PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH

Otago Daily Times, Issue 26606, 31 October 1947, Page 6

PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH

ADMINISTRATION CHANGES CONSIDERED BY ASSEMBLY p.A. CHRISTCHURCH, Oct. 30. Proposals for changes in the administration of the Church throughout New Zealand were adopted by the Presbyterian General Aasembly . today. The report of a special committee on administration was presented Jiy the Rev. J. S. Murray. The committee stated that it had examined an earlier proposal for the establishment of a co-ordinating committee to control the work of the various spending committees of the assembly, but had found the plan both undesirable and impracticable. The assembly, after receiving the committee’s report, adopted the following recommendations: —That the proposal for a central co-ordinating committee be abandoned; that the Mission Committee’/ responsibility be limited to foreign and Maori missions; that the present maintenance of tne Ministry Committee be abolished, and that a new committee., a Home Ministry Committee, be established to deal with all the work of home missions, aided charges and church extension generally (excluding matters under 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 power to make grants and, appointments as required, and it will supervise the appointment of deacone§ses 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 next assembly. _ It was also decided that the Rev. A. D. Horwell should be executive officer of the Home Ministry Committee arrangements for the. selection of personnel and other matters concerning the Home Ministry Committee.