The autumn meeting of Assembly Executive opened on 26 November with a welcome by the Revd Tim Meadows, Moderator of the United Reformed Church (缅北强奸) General Assembly.
The meeting was held online and convened principally to discuss the 缅北强奸鈥檚 Ministry and Mission (M&M) budget for 2025, and to note the target figures for 2026 and 2027.
Assembly Executive opened with devotions led by Andrea Heron, one of the General Assembly Moderator鈥檚 Chaplains.
Mentioning the church in Lucerne church that invites members make confessions to a digital Jesus, Andrea showed an image that AI had created for her in a moment, using the prompt 鈥榬esurrection鈥� 鈥� the Moderator鈥檚 theme for the year. It showed a phoenix rising from the fire. Not a bad image, but not one that reflected our sense of what resurrection is.
So, she said, she created another AI image on the same theme. This, with her help, showed people holding hands in the light of heaven. It was better, but when you zoom in the faces are blank. Quick creation might not have depth.
Andrea asked: 鈥淲hat have you created today?鈥� She talked about the value of uncertainty for creators, 鈥渘egative capability鈥�, the way that real creativity is out of our control.
Looking at Genesis 1, she asked: 鈥淒oes God just snap his fingers and create or does God find joy in the act of creation?鈥�
Andrea called us to enter into 鈥渘egative capability鈥� in church life. 鈥淐hange can feel like loss, but it can be a beautiful uncertainty where all is possible leading to something more beautiful than we can now imagine鈥�.
En Bloc
The following resolutions were passed en bloc. En bloc resolutions are voted on without debate, having been deemed uncontroversial. This has no reflection on their importance. Find the full report and resolution in this case is available here.
Paper R1 Complaints Procedure (Section Q)
A rewording of the appendix. The existing text distinguishes between records held locally and centrally. As local and central records have been amalgamated, this resolution changes the wording to reflect the present arrangements.
Paper G1 The 2024 M&M Budget
The paper outlining the proposed Ministry and Mission Fund (M&M) budget for 2025 was introduced by the Revd Michael Hopkins, Convenor of the Resources Committee, and presented by the 缅北强奸鈥檚 Treasurer, Mr Alan Yates.
Mr Yates first noted corrections in the paper as originally circulated, including a reduction in the 2025 budget compared with 2024 of 拢620,000, not 拢520,000 as originally stated.
Assembly Executive in 2023 voted to tackle the Church鈥檚 M&M budget deficit over a period of five to seven years. Mr Yates outlined reasons for the reduced deficit during 2024. They have included the willingness of synods to underwrite M&M contributions, so they are maintained at 2023 levels. There has also been a reduction in ministry costs, primarily as a result of losing more ministers than are gained.
Some costs have increased. Significant cost reductions take time and investment, Mr Yates said, mainly of people to help future savings in a controlled way. If we compare non-stipendiary expenditure year-on-year, it has increased by 拢776,000 鈥� which is 鈥渙nly acceptable if it helps us make future savings鈥�. Mr Yates鈥檚 view was that the favourable budget for 2025 has been arrived at by 鈥渓ess favourable means鈥�.
However, he did make a positive observation, that there has been 鈥渁 distinct improvement鈥� in the way the Church views the budget 鈥� 鈥淐hurch culture has caught up with reality,鈥� he said.
In questions for clarification, Mr Yates did not comment on the Church鈥檚 ability to reach a balanced budget by 2028-30, and he said he only had 鈥渕oderate鈥� confidence in the accuracy of the current predictions for 2027.
The proposed 2025 budget assumes M&M income being maintained at 2023 levels. Moving to discussion, Romily Micklem asked about the Church鈥檚 ability to maintain M&M income at 2023 levels beyond 2025. Mr Yates said he thought this was realistic until 2027, but he shared Mr Micklem鈥檚 concern about the pressures that churches and synods are under, and he thought changes would have to be made in the financial strategy nearer 2027. He reiterated his previously expressed belief that the M&M system 鈥渋s broken鈥�. He said he was confident that Church House committees and staff 鈥渄on鈥檛 throw money around鈥� 鈥� they 鈥渟pend with a purpose鈥�. So, there will come a point 鈥渨hen they have to stop doing things鈥�.
In a vote, the M&M budget for 2025 was adopted unanimously. Assembly Executive also noted the target figures for 2026 and 2027.
Paper G2 Budget strategy from 2025 onwards
The Revd Dr John Bradbury, 缅北强奸 General Secretary, spoke briefly on Paper G2 which supported Paper G1. Revd Bradbury explained that Paper G2 was a draft and was based on relative assumptions about the budget, but when Assembly Executive meets again in February 2025, a proper chance to look at what will be a final version of Paper G2 will be given.