Details of New Council Staff Reorganization Released
Diocesan Press Service. December 17, 1970 [91-22]
NEW YORK, N. Y. -- The Rt. Rev. Roger W. Blanchard, Executive Vice President of the Executive Council of the Episcopal Church unveiled the details of the new Council staff reorganization today.
A total of 110 persons were invited to join the new staff team. The team is designed to carry out the mandates of General Convention "and provide the Church with basic services within a limited budget.
Prompted by an anticipated shortfall of over $2 million in budget expectations for 1971, the new staff concept was presented and approved in principle at the December 8-10 meeting of the Executive Council.
The new concept reduces the total number of staff from 204 to 110.
At the December Council Meeting $337,500 of a gift of $750,000 from the Diocese of Rochester was earmarked for the staff reorganization and will be used to provide funds for staff separation, retraining and relocation in a humane and Christian manner.
In selecting persons to be invited to serve on the new team Bishop Blanchard pointed to the criteria that were employed. Members of the new team would be:
* Good strategic planners -- able to work with a diocese enabling the people in the field to put together issues, purposes and resources in a way that has integrity. (It is out intention to establish relationships with all dioceses through the assignment of staff. The staff member will be that diocese's "man at 815" -- with the ability to meet or refer all requests for information and resources.)
* Persons who understand that the core of the job involves the entire team (no room for prima donnas for there will be limited areas for the exercise of specialities). No single-cause pleaders.
* Experienced "hands" accustomed to serving many bosses in a multiple of tasks.
* Multiple skilled people with high premium to develop functional abilities.
* Persons who are knowledgeable about the system.
* Must have a speciality which contributes to the skill pool -- but -- must be a generalist and expect to find fulfillment of vocation in latter.
Staff would function:
* as individuals in relation to assigned dioceses and in responding in a particular specialized field
* as a member of a number of task forces dealing with different issues
* as a member of total staff body in strategic planning.
The following persons were invited to join the new staff team:
[Please contact the Archives for information about these staff persons -- ed.]