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Note #8124 from PCUSA NEWS to PRESBYNEWS:

GAC adopts Mission Work Plan
04084
February 14, 2004

GAC adopts Mission Work Plan

Detterick calls two-year priority, goal, and objective-setting "a new day"

by Jerry L. Van Marter

LOUISVILLE - The General Assembly Council (GAC) on Feb. 14 adopted an
ambitious Mission Work Plan (MWP) for 2005-2006 that establishes five goals
and 24 concrete objectives for the mission enterprise of the Presbyterian
Church (USA). GAC executive director John Detterick called completion of the
plan "a new day ... a new chapter in the life of the General Assembly
Council."

Clearly elated, Detterick told council members: "This is the first time in 10
years that the council has taken charge and proactively, intentionally set
the direction for the work of the GAC. For the first time, the council has
together affirmed who it is and what it intends to do. For the first time you
have given the staff strong leadership and direction."

The plan would incorporate $8.6 million for new mission work-in a budget
being trimmed by at least $5 million over two years.

The plan was developed during at least nine hours of intense plenary work
during the Feb. 10-14 GAC meeting, along with hours of informal conversations
and deliberations in the council's ministries-division committees.

The plan is based on eight "core values":

Celebration - embracing our Reformed tradition through Word and Sacrament;

Proclamation - listening for and sharing the Good News of Jesus Christ;

Stewardship - giving, working and living faithfully and responsibly;

Nurture - supporting and caring for each other;

Trust - communicating with integrity;

Openness - expecting to be transformed by the God of justice and love;

Partnership - living in community with the PC(USA) and the people of the
world;

Vision - serving with joy, living in hope, hearing and responding to diverse
voices and obeying God's will.

The goals:

Evangelism and Witness - "We are called to invite all people to faith,
repentance, and the abundant life of God in Jesus Christ, to encourage
congregations in joyfully sharing the Gospel, and through the power of the
Holy Spirit to grow in membership and discipleship."

Justice and Compassion - "We are called to address wrongs in every aspect of
life and whole of creation, intentionally working with and on behalf of poor,
oppressed, and disadvantaged people as did Jesus Christ, even at risk to our
corporate and personal lives."

Spirituality and Discipleship - "We are called to deeper discipleship through
scripture, worship, prayer, study, stewardship and service, relying on the
Holy Spirit to mold our lives more and more into the likeness of Jesus
Christ."

Leadership and Vocation -"We are called to lead by Jesus Christ's example, to
identify spiritual gifts, and to equip and support Christians of all ages for
faithful and effective servant leadership in all parts of the body of
Christ."

Role and Identity of the GAC - "We are called to address opportunities and
concerns which clarify the role and responsibilities of the GAC in the life
of the PC(USA)."

The Evangelism and Witness objectives include providing resources, models and
networks for church development, transforming existing churches and
strengthening rural and small churches; encouraging and supporting
racial-ethnic and immigrant new-church developments; evangelizing people who
haven't heard the gospel, those whose faith puts them in danger and those in
places of "explosive growth"; developing a mass-media campaign aimed at youth
and young adults and racial-ethnic communities; raising awareness of
evangelism opportunities through camps and conferences centers.

The Justice and Compassion objectives include responding to poverty,
disasters and the impact of economic globalization; advocating for social,
environmental and economic justice; and working for peace and non-violence.

Among the Spirituality and Discipleship objectives are creating educational
resources that undergird the church's mission work; promoting experiences of
mission around the world that inform and inspire Presbyterians; celebrating
different styles of Reformed spirituality; and providing stewardship
resources, models and training.

The Leadership and Vocation Objectives include providing and promoting
leadership-development resources; developing and nurturing leaders for
national and international mission service; helping congregations and
governing bodies identify and deploy pastoral leaders; encouraging Christian
vocation, especially among young people; developing and maintaining an online
clearinghouse for ministry resources; assisting congregations and governing
bodies that have a hard time finding pastoral leadearship; and working with
seminaries and strengthening their bonds to the church.

The GAC Role/Identity objectives include developing and initiating a
comprehensive communications strategy for the denomination; developing a new
mission-funding system for the church; developing denominational structures
to strengthen relationships with presbyteries; and continuing to evaluate,
assess and revise the mission work plan beyond 2006.

MWP team member Ken Newbold said the next step-after the MWP is approved by
the General Assembly-will be "action planning," which he described as a
matter of deciding "who specifically is going to do what when and how, and
what are going to be the measures of success."

Paul Masquelier, who retired recently as executive of San Jose Presbytery,
called the plan "a road map for the future," expressing optimism that falling
revenues are not a permanent condition. "God has a future for this church,
and what I like about this is it charts the way forward as more resources
become available," he said.

GAC officials said they are determined to implement the MWP despite an
ongoing budget crunch that projects shortfalls in unrestricted revenue of
$4.85 million in 2005 and $3.15 million in 2006.

The 2004 General Assembly mission budget totals $124.8 million.

Mission Support Services Director Joey Bailey said $3 million in potential
savings have been identified, leaving the Council with a $5 million deficit
to cover in the next two years-$1.85 million in 2005 and $3.15 million in
2006.

Conceding that program and staff cuts are likely, Detterick said, "Developing
the 2005 and 2006 budgets will be difficult...our alternatives will be
agonizing and our options will impact the lives of colleagues..."

On the other hand, restricted, or designated, giving to Presbyterian mission
continues to rise. Contributions to Extra Commitment Opportunity projects and
to the denomination's special offerings have risen by a combined 60 percent
since 1995. During the same period, unrestricted giving has declined by about
20 percent.

Bailey said unrestricted giving by congregations declined to $15.3 million in
2003. That's 7 percent less than in 2002 and 14 percent below the 2003
figure. Therefore, projected unrestricted revenue for 2005 has been revised
downward to $33.6 million, $2.1 million less than originally predicted.
Additional shortfalls are projected in contributions from Presbyterian Women
and from income on investments held for the church by the Presbyterian Church
(USA) Foundation.

Bailey said two-thirds of the $3 million in savings in needed in 2005 can
come from underspending the budget. "We've underspent our budget
substantially every year of the last five years," he said.

Bailey said another $450,000 can be saved if two of the church's national
conference centers, Ghost Ranch and Stony Point, assume the full cost of
their insurance. In 2004, they are covering half those costs. Montreat
already pays for its own insurance.

Another cost-saving proposal would shift 50 percent of the administrative
costs of the Mission Initiative: Joining Hearts and Hands (MIJHH)
campaign-about $450,000-from the unrestricted budget to the campaign itself.
The other half of MIJHH administrative costs in 2005 can be covered by an
existing bequest.

The council voted to allocate 30 percent of unrestricted funds to the
Evangelism and Witness goal area, 29 percent to Leadership and Vocation, 19
percent to Spirituality and Discipleship, 17 percent to Justice and
Compassion and 5 percent to GAC Role/Identity.

Factoring in designated money, the percentages are 28 percent for Evangelism
and Witness, 25 percent for Leadership and Vocation, 15 percent for
Spirituality and Discipleship, 30 percent for Justice and Compassion and 2
percent for GAC Role/Identity.

Staff leaders will be responsible for turning the broad brushstrokes of the
MWP into concrete budgets for the next two years. The 2005 budget is
scheduled to be approved by the GAC Executive Committee in early May and then
sent on to the upcoming 216th General Assembly in late-June for its
endorsement.

Detterick expressed confidence that the council's "ability to decide what's
important and to prioritize with theological grounding and a commitment to
both evangelism and justice" will "result in an abundance of people and an
abundance of resources for the work of the Presbyterian Church (USA)."

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