Press Release: Presbyterian World Mission Faces Potential Funding Shortfall in 2016 & 2017
Hunter Farrell
Louisville—While work is fully funded for 2015, based on financial projections using 2014 actual receipts, the Presbyterian Mission Agency is facing a significant financial challenge for 2016 and 2017 in World Mission. By 2017, the result could be the recall of 25 percent of mission workers currently in service around the world. That’s the message Hunter Farrell, director of World Mission, delivered to the executive committee of the Presbyterian Mission Agency Board Wednesday morning.
Farrell said World Mission leadership has been closely monitoring giving trends for the past five years, cutting costs and increasing revenue whenever possible, attempting to keep as many mission workers as possible in the world serving global partners. However, based on 2014 receipts, lowered revenue projections will create a gap of $925,000 in funding for mission workers in 2016. This could result in not replacing four retiring mission workers and prematurely ending the service of as many as five mission co-workers in 2016. While World Mission is weighing other possible solutions, the situation may likely have an even greater impact in 2017.
By 2017, most of World Mission’s gifts for mission workers from prior years will be exhausted and World Mission, like the other ministry areas of the Presbyterian Mission Agency, will be operating solely on current receipts. Starting in 2017, the gap between projected revenue and expenses may be as much as $4.5 million annually, and would force World Mission to recall an estimated 40 mission co-workers globally. There are currently 162 mission co-workers in service.
“This is a very serious situation,” said Farrell, “Our first challenge, by the end of the year, is to generate an additional $925,000 for mission workers in 2016. We are praying that the church will respond to the challenge so we can continue God’s work in places where it is so desperately needed.”
The 175th anniversary of international mission by the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church was celebrated in 2012. In that time, Presbyterian missionaries have planted churches, built hospitals, and started schools on every continent. The seeds sown by those missionaries have, in many places, developed into self-sustaining churches and institutions led by local Christians. Today, more than 94 million Christians around the world now belong to churches that were founded or co-founded by Presbyterian Church (U.S.A) mission workers.
“As Presbyterians we must support mission workers over and above anything we’ve done before,” said Terri Bate, senior director of Funds Development. “Our mission workers and global partners are counting on this support in order to continue in partnership together in God’s mission.”
Individuals and congregations interested in providing additional support for World Mission may click on www.presbyterianmission.org/supportwm or send a check to: Presbyterian World Mission, PO Box 643700, Pittsburgh, PA 15264-3700. Checks should be made to Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) and noted for fund E132192. For more information please contact Nicole Gerkins at Nicole.gerkins@pcusa.org or 502-569-5611.”
8 Comments. Leave new
This is sad to hear, but really, there are endowments left by faithful Presbyterians who expected that they would be used for Mission and Evangelism, and not to eventually support a bloated headquarters bureaucracy.
Start redeeming those endowments, reflect that the PC(USA) actually wants to spread the Gospel, reduce staff at Headquarters, close a lobbying office in Washington, redistribute those funds to spread the Word.
When you have the huge PC(USA) commissioning 10 missionaries at the last GA, and the ‘small’ EPC commissioning over 30 at their last GA, you tend to wonder where the priorities are for the PC(USA).
Yep, what Reformed Catholic said, just hit the nail on the head!
I can’t possibly understand why the PCUSA would be having funding problems. Has it done anything recently to decrease its membershup drastically? Might a significant part of the membership that remains be really unhappy with the denomination as a whole even if they like their own congregation? Might such members be thinking that a group like World Vision is a better place for their donations that any part of PCUSA?
The Presbyterian Church (USA) has been losing about five percent of its membership every year. There are fewer and fewer members to contribute to the Presbyterian Church and its mission activities. One would expect that the funds available for missionary work would decline in proportion to the decline in the membership rolls.
There is no indication that the ongoing decline in membership will reverse so the available funds should be less and less every year that goes by. The funding shortfall should be a surprise to no one.
I agree. The overhead in Louisville and in many presbyteries outweighs the value of those who serve or receive a check from funds.
Amazing that a new starter denomination can put more mission workers on the field than the PC[USA]. But then again, it is a matter of priorities.
Reformed Catholic said that the EPC commissioned 30 new missionaries at its last GA, not the ECO.
Depends on where you’re coming from … EPC is only 34 years old 🙂
Which makes it two years older than the PC(USA), which was formed in 1983. Those young whippersnapper denominations.