wfn.org | Assembly Seeks More Funds for Mission Personnel

[PCUSA NEWS <pcusa.news@ecunet.org>]

GA99099 
25-June-1999 
 
        Assembly Seeks More Funds for Mission Personnel,  
                        Church Development 
 
 
FORT WORTH The 211th General Assembly has adopted resolutions proposed by 
its Mission Budgets Committee seeking more funds for mission personnel in 
this country and overseas and for new church development, existing church 
redevelopment and racial ethnic church development. 
     However, the Assembly rebuffed attempts to redirect specific amounts 
or percentages of denominational income, preferring instead to clearly 
establish mission personnel and church development as priorities and asking 
the General Assembly Council (GAC) to find additional resources for those 
programs.   
     Overtures from Seattle and Mission presbyteries and from the Synod of 
the Northeast had sought appropriation of 5-15 percent of all unrestricted 
receipts from congregations and presbyteries for new church development and 
church redevelopment. 
     Instead, the Assembly "reaffirmed the strong desire of the church at 
large that more resources be given for new church development, church 
redevelopment and racial ethnic church development."  It also asked the 
General Assembly Council to allocate additional funds for church 
development programs beginning in 2001. 
     And to meet the immediate need for more funds   the 2000 budget has 
already been set  the Assembly told the GAC to allocate up to $500,000 from 
current reserves to existing grant programs for church development. 
     Sharing the alarm of the Mission Budgets Committee that the Worldwide 
Ministries Division in Louisville is facing a $3 million shortfall in 
funding for missionary support in 2001, the Assembly encouraged the GAC to 
move as quickly as it can to develop a "creative funding plan" to increase 
funding of mission personnel in this country and overseas. 
     The shortfall results from the loss of "nonrecurring income" 
accumulated income from restricted endowments that has been "spent down" 
over the last several years.  Last year's General Assembly approved an 
overture from Southeastern Illinois Presbtery that called for a special 
funding effort to undergird Presbyterian mission personnel.  Still smarting 
from a Bicentennial Fund campaign that fell 50 percent short of its $150 
million goal, the GAC has been proceeding cautiously on the mission 
personnel funding initiative. 
     The mission personnel proposal is related to the action on church 
development.  The Assembly earlier declared the United States a mission 
field and so new church development, church redevelopment   which often 
involves redeveloping an Anglo church into a racial ethnic or immigrant 
church   and racial ethnic church development is considered missionary 
activity. 
     The Assembly affirmed the GAC's progress to date and the cautious 
approach to setting up a new fund-raising campaign, but also said, "We wish 
to move beyond this gap in funding to respond to the desire of the 
Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) to grow its mission work in these areas." 
     In other business related to its Mission Budgets Committee, the 
Assembly: 
     * Rejected an overture from Utah Presbytery that would have mandated 
increased funding for the Presbyterian Washington Office; 
     * Approved an overture from Greater Atlanta Presbytery that boosts 
funding for the development of curriculum resources for African Americans, 
Hispanics, Koreans, Native Americans and others; 
     * Directed the GAC to develop policies and procedures for regular 
consultations with appropriate synods and presbyteries when restricted 
funds have been targeted to specific geographic areas. 
 
Jerry Van Marter 

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