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ELCA BLUES SERVICE
August 6, 2010
ELCA Churchwide Organization Details 2010 Budget Reductions
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- The Aug. 4 actions by the Church Council of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) to reduce the 2010 current fund spending authorization for the churchwide organization affected a variety of ministries, especially those administered by the five program units of the church.
The council reduced this year's churchwide current fund spending authorization by $4.2 million to $65.1 million, a reduction of 6.1 percent from the previously authorized $69.3 million. The council is the ELCA's board of directors and interim legislative authority between churchwide assemblies.
There were no staff reductions in this revised spending authorization, said the Rev. M. Wyvetta Bullock, ELCA executive for administration.
Nearly three-fourths of the churchwide organization's funding is assigned to its five program units. Funding in those units reduced by the council action is as follows:
+ Evangelical Outreach and Congregational Mission, $400,000
+ Global Mission, $448,000
+ Multicultural Ministries, $94,870
+ Church in Society, $131,000
+ Vocation and Education, $592,000
Specific ministries and programs affected by the reductions in these units were international scholarship grants, the elimination of some unassigned funding for starting new congregations, significant reductions in grants to colleges and universities, and smaller decreases in seminary and campus ministry grants, Bullock said. Other reductions include decreases in program activities, general office, administrative costs, and position vacancies, she said.
Other churchwide units, including the Office of the Presiding Bishop and subunits, Office of the Secretary, Office of the Treasurer and subunits, plus the service units, Communication Services and Development Services, were reduced a combined total of nearly $627,000.
Other reductions were $1.7 million from the general treasury and $200,000 in a strategic initiative fund.
Nearly all of the reductions came from a decline in mission support funds, which are provided by congregations through synods to churchwide ministries, said Christina Jackson-Skelton, ELCA treasurer. She reported that through June 30 mission support income declined about $3.7 million or about 15 percent from the same period in 2009. By the end of 2010, Jackson-Skelton said she expects mission support income to be about $51 million, nearly $9 million less than what was remitted in 2009.
Reasons for the decreases in mission support income were attributed to economic instability that continues to affect all parts of the church, compounded by some unfavorable responses to the 2009 ELCA Churchwide Assembly actions on sexuality.
Bullock explained that ELCA churchwide organization leaders have been spending below approved levels and have engaged in ongoing financial contingency planning. That process will continue to identify further reductions if needed.
In a related but separate process, the churchwide organization is involved in an organizational redesign process announced earlier this summer, a response to continuing declines in income. A committee of the churchwide organization, working with outside consultants, the Church Council executive committee, the Conference of Bishops and the Living Into the Future Together (LIFT) task force, is creating a plan to restructure the churchwide organization to align its work with anticipated income. Details of the redesign process are expected to be announced toward the end of September.
