wfn.org | Recommendations to Reorganize Executive Director's Office

[PCUSA.NEWS@pcusa.org]

30-January-1998 
98028 
 
    Work Group Readies Recommendations to Reorganize 
    Executive Director's Office 
 
    by Jerry L. Van Marter 
 
TAMPA, Fla.-A four-person work group of the General Assembly Council (GAC) 
will propose that churchwide strategic planning for the Presbyterian Church 
(U.S.A.) "be viewed as one of the highest priorities of the [GAC's] 
executive director" rather than assigned to a newly created position of 
deputy executive director. 
 
    The change is one of several that will be recommended to the GAC when 
it meets in Louisville, Feb. 10-14. 
 
    The Implementation Work Group will also recommend that the deputy 
executive director and the deputy for technology and finance be appointed 
by the executive director rather than elected by the GAC and that the 
Technology and Finance Office Committee (TAFO) of the Council be reduced 
from its current 12 members to five. 
 
    The work group was appointed by GAC chair Fred Denson in November 1997 
after the GAC adopted a new structure for the executive director's office 
and the Technology and Finance Office (formerly Corporate and 
Administrative Services) at its September meeting.  The reorganization was 
mandated by the 209th General Assembly in response to a management study of 
the national offices conducted by the Arthur Andersen consulting firm. 
 
    Declaring the executive director's job a "mission impossible," the 
Andersen report suggested that deputies be brought on board to help handle 
the workload in the executive director's office.  The implementation group 
noted in its upcoming report to the GAC that the creation of the two deputy 
positions will not add to the budget because existing positions within the 
Executive Director's Office and TAFO are either being renamed or 
reconfigured. 
 
    The Council had suggested in September that the GAC planning function 
be lodged with the deputy executive director.  The implementation group, 
however, said assigning strategic planning to the executive director "is 
consistent with the long-term focus envisioned for the executive director 
in the Andersen report." 
 
    Under the proposed reorganization, those reporting directly to the 
executive director will be the three ministry division directors, the 
general counsel, the internal auditor, the associate for affirmative 
action/equal employment opportunity, the TAFO deputy, the deputy executive 
director and the executive director's personal staff. 
 
    Those reporting to the deputy executive director will be the associate 
director for mission funding (who was formerly lodged in the National 
Ministries Division), the associate director for communication, the 
associate director for human resources, the coordinator of the Advisory 
Committee on Social Witness Policy, the coordinators of the Advocacy 
Committees on Women's Concerns and Racial Ethnic Concerns, the coordinator 
for GAC administration and the deputy's administrative assistant. 
 
    The deputy for TAFO will be responsible for treasury and accounting 
services, the Office of  Information Services, Presbyterian Distribution 
Service, property management and Hubbard 
Press.  TAFO will no longer be considered on a par with the ministry 
divisions, but will be clearly identified as an entity within the Executive 
Director's Office. 
 
    Convinced that the reorganization plans are on the right track, the 
implementation work group is also recommending that the GAC adopt the 
following goal: 
 
    "that by February 2001 the mission and support services provided by the 
Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) will be of such compelling quality that a 
majority of our congregations will rate them as excellent, and because of 
our reputation for quality, independent congregations will seek to 
affiliate with us." 
 
    Members of the implementation work group are Peter Pizor (chair) of 
Cody, Wyo.; Youngil Cho of Raleigh, N.C.; Lynda Ardan of Clark's Summit, 
Pa.; and Robert M. Salati of Laurel Springs, N.J. 
 
(Information for this story furnished by Gary Luhr, associate director for 
communication)   

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