44 congregations (69% of the total). In the current fiscal year $634,000 – or
70% of subsidies given out church-wide – are supporting worship and schools
outside of North America.
There has been significant growth in West Africa and Asia over the past
10 years, especially in the number of ordained clergy seeking to launch new
congregations. This includes new beginnings in Burkina Faso, China, India,
Nigeria and Cuba. A church-building project is underway in Seoul, Korea, to
support the Church there and throughout Asia.
The General Church is attempting to narrow the focus of church growth
abroad and to produce income-generating projects in order to continue
spreading New Church teachings in a sustainable way.
The Board-Clergy Communication Committee reported that it considered
decision-making within the Church, recognizing that while there are clearly
delineated areas where decisions fall to priests or laity there are grey areas
where discussions and interactions between both are essential. Appreciation
was expressed for an organizational culture which generally focuses on
consensus and input, while recognizing that this is harder to achieve on a
larger scale.
The Rt. Rev. Peter M. Buss Jr. reported as Assistant to the Bishop on
the Women’s Participation Task Force – a group of 12 people, with two more
likely to be added. The group will seek input from board and clergy so that
eventual recommendations are more likely to be embraced. The target for
recommendations is the end of June.
Bishop Buss also reported on continuing discussion about the best way to
support growth of the Church in West Africa.
The board considered some of the lessons learned from church plant
closing in Austin, Texas, including tighter financial scrutiny when the General
Church is subsidizing the effort and stricter management in measuring growth
and success. A written case study will be used to improve the process of future
church plants.
The 2016 fiscal year for the General Church ended with a favorable variance
of more than $230,000, but expenses exceeded budget by about $340,000,
leaving a deficit of approximately $95,000. Among the added expenses were
severance payments, retirement plan correction and the closing of the church
plant in Austin. Positives included Annual Fund contributions about $90,000
above the goal, $70,000 above budget for restricted gifts for Education and
Outreach, $170,000 favorable in income from Capital Campaign reconciliation.
The investment report noted that the New Church Investment Fund
missed targets for the past several years but beat the benchmark for the last
quarter. The committee will re-examine asset allocation strategies and the
relationship with its investment company.
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