Valentine: Cuts are consequence of economic, giving trends
GAMC projects budget
shrinking by $13.2 million
By Edward Terry, The Layman, May 13, 2010
Sign posted outside of the General Assembly Mission Council’s closed meeting.
LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Before going into closed session, the Presbyterian Church (USA)’s General Assembly Mission Council (GAMC) heard a brief overview that cited decreased giving by Presbyterians and called for reducing budgets by “millions of dollars.”
According to the preliminary report offered in the open portion of Thursday’s plenary session, the $93.84 million GAMC budget of 2010 will be reduced to $82.09 million in 2011 and $80.55 million in 2012. That’s a difference of more than $13.2 million, or approximately 14 percent, over the upcoming two years.
“The harvest is plentiful and the workers are few,” GAMC Executive Director Linda Valentine said in the open portion of Thursday’s plenary session. “People are clamoring for the GAMC to support all sorts of ministries.”
The focus, in the closed session, was to be on areas the GAMC will cut, what it stops and what it takes away, Valentine said. Cuts were to be discussed in a ministry-by-ministry fashion.
GAMC Executive Committee member Thomas Gillespie said there was good discussion and a good spirit in the first closed session Thursday morning. Doug Megill, another Executive Committee member, described the closed meeting as sobering and difficult.
Overall, the strategy is to adapt to current trends, while living within the denomination’s means.
Joey Bailey, the GAMC’s deputy executive director of Shared Services, delivered the financial summary portion of the overview, which was followed by closed-session discussions. In addition to voting members of the GAMC, several staff and corresponding members were invited to participate.
Information shared at the meeting included the following statistics and trends:
- GAMC revenue stood just short of $100 million in 2007. It’s projected to be just more than $80 million by 2012 – a drop of approximately 20 percent.
- From 1999 to 2009, unrestricted shared mission support has declined by 44 percent from 1999 to 2009, while designated direct mission support has decline 29 percent.
- Special offering gifts dropped an estimated 13 percent overall from 2007 to 2009.
“Sustainability needs to be a priority moving forward,” Bailey said.
Valentine outlined five strategic directions moving forward, as well as a list of guiding principles. Included in the guiding principles were: focusing on national-level ministries, operating according to fiscally sustainable principles, that there are some “good” ministries the GAMC no longer will be able to support, and honor the loss of programs that may change or be eliminated.
The strategic plan calls on the GAMC to:
- Take on a role of inspiring, equipping and connecting.
- Engage in communities of mission practice.
- Focus on the health of congregations and other communities of faith.
- Focus on leadership development.
- Embrace a global perspective.