Mission Initiative’ fundraiser to leave $40-million campaign
By John H. Adams, The Layman Online, July 16, 2003
The Presbyterian Church (USA) has reported that the chief fundraiser for its $40-million Mission Initiative Campaign has said he will resign Sept. 15 to take another job.
The announcement by the denomination’s news service began with a glowing report about Lundeen’s work – “Having already raised over $6 million in just five months” – but the status of the campaign seems less certain.
Mission Initiative is actually more than a year old, having been authorized in June 2002 by the 214th General Assembly. The chief fundraiser, Ron Lundeen, previously expressed his dismay that the denomination did not have a list of wealthy donors to whom he could appeal.
Lundeen told the General Assembly Council that he wanted to focus on potential donors such as wealthy women who were likely to be patrons of the arts.
Lundeen is resigning, effective Sept. 15, to become vice president for advancement at Hartford Seminary in Connecticut.
In May, Bill Sauls, the chairman of the Mission Initiative – a.k.a., “Joining Hearts and Hands” – told commissioners to the 215th General Assembly that the campaign had pledges totaling $6 million. But, of that amount, only $300,000 had been collected.
Sauls also told the commissioners that the campaign initially intended to focus on wealthy Presbyterians who had “extraordinary means.” But presbyteries themselves have been in the forefront of making pledges to support the effort, he said.
One presbytery, Los Ranchos in California, has pledged $1 million over a 10-year period and seven others are part of a pilot fundraising project, he said.
The PCUSA Web site for the mission initiative has for months included a link to financial information about the campaign – “Receipts and disbursements.” But, as of July 16, no financial information had been reported on that page.
The campaign has been billed as a way to infuse new money into the mission of the church. But much of that money would be used to make up for reductions in revenue to support missions and new church development.
About half of the $40 million would go to worldwide missions. In 2002, the General Assembly voted to eliminate 34 foreign mission assignments – 10 percent of the missionaries. The commissioners shunned proposals to cut spending for controversial programs such as the World Council of Churches and the National Council of Churches.
The other half would go to new church development, focusing on racial/ethnic congregations. According to the denomination’s research, 96 percent of the denomination’s members list their “racial/ethnicity” as white.
When Sauls announced the $6 million in commitments, the commissioners applauded. “That’s wonderful, but we will really applaud when we hit $40 million,” Sauls said.