NEW YORK (ABP) — Days before hiring a new general secretary, the National Council of Churches cut 14 staff positions due to a budget deficit.
The Christian ecumenical group announced Oct. 3 the nomination of Michael Kinnamon, a professor, academic dean and Disciples of Christ clergyman, to replace Bob Edgar as its general secretary. If NCC leaders affirm the choice at their general assembly in November, Kinnamon will take office in January.
Kinnamon's nomination came shortly after a press release announcing the staff reductions, which included two deputy general secretaries and six associate general secretaries. The changes were made to cope with an “expected budget shortfall” for fiscal year 2008, according to the statement.
NCC officials did not respond to requests for comment by press time for this story. However, Religion News Service reported that the group lost $1.2 million last year, which followed a deficit from the previous year.
The agency's governing board reportedly intends to operate with available revenues instead of using the almost 6 million dollars it has in reserves.
“The lights are on; everyone is being paid,” Clare Chapman, NCC's acting general secretary, told RNS. But, she added, “We can't continue on a long-term basis of having a million-dollar deficit.”
NCC leaders are painting the reductions as a “staff reorganization designed to exercise better stewardship” of the money donated by its 35 partner bodies. The move reflects a plan approved in 2006.
Michael Livingston, president of the NCC, called the cuts “deep and painful” but said the board wants to operate within “realistic” budget constraints.
“This plan moves us forward toward long-term sustainability so that the important ecumenical witness of the council can continue well into the future,” he said in a press statement.
Kinnamon, the nominee for general secretary, is a professor of ecumenical studies at Eden Theological School in St. Louis. He was a professor at Lexington (Ky.) Theological Seminary from 1988 to 2000 and also served as dean of that school from 1988 to 1998.
Founded in 1950, the NCC is a coalition of mainline Protestant and Eastern Orthodox denominations that claim 45 million members in 100,000 congregations. Its budget and influence have shrunk over the years as many of its member denominations have declined in size.
-30-