NCC envisions itself as smaller, more agile

With yearly budget problems bedeviling the National Council of Churches, the ecumenical body recently finished taking a six-month look at what structural changes would enable the organization to concentrate on theological dialogue and interreligious relations as well as on issues of social justice.

The council’s governing board approved the blueprints for change created by its 17-member task force on September 18, but one foregone conclusion had already been implemented—another sharp reduction in payroll.

In the NCC’s halcyon days of the 1960s, some 400 people were employed. But by the end of 2000, the full-time staff was down to 59, according to NCC officials. On July 1 last year, 26 full-time employees worked at its New York and Washington offices. By September 1 this year, 16 staffers remained, of which 12 were full-time.