Council calls for study of separate relief corporation
By John H. Adams, The Layman Online, April 29, 2006
LOUISVILLE, Ky. — The General Assembly Council has temporarily derailed a fast-track proposal by the Worldwide Ministries Division to create an independent charitable corporation that would oversee raising and dispersing funds for disaster relief and hunger.
The idea of a new 501 (3)(c) corporation was raised at the February meeting of the council by Gordon Edwards, a member of the council and the newly elected chairman of the Advisory Committee on Social Witness Policy.
It was supported by Moderator Rick Ufford-Chase at that meeting, and the council was urged to approve it then so that the 217th General Assembly could act on the proposal during its meeting in June.
Edwards and the proponents of the independent corporation argued that it would have greater fundraising potential and media attention by not being specifically identified as a religious program. He noted that secular employers often make contributions that match their employees’ gifts to disaster aid to groups such as the Red Cross because there are no religious overtones.
He and Ufford-Chase urged the council to act fast. But the council tabled the idea until its meeting April 26-29 in Louisville. And, instead of moving forward on the proposal, the council voted Friday afternoon to postpone consideration of the proposal.
Instead, the council decided to follow the advice of its staff leadership team and the chairs of divisions — Worldwide Missions, Congregational Ministries and National Ministries — and conduct a one-year study to gauge the merits of the proposal.
“The sense of the body was that considerable conversation was still needed and a process for including more persons and entities in the dialogue,” the council said. “Moreover, definitive action on this question must be taken by the General Assembly, and there will not be another such opportunity until 2008.”
The council’s response to the proposal included portions of a report by the staff leadership team, which called for “a broader study of the pros and cons of incorporation and other alternative mechanisms for governance for the variety of mission organizations that exist today, not just the denominational relief and development agencies. This study would assess whether the current model of centralized integration of mission programs in one agency is the best model for today and tomorrow …”