Planning group examines work at General Synod

A recently-formed committee that is examining the work of the Anglican Church of Canada’s national office against a background of declining revenues will present some of its findings on Tuesday, Oct. 3 to staff in Toronto, said general secretary Michael Pollesel.

After a 12-hour meeting in Toronto on Sept. 25, the group, called the Prioritized Operations Plan (POP) subcommittee, reached several “guiding principles” that “will be a basis for future budget preparations,” said Archdeacon Pollesel in an interview.

The principles will encompass “the work of General Synod and how that is reflected in our different departments,” he said, adding that further details would be released on Oct. 3.

The group’s full report will be presented to the Council of General Synod at its regular fall meeting, Nov. 10-12, said Archdeacon Pollesel, who could not provide more details until then. The subcommittee was established at the Council’s spring meeting and consists of managers from the national office and members of Council and the financial management and development committee.

In 2005, the church’s national office, called General Synod, recorded a $1.1 million budget deficit – the third consecutive deficit in as many years – out of a total budget of about $10 million.

The POP subcommittee meeting on Sept. 25 began with prayer and a theological reflection led by retired Archbishop Terence Finlay based on the Beatitudes, said Archdeacon Pollesel.

“It was a long meeting, but there was a spirit of people really wanting to work, to grapple with different issue and questions. I think we did a very good piece of work. I feel very pleased and confident about what we accomplished,” he said.

The views of staff at the national office were also reflected during the meeting, he said, the result of several lunch gatherings in the past several months where staff discussed their work and their hopes for the work of the national office.

The General Synod office, which employs about 100 people, includes the office of the primate, or national archbishop; the general secretary; Anglican Book Centre; communications and information resources (which encompasses the editorially-independent Anglican Journal); faith, worship and ministry and overseas and indigenous partnerships. It also includes the separately-incorporated Primate’s World Relief and Development Fund, pensions department and Anglican Foundation.