wfn.org | GAC Approves Modest Mission-Budget Increase for 2000

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18-February-1999 
99063 
 
    GAC Approves Modest Mission-Budget Increase for 2000 
 
    by John Filiatreau 
 
LOUISVILLE, Ky.--The General Assembly Council voted during its Feb. 9-13 
meeting here to approve a $128.2 million General Assembly mission budget 
for the year 2000, up slightly (by less than .5 percent) from the $127.6 
million spending plan for 1999. 
 
    After hearing positive year-end results for 1998 from its own financial 
officers and from the Presbyterian Foundation, which manages restricted 
funds and other endowments for the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), the GAC 
voted to present the year-2000 budget to the 211th General Assembly in June 
in Fort Worth, Texas. 
 
    For 1998, the GAC was told, support from congregations and presbyteries 
exceeded budget by $2 million (the average household gift for the year was 
$275); bequests and annuities exceeded budget by $3 million (an 
unrestricted $3 million gift from the estate of Dorcas Davis); unrestricted 
expenditures were about $2 million below budget; and receipts from outside 
trusts and selected other funds were below budget by about $1 million - for 
a total surplus for the year of approximately $6 million. 
 
    The Presbyterian Foundation had what the Rev. Phil Young, the 
Foundation's liaison to the council, called "another amazing year," 
accepting more than $160 million in gifts and "continuing to grow by 30 to 
35 percent a year in an increasingly complex environment."  The foundation, 
which has assets of about $1.8 billion, has disbursed more than $100 
million in each of the past three years to various Presbyterian mission 
causes. 
 
    The $3 million Davis bequest was budgeted over the next 10 years, as 
follows: 
 
    For military chaplaincy programs, $555,000 over five years starting in 
2000; for the new Middle Governing Relations office, $345,000 over five 
years starting in 2000; for Partnership Funding Development in four synods, 
$800,000 over two years starting in 1999; for mission partnership funding 
in the synods, $300,000 in 2000; and for funding of an Assembly-mandated 
program to raise more money for mission personnel and racial ethnic church 
development, $1 million over 10 years starting in 2000. Of the total of $3 
million, a little over $1 million was included in the budget for 2000. 
 
    The 2000 budget includes modest increases for the programs of the 
executive director's office (11.9 percent), including the new deputy 
executive director's office (.8 percent); the Worldwide Ministries Division 
(1.7 percent); Mission Support Services (2.4 percent); and programs in the 
"related mission funding" category (1.5 percent). 
 
    The 1998 per capita budget, as revised by the 210th general assembly 
(1998), was $14,182,040. Actual expenditures were only $12,810,308. (The 
per capita budget provides for the cost of holding General Assembly 
meetings, expenses of permanent and special committees, the Office of the 
General Assembly, the General Assembly Council, and expenses related to 
memberships in ecumenical bodies.) 
 
    At the end of 1998, the per capita fund had total assets of $25,522,346 
and net assets of $22,783,995, up from 1997 totals, respectively, of 
$22,902,310 and 21,477,566. 
 
    Special offerings for 1998 totaled $16,753,016, an increase of 2.65 
percent over 1997. 

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