Lutherans approve $300,000 for NCC’s $4-million deficit
The Layman Online, November 19, 1999
CHICAGO – The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America is making a one-time allocation of $300,000 to the National Council of Churches to help the organization resolve its $4-million 1999 deficit.
The denomination’s Church Council approved the contribution, provided that the NCC can approve a balanced budget for 2000.
The council, which met in Chicago Nov. 12-14, functions as the ELCA’s board of directors and serves as the legislative authority of the church between churchwide assemblies every other year.
There had been an “investigative audit” of the NCC’s finances to determine the cause of the deficit, said the Rev. H. George Anderson, presiding bishop of the denomination. “There seems to be no malfeasance but a lot of sloppiness.”
For the fiscal year that ended Sept. 30, the Lutherans contributed $517,622 to the National Council of Churches, about one-fourth the contribution of the Presbyterian Church (USA). The PCUSA has 2.5 million members. There are 5.1 million Lutherans.