PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH

Press, Volume LXXXIII, Issue 25329, 31 October 1947, Page 5

PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH

ADMINISTRATION BY COMMITTEES CHANGES APPROVED BY ASSEMBLY Proposals for changes in the administration of the Church throughout New Zealand were adopted by the Presbyterian General Assembly in Christchurch yesterday. The report of a special committee on administration was presented by the Rev. J. S. Murray. The committee stated that it had examined an earlier proposal for the establishment of a coordinating committee to control the work of the various spending committees of -the Assembly, but found the plan.- both undesirable and impracticable. Such sk scheme would be too ponderous, and would further burden the Church with committee work without increasing its efficiency. The proposed central committee would either be overloaded with the details of administration, or else it would be able to do little more than “rubber-stamp” the decisions of the sub-committees. The co-ordination effort required, being largely connected with the home church, as opposed to foreign missions, could be achieved in other ways w'ithout setting up such an elaborate organisation. Recommendations Adopted The Assembly, after receiving the committee’s report, adopted the following recommendations:— (1) That the proposal for a central co-ordinating committee be abandoned. (2) That the Mission Committee’s responsibility fee limited to foreign and Maori missions; that the present Maintenance of the Ministry Corfimittee be abolished; and that a new committee, the Home Ministry Committee, be established to deal with all the work of home missions, aided charges, and church extension generally (excluding matters under the care of the New Housing Commission), together with the work now being performed by the Maintenance of the Ministry Committee. The new committee will be responsible for maintaining an effective ministry for the church in New Zealand; it will have the power to make grants and appointments as required; and it will supervise the appointment of deaconesses in areas under the committee’s control. The relation of the Maori Missions Committee to the Missions Committee and the Home Ministry Committee will be discussed by the Missions Committee, which will report to the next Assembly. (3) That the Rev. A. D. Horwell be the executive officer of the Home Ministry Committee. Arrangements for the selection of personnel and other matters concerning the Home Ministry Committee were also approved by the Assembly.