GAMC revises staff cuts
to a net loss of 43.5
By Edward Terry, The Layman, May 24, 2010
One week after approving greatly reduced 2011 and 2012 budgets, which came with a strategic shift brought on by reduced giving, the Presbyterian Church (USA)’s General Assembly Mission Council (GAMC) released a revised statement on staff cuts.
Click here for a list of the positions affected
Showing that 3.5 fewer positions overall would be eliminated, the GAMC released a list of the specific positions affected and new ones created, which also changed the net total of cuts. Citing the complexity of the personnel decisions, GAMC Executive Office Communications Coordinator Barry Creech said that as information from the various departments was combined into one list, the job cuts came in slightly lower than anticipated a week earlier.
“We gave our best assessment to the council on Friday and also erred on let’s take the worst-case scenario we have, and as we implemented it we found that the numbers weren’t that high,” Creech said. “My concern was reporting accurate information, that’s why we sent the corrections, because we want it to be accurate.”
The newly-approved GAMC budgets will have a more than $13 million decrease from 2010 ($93.8 million) to 2012 ($80.55 million). To make up the difference, the GAMC reorganized its mission program and eliminated 70 positions, according to the revised numbers. Based on the May 21 revised estimates, 11 of those positions were already vacant and other jobs eliminated through voluntary separation or re-assigning to a new position – leaving a net of 43.5 positions eliminated. According to the GAMC’s most recent news release, 26.5 new positions are being created or filled.
The May 14 announcement estimated an overall loss of 73.5 positions, a net loss of 49, 12 vacant positions eliminated through attrition and 24.5 new positions created or filled. A comparison of the May 14 and May 21 numbers yields:
- 1 fewer vacant position eliminated through attrition;
- 2 additional positions created or filled;
- 5.5 net fewer positions eliminated, taking into account vacancies and voluntary separations; and
- The number of employees (12) who accepted buyout packages earlier this year and the number of incumbents who were offered reassignment positions (15) remained unchanged from May 14 to May 21.
Because the GAMC approved only an overall budget and a new strategic plan, it was left up to the GAMC staff to decide on the specific cuts. The revision of the numbers did not require any additional action from the GAMC. The GAMC’s total staff, which was estimated at 390 prior to the layoffs, now will total approximately 347, Creech said.
The final tally of job cuts, according to the GAMC news release, include:
- 1.5 in Evangelism and Church Growth;
- 13.5 in Theology, Worship and Education;
- 1 in World Mission;
- 7 in Communications and Funds Development;
- 4 in the Common Services Executive Director’s Office; and
- 5 in Shared Services
The 15 re-assigned positions, according to the GAMC news release, include:
- 8 in Theology, Worship and Education;
- 3 in World Mission;
- 1 in the Common Services Executive Director’s Office; and
- 3 in Shared Services.
The 7 newly-created positions, according to the GAMC news release, include:
- 2 in World Mission;
- 3 in Communications and Funds Development; and
- 2 in the Common Services Executive Director’s Office.
GAMC Executive Director Linda Valentine, who announced the new strategy to the GAMC on May 13 and the specific job cuts to the public the following day, reiterated the sadness that accompanied the personnel decisions.
“While we are confident that these changes are necessary for the organization, behind each number and position is a colleague – a person who has served faithfully and been a friend to others in the GAMC,” she said. “The mood on Friday was somber, and that continues when we think of the lives that are affected by these changes.”