As a non-local, I am inclined to interpret this as most likely the effect of massive rent-seekers protected by institutions which are not accountable in practic

As a non-local, I am inclined to interpret this as most likely the effect of massive rent-seekers protected by institutions which are not accountable in practice. Bad government, bad regulations, and bad laws are usually at the core. But it's certainly not a public sector problem alone. For a possibly off-key analogy, it seems much like the issues with the US healthcare system. The money just gets sucked into a thousand little diversions that have little to nothing to do with actually providing healthcare. But legally, there has to be an environmental impact assessment on replacing that window. And management must have their training updated twice a year at a conference. And there's legal compliance training. And I haven't even touched intellectual property. Or the fact that many of these are for-profit interests, that benefit financially if they get latched into the system permanently like that. Even without a profit incentive, I think this can happen. We see this same problem in some private charities. Even if they have the best intentions, they are so entangled by yellow tape, the status quo, box-checking, and "that's just how things are done" that it strangles them. It seems to be a particular peril for "awareness" charities which can end up existing almost solely to advertise their existence in order to raise funds for more advertising, endlessly. It's for a good cause! And I'm sure this kind of dynamic happens even in the church.