilly says. “But you always have to anticipate trouble and tight times.”