 Curriculum debate ends in approval for material By Paula R. Kincaid The Layman Online Friday, June 21, 2002
Commissioners affirmed the "importance of offering high-quality and affordable PCUSA curriculum for ages preschool – adult," only after much discussion of past failures in the publishing department. The overture later was approved. The debate started when a commissioner asked for the percentage of churches that used the last curriculum, how much the denomination lost on that curriculum and could the funds being used for the new curriculum have been used for mission. Don Campbell, director of the Congregational Ministries, said the General Assembly Council made the decision to cease publication of Covenant People in its third year, due to the fact "that the sales were reduced by about 25 percent from those that used the curriculum in the first year." He said the research that the division did indicated the reasons for the reduction and "that is being worked into the new curriculum. … It is true that money was lost on that due to the costs of producing the material and not selling it, and then having materials that could not be sold in inventory, and that has a negative impact on the budget." Campbell was asked if the $750,000 budgeted for the new curriculum came from monies that would otherwise go to mission. He replied that if the 2003 budget passed the assembly, then $750,000 would budgeted for the curriculum. "Will those dollars go to mission if not there? That's part of the debate that is going on. We submit this material is foundational on beginning mission." The Rev. Maetta Snyder of Northern Kansas Presbytery encouraged commissioners to vote for the overture, saying it did not matter if people liked the last curriculum. "It does matter that we want available Reformed curriculum that we can use to teach our children. … tell them to bite the bullet and get us some curriculum." The Rev. Robert Mitchell of Stockton Presbytery asked again, "I didn't hear. How much money was lost? What percentage of PCUSA congregations actually use Presbyterian curriculum?" Campbell said he "did not bring that figure with me," and would have to refer the question to Mission Support Services. Commissioners never did get an answer to how much money was lost on the curriculum. Campbell gave a figure of 30 to 35 percent of PCUSA churches are using denominationally-prepared curriculum. As for Covenant People, that particular number was in neighborhood of 2,000 congregations, which was reduced to closer to 1,000 congregations in the second year. The Rev. William Westmoreland of Cincinnati Presbytery said his congregation began using Covenant People and, after two and a half months, his teachers came to him and said it is not worth it. His adult classes were using PCUSA curriculum and it, too, had negative comments, including the use of improper English in the text. He urged the assembly not to vote for the overture. By approving the committee's recommendation, the assembly directed the General Assembly Council to do the following:
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