Disclaimer: The opinions contained herein are my own and are not intended to represent those of the Advisory Committee on the Constitution or any other person or entity.
We continue our countdown with number 5: The Funding Crisis, Budgets, and Offerings
Fourteen years ago, Loren B. Mead of the Alban Institute published the book Financial Meltdown in the Mainline? in which he looked at giving trends and the denominational organizational structures and spending patterns and drew the inevitable conclusion. I think few would disagree that Mead's warning has come to pass.
On the whole, giving patterns have taken on a more consumerist orientation. Denominational mission support has shifted from 90% undesignated to 90% designated gifts. Mission is increasingly coordinated at a congregational level. Support for historic special denominational offerings has waned.
The General Assembly Mission Council, which oversees the mission program of the General Assembly, has had to adjust to the new realities with multiple staff and program cuts, the adoption of targeted mission priorities, and increasing direct-to-donor funds development.
Among the most controversial adjustments has been the assessment of an administrative fee on designated gifts, made necessary by insufficient undesignated gifts to cover the costs of mission administration. This began as an across-the-board 5% assessment a few years ago, but with this year's mission budget, the assessment has been gauged on a program-by-program basis, resulting in fees as high as 19% on some programs (such as theological education).
Likewise, the special offerings of the church are poised to be an area of considerable debate. The GAMC has proposed shifting from funding programs (read: Presbyterian Hunger Program, Self-development of People, Presbyterian Disaster Assistance, etc.) to funding priorities, with the distribution of receipts determined in-house based on a review of particular ministry effectiveness. In addition, the fall Peacemaking Offering is slated to be replaced by a Global Mission Offering.
It is not uncommon for an Assembly to have a dark horse issue which comes from out of nowhere and explodes at the Assembly. Depending on how well the leadership at GAMC has soothed the ruffled feathers of those whose ox is being gored by the administrative fees, the usually ho-hum Mission Coordination Committee could be the surprise battleground for slices of an ever-shrinking denominational mission pie.
Next: The Elimination of Synods?
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