PCUSA Budget proposal: Cut staff

The General Assembly Council's proposed budgets for 2007 and 2008 call for reducing the national staff by 75 positions and terminating 55 missionary assignments.

Details of the budget proposals, which were approved by the council after it spent nearly 20 hours in private meetings last week considering what changes needed to be made because of declining revenues, were revealed Monday during a press conference.

"This was a very grim morning," John Detterick, the council's executive director, told reporters, including The Layman Online, which participated through a conference call. "There was a great deal of apprehension as people came to work."

Employees who were to lose their jobs – including some immediately – were notified about the changes today. The downsizing, the third since 1993, was from the top down. All three major division administrators in the National Ministries, Worldwide Ministries and Congregational Ministries will lose their jobs, effective in October. They will have the opportunity to apply for new high-level jobs in a restructured management.

Presbyterian News Service's story about budget cuts. But the ax fell more sharply and finally on other key posts. The council calls for discontinuing Church & Society, a publication that promotes far-left causes. The Washington Office office budget was reduced by $100,000 to $250,000. The proposal would also close: the Ecumenical and Mission Partnerships Office and parcel out some of its responsibilities; the Criminal Justice programs; the Environmental Justice programs; the Corporate Witness program, whose spokesman, Vernon Broyles, has been noted for making controversial statements about political issues; and staff and program support for older adult ministries.

The budget proposals did not address other areas of controversy, including PCUSA membership in the World Council of Churches, National Council of Churches, the World Alliance of Reformed Churches and Churches Uniting in Christ. Those ecumenical bodies are funded primarily out of per-capita contributions from local congregations. The Mission Work Plan says those programs will continue.

By the numbers, the GAC's Mission Budget proposals are $97.3 million for 2007 and $96 million for 2008. It has been described as a one-time decrease of $9.1 million for 2007 and continuing through 2008. That decrease is based on actual revenues expected for 2007 and 2008 and not a comparison with the 2006 budget of $116 million that was approved by the 216th General Assembly. Compared with the General Assembly-approved budget, the reduction is nearly $20 million.

The denomination's budget has been in a freefall since 2001, when, buoyed by prior earnings on investments, the General Assembly set the Mission Budget at $144 million, although that revenue projection, was never realized. As a percentage of the 2001 budget, the proposal for 2007 represents a decline of nearly 33 percent.

Some of the decline could be expected because of the denomination's membership losses. But the accumulated membership losses and forecasts through 2006 are 11 percent, meaning that the remaining Presbyterians are giving less to the denomination.

Detterick addressed that during the press conference. He acknowledged that there has been a decline in institutional trust. But he pointed out that contributions to local congregations and their mission work are rising. Many Presbyterians, he said, "do not want to write a check and send it to someone else. More work is being done more directly by Presbyterians. The need for the national work is less."

"As we look at the total giving by Presbyterians, that giving has actually increased on an inflation-adjusted basis of about 5.8 percent. But the amount flowing out [to support national PCUSA programs] has decreased by about 15 percent."

Directly tied to the proposed cutbacks is a major reorganization of the denomination's staff. After Detterick's retirement after the 217th General Assembly, a new executive director will take office. The new director will have two deputy directors: one to head mission and programs and the other to head support services.

Previously, the structure was built around one deputy director and the heads of three program divisions. The transition is designed to emphasize the four goals of the Mission Work Plan: 1) evangelism and witness; 2) justice and compassion; 3) leadership and vocation; and 4) spirituality and discipleship.

"The process of making these cuts was extremely difficult," Detterick said. "You'll see we cut deeply in a number of areas. My colleagues in essence put their own jobs on the line."

Curtis Kearns of National Ministries, Don Campbell of Congregational Ministries and Marian McClure of Worldwide Ministries – the three division leaders – will continue in their work through October to assist in the transition.

There were no reductions called for in the 2006 budget, principally to allow the payout of separation money to employees who are losing their jobs.

In 2002, the General Assembly cut the Worldwide Ministries budget by eliminating 34 missionary assignments. That reduced the total to 300 missionaries. Six new slots have been added through money raised by Joining Hearts & Hands – despite the fact that the $40-million campaign's expenses have been running nearly $1 million higher than its cash contributions. Eliminating the 55 assignments in 2007 will reduce the foreign mission contingent to about 250.

Detterick noted that the designated gifts for foreign mission have continued to decrease. "I offer this as a challenge for the whole church. The Presbyterian church has cared deeply about mission. I hope this is a wake-up call … in a variety of ways – giving to Joining Hearts & Hands." He also suggested that the denomination will spend "more energy to increase funding for that purpose."

Detterick said he believes the transition has some positive aspects. "Curtis Kearns said it very well: 'We are at a watershed. Before, we were a program-focused organization. In time, we will begin to become an objective-focused organization.'"

Also in the future, Detterick added, "We will be measured not by what we do, but by what happens as a result of what we did."

"Immediately, I don't think the rank and file will notice any difference," he responded.

The radical leftist agenda of the PCUSA leadership is causing the churches to send less and less money to headquarters. The churches need to cut back further. Even this cut is not enough.

I'm an elder in a big (conservative) Presbyterian church. This is nothing but good news. The local churches will take up the slack in the cuts in missions -- and nobody will step up to take over "Criminal Justice" and the other other warm fuzzies. Every once in awhile, capitalism looks like the hand of God.

I was raised in a Presbyterian Church that bears little resemblance to the one of today. I left long ago for reasons that mostly relate to this church leaving scriptural guidance behind.

I pray other elders have the same viewpoint as you.

There will be some presbyterians who feel sorry that some leftist radicals are losing their jobs.

I commend you read the link to the pdf posted by the GAC. The GAC only marginally cut back on their international political meddlings aka divestment against Israel.

The churches need to further stop sending money in the form of per capita and the PeaceMaking Offering to Louisville.

Maybe they should hire illegal aliens. Seems to work wonders for everyone else. ;)

(In all seriousness, it's sad to see the mainline churches hurting like this, but their caving in to 30 years of unabashed Communism has brought this upon themselves. We needed this kind of realignment to bring the true Gospel back into the pulpit, frankly.)

The mainliners are reaping their sowing of marxist idealogies. That being said, even with this cutback, the PCUSA leadership is continuing to give priority to its socialistic partners in the World Council of Churches and the National Council of Churches.

The churches need to make further cuts in the money going to the denomination so the leaders are forced to remove WCC and NCC from the budget.

I couldn't agree more, but the problem's far more entrenched than merely the leadership. (I guess an apt and worn way of putting it would be that "you know a tree by its fruit," or something to that effect. I'm not awake enough for that kinda stuff! :) )

I grew up Methodist, but by the time I came of age, I recognized very little of Christ's gospel in their teachings, and quite a bit of the Gospel according to Marx. In the UMC, the leadership decides which pastors are placed (or ride the circuit), and where they go, and from what I've seen, there are very few left who choose to teach the whole of Scripture... Hopefully the Mainlines can reform (a "second" Reformation, anyone?), but I hold a considerable amount of doubt.

I lost my job today due to the budget cuts. Due to my family's situation right now, I feel that this will be a great blessing on us in the future. Things happen the way they are meant to happen.

Predictions of future cuts, I feel, will come true due to fact that this cut will not change the core beliefs of the leadership.

That said, I must say that the Director of Congregational Ministries, Don Campbell is one of the finest men I have met and a true servant to God. In all the years that I had worked for him, I have no idea what his political leanings are. I think that speaks volumes for the man.

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