Letters from the General Secretary

July 2007

Dear Friends,

We recently finished another meeting of the Executive of the General Council, the one set specially for approving priority-related plans. This letter is to provide information about the decisions that were made.

At its meeting in early May, the Executive provided direction by identifying the budget assumptions and the program priorities that were to guide the budget process. Between the May and June meetings of the Executive, the senior leadership team, with the support of the executive ministers and officers, worked hard to develop a plan that would reflect the directions given. It was my role to present this plan to the Executive on June 22, 2007.

• Plans Towards 2010 [PDF: 29 pp/163 KB]
• Motion from Draft Minutes of GCE Meeting, June 21–23, 2007 [PDF: 1 p/16 KB]

The priorities are strong ones. They envision a church that works in community, and that is willing to act in new and unfamiliar ways. They are based on strong congregations and strong ministry leadership. They recognize the healing of our relationship with Aboriginal peoples as essential. They guide us toward strengthening the intercultural character of our church; living out our obligations to care for God’s creation; and respecting, encouraging, and finding true places in the church for youth and young adults. A powerful vision.

After thoughtful and prayerful consideration, the Executive approved the plan, knowing that it will mean changes in parts of our work, and that for some of our valued staff members it will mean the end of their employment in the roles in which they have served.

By definition, having priorities means saying that some things are more important than others. That is so hard in our context, where nothing that we do as a church is without importance. The recommendations that I presented to the Executive of the General Council were difficult to make because they included ending some parts of our work, and fundamentally rethinking how we do other parts of our work. This means saying goodbye to colleagues, portfolios, and partnerships that we have known and valued.

Transitions are difficult for everyone, but we are confident that in following the gospel of Jesus Christ, the call is for the church to be relevant and vibrant in the 21st century. We believe the proposed plans are faithful to the Call to Purpose and Priorities discerned by the 39th General Council and its Executive for the next triennium and beyond.

The principles underlying the 2008–2010 Financial Plan are those of sustainability, stability, and the capacity for emergent or unexpected work.

The total money raised in congregations for all purposes has been increasing by about 2 percent per year; the amount raised annually for the work of the denomination through the Mission and Service Fund has remained virtually constant at $30 million for over 20 years. Because about $18 million of this work is subject to cost-of-living adjustments, the real capacity to do the work of the General Council has been decreasing by about $0.5 million each year. Although The United Church of Canada Reserve has been used during the last five years to partially offset these inflationary pressures, the Finance Committee has recommended limiting the use of this strategy, since it is not sustainable in the long term.

The General Council Office currently employs the equivalent of 185 full-time staff, whose work is funded through voluntary givings to the church’s Mission and Service Fund. A total of 27 staff positions are being eliminated and seven new positions are being created, bringing the staff complement for the years 2008–2010 to 165.

Staffing for programs such as Emerging Spirit, the United Church’s response to Residential Schools, The Healing Fund, and Pension and Group Insurance Plans are funded through other sources and therefore will not be affected by the financial plan.

The plans call for ending the church’s more than 50-year history of in-house audiovisual production, and the cancellation of the award-winning current affairs television program Spirit Connection. The program’s final broadcast will air on VISION television on Sunday, December 30, 2007. This will end the work of seven staff.

The priorities and financial plan will also reframe how The United Church of Canada engages in social justice advocacy work in Canada by ending existing specifically mandated positions and focusing, through two new positions, on research and analysis that supports congregational initiatives for social justice.

Positions ending in the Justice, Global and Ecumenical Relations Unit include:

• Program Coordinator, Race Relations, Refugee and Immigration Advocacy
• Program Coordinator, Ecological Justice
• Program Coordinator, Human Rights and Peace
• Program Coordinator, Economic Justice and Social Wellbeing
• Associate Executive Minister, Policy
• Program Coordinator, South Asia/Pacific

The three-year plan will also change, reduce, or end the range of General Council work related to adult faith formation, marriage resources, and family and seniors’ ministries. Children’s ministries work will be refocused on older teens and young adults while maintaining some capacity for curriculum review.

The congregational renewal and community development work will redirect energies from a separate focus on urban, suburban, and rural ministry to an integrated team approach including worship, spiritual formation, small group ministries, and youth and young adult ministries. This new approach is designed to provide continued support through research, analysis, and resources to congregations of all sizes, in all areas of the country.

Positions ending in the Congregational, Educational and Community Ministries Unit include:

• Program Coordinator, Rural Congregational Renewal and Development
• Program Coordinator, Adult Faith and Lay Leadership Development
• Program Coordinator, Family Ministries

Additionally, the work of 11 administrative staff will end as a result of these changes.

With respect to grants in 2009, the plans call for equal reductions to mission support grants in Canada and to global and partner grants.

In addition to staffing changes, there will be reductions in travel and meeting costs and program expenses, and a greater emphasis on delivering resources through the church’s website.

The seven new positions created will be in the areas of communications with the church and community, support to congregational social justice, ministry personnel services, pastoral relations, and research.

We live in a time of great change, yet we all long for certainty and stability. By carefully shifting some resources, we are striving to create strong, healthy congregations with solid ministry leadership and a vision of the church that reflects the young, intercultural face of Canada, conscious of its responsibility for God’s creation.

As the church moves into its third generation, we are called to discern together a future that is faithful to God’s call. The importance of shaping and claiming the story of identity and purpose of the denomination is our challenge. May we enter this challenge in faith, knowing that God has given us all that we need for the journey ahead. Indeed, we are not alone.

Nora Sanders
General Secretary of the General Council
The United Church of Canada
3250 Bloor St. West, Suite 300
Toronto, ON M8X 2Y4
Tel: 416-231-5931 ext. 2013
Toll-free: 1-800-268-3781 ext. 2013
Fax: 416-231-3103