wfn.org | NAE head, meeting resistance to change, quits

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

Note #6722 from PCUSA NEWS to PRESBYNEWS:

21-June-2001
01208

NAE head, meeting resistance to change, quits

Shaky finances are a contributing factor to Mannoia's early departure 

by Adelle M. Banks
Religion News Service

WASHINGTON - National Association of Evangelicals President Kevin Mannoia
has announced his resignation following a recent meeting of the executive
committee of the umbrella organization.

	Mannoia, known for making significant changes in the association since he
came on board in 1999, said the decision was a mutual agreement with other
committee members. His resignation is effective July 7.

	"I recognize that over the past few years, I have stressed the system, by
both the magnitude of some of the adjustments and the rapidity of those
changes," said Mannoia in an interview June18.

	"There's a constituency out there for whom these changes have undermined
their expectation of the NAE and they don't agree or they don't like it and
they wish that it were different and I understand that."

	The Rev. Edward Foggs, chairman of the NAE board, praised Mannoia for his
"visionary" leadership but said there were "divergent perspectives about
certain operational and fiscal matters" that led to the resignation.

	"We mutually agreed, that under the circumstances, it would be, shall I
say, an unusual challenge for him to give effective leadership," Foggs said
in an interview.

	Mannoia, 45, bishop emeritus of the Free Methodist Church of North America,
will depart before the completion of his three-year term.

	Foggs, too, said Mannoia's changes happened too quickly for some members of
the organization. But he said the financial struggles were a contributing
factor to the transition in the organization, which includes 51
denominations and about 250 ministries.

	"Ultimately, you cannot carry out a vision without resources, however
wonderful the vision may be," Foggs said.

	Mannoia moved the headquarters of the NAE from the evangelical stronghold
of Wheaton, Ill., to Azusa, Calif., a suburb of the more cosmopolitan Los
Angeles. He viewed it as a symbol of the group's desire to be more racially
and ethnically inclusive.

	That commitment to inclusivity extended not only to geography but polity,
when the NAE adopted a path-breaking by-law change that would allow
denominations affiliated with the more liberal National Council of Churches
to also affiliate with the NAE. Such groups would have to adhere to the
evangelical group's statement of faith. At March's annual meeting, the NAE
board voted to restudy the matter.

	The group also began working with other Christian groups to issue a
marriage declaration and make plans for a summit later this year that will
support marriage and counter divorce.

	"I think any one of the changes probably would not have caused getting to
this point," said the Rev. Bill Hamel, a member of the NAE executive
committee and the president of the Evangelical Free Church of America.

	"It's an accumulation which tends to give the perception that everything's
changing."

	Under Mannoia's watch, the National Religious Broadcasters voted to drop
its long?term affiliation with NAE. Mannoia and other executive committee
members said that was not a major contributor to the resignation decision.

	But the financial challenges were cited as a significant issue.

	According to figures from the Evangelical Council for Financial
Accountability, the total income of the NAE dropped from $1.5 million at the
end of 1999 to $1.1 million at the end of 2000. The amount of donated income
dropped from $887,915 to $564,614 in the same period. The amount of expenses
spent on fund raising dropped from $89,621 in 1999 to $39,800 in 2000.

	NAE Vice President John Mendez confirmed those statistics.

	"I tend to focus on the vision of the future, calling people to that
vision," said Mannoia. "Everybody has their strengths. My soft spots are
probably in the area of finances and fund raising."

	Because of an unexpected amount of debt earlier this year, the association
laid off two full-time workers and one part-time person, leaving it with six
staffers in Azusa and one in Washington. In a separate move, the
organization purchased property near Capitol Hill for its Washington office.

	In October, NAE leaders plan to spearhead a marriage summit in the
Washington area. The effort began with a declaration announced last
November, endorsed by leaders of the National Conference of Catholic Bishops
and the Southern Baptist Convention, and initially, the National Council of
Churches. But the Rev. Bob Edgar, general secretary of the NCC, withdrew his
name because of concerns that the statement might be used for anti-gay
attacks.

	Mannoia said some in the NAE may think the controversy made it look like
efforts to broaden the organization's circles had "backfired," but he
disagrees.

	"I look at it as a resounding, amazing success, even though Bob has taken
his name off of it," said Mannoia. "It's a very classic example of how we
are committed to principles without compromise and yet willing to work with
people without bending our principles."

_______________________________________________
pcusaNews mailing list
pcusaNews@pcusa.org

To unsubscribe, go to this web address:
http://pcusa01.pcusa.org/mailman/listinfo/pcusanews