By Charles Wiley, Kevin Park and Darrell L. Guder
Who or what is the church? By what stars shall we navigate as we seek to be the church here and now? The three essays gathered in "Bearing the Marks of the Church" use Nicene marks of the church - one, holy, catholic, apostolic - as navigation points as we seek to be the church now and into the future.
Advisory Opinion #9 (revised April 2009) by the Stated Clerk of the General Assembly offers clarification about per capita in the life of the church.
Read Clint McCoy’s “How this mustard seed grew: The origin and impact of the per capita apportionment as a means of financing the General Assembly.”
From the November 2007 issue of Perspectives, published by the Office of the General Assembly.
See how one presbytery created a flyer for the per capita folder that tailors the information for their context. (created by Laura Viau)
Per capita dollars help the church be the church and are related to the functions of the Stated Clerk through actions of the General Assembly.
What is per capita?
Who pays per capita, and how much?
What is the current General Assembly per capita rate?
How is the General Assembly per capita rate set?
What do GA per capita dollars provide?
The earliest mention of something like a per capita apportionment dates back to the 1700s. In the mid-1800s, a “plan of mileage” was adopted by the General Assembly to defray the expenses of commissioners attending General Assembly meetings so that everyone could be present to participate regardless of distance or financial resources. Over time, per capita has been used to fund “ecclesiastical and administrative” functions that are shared by the whole church.
Agenda for the the Mission Responsibility Through Investment (MRTI) Committee Meeting, held on September 8-10, 2011.
The Research Services office annually develops and distributes a questionnaire that goes to the clerks of session of all PC(USA) congregations at about the same time the Session Annual Statistical Report is distributed. Research Services staff work with other entities of the PC(USA) to develop questions for inclusion on the Clerk’s Annual Questionnaire. Distribution of this form takes place at the end of the year. This report describes findings from responses for the year ending December 31, 2010.
The questionnaire for 2010 included questions on such topics as environmental ministries, music ministries, world mission, guest preachers, hymnals, congregational history, bequests …
Discerning a call for a pastor requires prayer and a willingness to be open to the work of the Holy Spirit. As part of the planning, the immigration status of an individual can be separated from this process and handled through consultation with the Office of Immigration Issues. The chart below provides a broad summary of relevant immigration categories and issues to be considered. Immigration law changes frequently so call for the most up-to-date information and analysis of your specific situation.