LOUISVILLE, Ky. — The Presbyterian Church (USA) must cut $9.15 million from its budget and may be forced to lay off as much as a quarter of its 600-person national staff, most of whom work at denominational offices in Louisville, Ky.
The denomination’s General Assembly Council will vote on the budget cuts at an April 26–29 meeting.Budget reductions must be made by 2008 and resulting staff cuts will probably be announced May 1, the denomination announced March 14.
No final decisions about exact positions to be cut have been made. The denomination has approximately 2.4 million members, 11,100 congregations and 14,000 ordained and active ministers. The cuts would follow $7 million in cuts that were made in 1993 during a major restructuring. The 1993 cuts eliminated approximately 140 jobs from a workforce of about 700. Denominational officials say the cuts stem from reduced amounts of giving to national programs by local congregations and presbyteries because Presbyterians are giving more to their local churches.
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