Disclosure policy approved
By Paul Rolf Jensen, The Layman Online, July 1, 2001
LONG BEACH — Should all Presbyterian organizations lay open their books and records to the staff of the Presbyterian Church (USA), even if they are entirely self-supporting, and have no official ties to the denominational bureaucracy?
On June 30, the 212th General Assembly said yes.
The disclosure proposal, an overture from Hudson River Presbytery, was approved 468-31-12. Because the target organizations are by definition outside the jurisdiction of the General Assembly, the measure is unenforceable. Thus, the resolution merely “request[s]” that “all special interest organizations…voluntarily” hand over their donor and mailing lists, in addition to other proprietary data.
In opposing the measure, Commissioner Fred Cook rhetorically posed the question “Just who are all these committees” that would be subject to the proposal? While the full answer to that question may be unclear, one organization to whom the policy would apply is the Presbyterian Lay Committee.
Upon passage of the measure, Parker Williamson, executive editor of The Presbyterian Layman said the Lay Committee has a policy not to identify individual donors, but that annual financial statements are made available upon written request. In addition to donations by more than 25,000 individual Presbyterians, the Lay Committee receives contributions from congregations. Church giving information is readily available through their reports to presbyteries and other governing bodies.
Williamson also said the Lay Committee does not share its mailing list of nearly 600,000 Presbyterian residences.
However, he did note that the Lay Committee has complied for several years with the requirements of the Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability — as does the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association. The Lay Committee also adheres to the ethics of the Evangelical Press Association, which includes major publications such as Christianity Today.
Williamson welcomed the opportunity to comply with the Assembly’s request for a “list of … publications,” promising to make sure that the Office of the General Assembly continues to receive copies of each issue of The Presbyterian Layman.