Per Capita Overture to the General Assembly – 2022 version
In 2017 the Presbytery of Newton overtured the General Assembly to develop a team to explore the possibilities of other models of funding for the work of the denomination’s councils (above the session) of the PCUSA.
To be honest, those of us who wrote the overture didn’t think it would even make it out of the General Assembly committee. Yet boldly we sent it along anyway and within a month we only had one other concurrence for the overture. At least one concurrence from another presbytery was needed for the overture to be presented to the committee. So, at the least it would be discussed by some group.
A few months later the Office of the General Assembly announced an increase in the Per Capita for the next two years which would be a 46% increase. The one-page overture gained national attention and received multiple concurrences by the time it was up for review by the General Assembly Committee.
In 2018 the General Assembly approved moving forward with that overture. The Financial Review Team and The Per Capita Review Team were merged into one team. Starting in early 2019 the team listened to hundreds of mid council leaders about Per Capita and the financial strain on the Presbytery and also reviewed the financial sustainability of the Office of General Assembly with Per Capita as their primary funding stream.
The General Assembly Per Capita and Financial Review Team had prepared a report for the 2020 General Assembly and like almost all other reports was postponed until the 2022 General Assembly. During 2020 and 2021 the team updated their report to reflect the new financial pandemic environment.
The final report has been submitted to the 2022 General Assembly for review and approval. There are two recommendations:
- To Unify the Presbyterian Mission Agency with the Office of The General Assembly
- To Explore and experiment with different models of funding for the Office of the General Assembly
These significant recommendations to the General Assembly have their roots in a one-page overture from this presbytery.
For more information and to read the recommendations – PCUSA Unified
Check out the interpretive videos:
