LOUISVILLE – The Committee on the Office of the General Assembly (COGA) and the executive committee of the Presbyterian Mission Agency Board voted Feb. 8 to approve significant General Assembly per capita increases – an increase from $7.73 per member in 2018 to $10.71 in 2019 and to $11.45 per member in 2020. That would amount to a 39 percent increase from 2018 to 2019 and a 7 percent increase from 2019 to 2020. The 10-7 vote was split: with COGA voting 9-0 in favor (with one abstention) and the Presbyterian Mission Agency Board executive committee voting 7-1 against. The proposed increase still would need approval from the 2018 General Assembly; the Presbyterian Mission Agency Board also is expected to consider it before its meeting ends Feb. 9. The standing rules say that the per capita rate needs to be a joint recommendation from COGA and the Presbyterian Mission Agency Board. One option for resolving any differences might be to convene a Per Capita Joint Table, where … [Read more...]

LOUISVILLE – J. Herbert Nelson, stated clerk of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), presented a General Assembly per capita budget that he said is needed to “do what the Lord requires” – and which would be funded by a sizeable increase in the General Assembly per capita apportionment. The vote on that proposed General Assembly per capita increase – from an apportionment of $7.73 per member in 2018 to $10.71 in 2019 and $11.45 in 2020 – is expected to come Feb. 8, with the Committee on the Office of the General Assembly (COGA) and the executive committee of the Presbyterian Mission Agency Boardmeeting jointly. If approved, that would amount to a 39 percent increase from 2018 to 2019 and a 7 percent increase from 2019 to 2020. The proposed increase would lift the General Assembly per capita budget from $11.5 million in 2018 to $15.5 million in 2019 and $15.8 million in 2020. That would also give a “break even” funding level – adding more than $66,000 to per capita reserves in … [Read more...]

LOUISVILLE – The Committee on the Office of the General Assembly and the executive committee of the Presbyterian Mission Agency Board are proposing a significant increase in the per capita rate for 2019 and 2020 – an increase from $7.73 per member in 2018 to $10.71 in 2019 and to $11.45 per member in 2020. If approved, that would amount to a 39 percent increase from 2018 to 2019 and a 7 percent increase from 2019 to 2020. However, spending decisions that the 2018 General Assembly may make could also affect the per capita budget for 2019 and 2020. The Committee on the Office of the General Assembly (meeting Feb. 6-8 in St. Louis) and the executive committee of the Presbyterian Mission Agency Board (the board is meeting Feb. 7-9 in Louisville) will discuss the proposal jointly in a video conference call Feb. 7. Those two entities are expected to vote Feb. 8 on whether to approve the per capita budgets for 2019 and 2020, along with a revised per capita budget for 2018, and to … [Read more...]