new church life: november/december 2015
Academy
• Possible topics for a proposed meeting of the board’s Joint Executive
Committee with the Academy of the New Church Board of Trustees
include:
• General Church and Academy strategic plans
• General Church Education Teacher Training Program and Bryn Athyn
College teaching degree
• General Church office space, if displaced from Cairncrest
• Update on recent Academy activities, including deficit planning;
enrollments and expectations; and risk management issues
• Sharing resources on joint communication
• Risks of secularization
• The General Church Board’s affirmation of exploring a non-ordination
track in the Master of Divinity program
Cairncrest
Study is ongoing into potential alternative uses for Cairncrest, including
conversion to an “elegant inn” concept. A survey of board members showed
16 votes in favor of some sort of inn operation, three votes to sell the building,
and six votes to do nothing at all.
Finance
A major estate gift, plus lower administrative costs, were offset by two nonrecurring expenses to end the fiscal year with a deficit of approximately
$32,000, with $4.5 million of revenue. Total giving to the General Church was
about $941,000 for the fiscal year. The annual fund brought in $580,000 – 86%
of the goal. The Office of Advancement for the General Church is undergoing
restructuring and rebuilding.
Progress Report
The Rt. Rev. Brian W. Keith
In the May-June issue of New Church Life I reported on motions that came out
of the March General Church Board meeting. As we are addressing them, this
seems like an appropriate time for an update. The three motions were:
1. Recommendation to establish a joint board-clergy communication
committee
2. Request for greater clarity about decision-making streams within the
Church
3. Request that I consider opening the M.Div. program to nonordination students
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