NCC Sees Brighter Future, But Finances Remain Unclear

WASHINGTON, Nov. 17 (RNS)-- One year after the National Council of Churches teetered on the brink of extinction because of overwhelming financial troubles, the venerable ecumenical body concluded its annual meeting in Atlanta with what its general secretary termed a brighter future despite -- ongoing fiscal uncertainty.

The 51-year-old council added its 36th member church during its Nov. 15-17 meeting in Atlanta. The new member is the Alliance of Baptists, a moderate group that formed in opposition to the conservative direction of the Southern Baptist Convention. The NCC also announced that it managed to balance its budget for the past year and projects a balanced budget for the first six months of 2001.

However, that financial stability came with a price. The NCC is cutting some 17 staff positions.

Moreover, its immediate financial future is dependant upon an anxiously awaiting half-million dollars in extra funding from its largest contributor, the United Methodist Church.

With the expected money from the Methodists, the NCC will end the year with a $176,000 surplus. Without it, the NCC will end the year in the red, and could quite possibly go bankrupt.

But the Rev. Bob Edgar, the NCC's general secretary, remained confident.

"Not only is there light at the end of the tunnel, but the track on which this train is traveling is more solid," Edgar said.

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