The Acts of Convention

Resolved, that The General Church Program, and the Expenses of the General Convention, for the 1974-76 Triennium, as submitted by the Joint Standing Committee on Program, Budget and Finance, be, and the same is hereby, approved and adopted for the said Triennium, as follows:

1. That the detailed budget for the Expenses of the General Convention and its Committees, Commissions, Boards, and Agencies for the 1974-76 Triennium, as submitted by the Joint Standing Committee on Program, Budget, and Finance, in total amount of $1,855,236, be adopted for the said Triennium.
2. That the amount of the annual Diocesan levy be, and hereby is, established by the General Convention, as an amount not to exceed $56.00 per clergyman canonically resident in each jurisdiction; the actual amount of such assessment to be determined by the Joint Committee on Program, Budget, and Finance as prescribed in Title I, Canon 1, Section 8. (The Committee reports that it has set the annual assessment rate for the year 1974 at $53.00 Diocesan Assessment and $13.25 Missionary Diocese Assessment.)
3. That the detailed budget for General Church Program, as submitted by the Joint Standing Committee on Program, Budget, and Finance, in total amount of $13,560,732, be adopted for the year 1974; and that the estimated program for 1975, in total amount of $13,860,732, and for 1976, in total amount of $14,160,732, be adopted; and that the amount to be apportioned to Dioceses for each year be $11,008,381 in 1974, $11,308,381 in 1975 and $11,608,381 1976.
4. That the Executive Council, in compliance with Canon 4, Section 1 (a & b) and Section 2(c), have the power to expend the funds set forth in the budget adopted for General Church Program for 1974-76, subject to the following restrictions:
   1) Each year, upon the advice of its own Executive and Finance Committee, and in consultation with the Joint Standing Committee on Program, Budget, and Finance, the Executive Council shall so adjust the detailed Program or estimated Program for each year in accordance with the pledges of the several Dioceses under the authority of this General Convention so as to carry out the General Church Program on a balanced budget during each year of said Triennium.
   2) All income from endowment trust funds shall not be used for budgeting purposes in the calendar in which it is received. Instead, it shall be expended for budgeting purposes in the ensuing year.
   3) Any so-called "lapsed balance", from any given prior year may be treated and considered income available for expenditures in the following years, and shall be expended for no other purpose.
   4) At any time during this Triennium, after first receiving advice of its own Executive and Finance Committee (and in consultation with the Joint Standing Committee on Program, Budget, and Finance), the Executive Council may make adjustments in the detailed program and estimated programs as shall reasonably be required to (a) Better co-ordinate the administration and execute the General Church Program reflected thereby; or (b) Undertake other work under the jurisdiction of the Council, the need for which may have arisen after the action of this General Convention, as in the judgment of the Council its income will warrant; provided that the integrity of the priorities of Program emphasis as voted by the General Convention is generally adhered to.
   5) The Executive and Finance Committee of the Executive Council shall be charged with the responsibility for officer and employee personnel policies and supervising the expenditure of all funds reflected in such General Church Program Budget.
   6) In the event in any given year of the 1974-76 Triennium the pledges from the several Dioceses and Missionary Dioceses indicate a decrease in receipts for Programs approved by General Convention, appropriations for the Joint Committees, Commissions, Boards, and Agencies of the General Convention shall share proportionately in such decreases.
5. That the Net Disposable Budget Income of the Church in the Diocese as the Basis for apportionment computation be defined as, both Disposable Parish Income* less Diocesan support to parish, and Diocesan Endowment and Other Income ** used for budgetary purposes; in each case using the most current available figures for one year. *From new Parochial Report Form: Items No. 51 Plate Offering, No. 52 Pledges, No. 53 Contributions from Parish Organizations, No. 55 Endowment & Investment Income (Net), and No. 56 All other receipts. **From Diocesan Report Forms: A-2 Diocesan Endowments, A-4 Other Income used for Budgetary Purposes.
6. That effective January 1, 1974, the formulas for apportioning the General Church Program to the Dioceses shall be determined as follows: The percentage of their 1973 quota pledge will be increased 4/10ths of one percent, except that no Diocese will be assigned a quota exceeding 5.7% or less than 3% of its 1971 NDBI. For the year 1975 the maximum shall be 5.3%; minimum 3%. For the year 1976 the maximum shall be 5%; minimum 3.2%. The goal of the apportionment formula is to reach a uniform percentage for the whole Church.
7. That income from sources other than apportionments shall be applied to the funding of the item in the General Church Program for which it has been designated. If the total amount exceeds the budgeted amount for that item, the overage shall be used for the purpose designated, either by expanding the program or carrying the funds forward over into the following years. All undirected income from whatever sources, and all apportionment income, may not be designated. When the General Church Program has been funded in full, the excess amount of the apportionment income shall be expended by the Executive Council as follows, in order of priorities listed below:
   A. Black Colleges $125,000
   B. Overseas Work $125,000
   C. U.S. Jurisdictions $78,000
   D. Education $20,000
   E. Empowerment $46,000
   F. Young Generation $63,000
   G. Communications $20,000