The Presbyterian Mission Agency board has approved a revised 2016 mission budget for the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A). That revised budget of $74.8 million is $2.6 million less than the budget that was previously approved in September, and will restore more than $645,000 to the Presbyterian Mission Program Fund (the denomination’s unrestricted reserves).
Expenses were reduced in a number of ways. Among them:
- Annual pay increases were eliminated for the Presbyterian Mission Agency staff for 2016, saving more than $584,000. Executive committee members lamented the need for that, with budget cuts looming, and thanked the staff for their dedication and hard work.
- 11 positions were eliminated through attrition when people retired or left their jobs. That produced more than $941,000 in savings.
- With fewer participants than expected, the World Mission Young Adult Volunteer budget was reduced by more than $636,000. Initial projections were for 130 participants in 2015-16 and 180 for 2016-17. The numbers of actual participants turned out to be about 85 for 2015-16 and about 120 for 2016-17.
