The Layman – July 2004 Volume 37, Number 3 – Posted August 10, 2004

Zany idea strikes a nerve One of the zaniest ideas that came to the floor of the 216th General Assembly was to cut a deal with a lending institution to produce credit cards for members of the PCUSA – and get a kickback from the lender to support the denomination’s programs. Commissioners canceled the credit caper. Fortunately, no one called it the Master’s card. But the suggestion does strike a nerve. The PCUSA is desperate for new sources of revenue because Presbyterians are giving relatively little, particularly to the denomination’s mission program. In 2003, the per-member contribution for all causes – local, presbytery, synod and General Assembly – was $832.25, less than half the average contribution of members of the Presbyterian Church in America ($2,009 in 2002). The issue is clear. Fewer Presbyterians are giving sacrificially to a denomination whose governing body decimates its world mission assignments to spend millions on political lobbying and faltering mainline ecumenical work. Our leadership doesn’t get it. So don’t be surprised if the 217th General Assembly considers an overture for car raffles and bingo.

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