The Presbyterian Church has laid off 28 people and cut nine vacant positions in an effort to trim its two-year budget by $4.6 million

Christian Century, June 15, 2004

The Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) has laid off 28 people and cut nine vacant positions in an effort to trim its two-year budget by $4.6 million. The church's General Assembly Council, which acts as a board of directors, made the cuts May 7 as part of a larger effort to streamline management and respond to shifts in giving from local congregations.

In the past two years, the denomination has eliminated at least 122 positions at its headquarters in Louisville, Kentucky. Similar cuts have been made by other mainline Protestant churches. The revised budget, after the cuts, stands at $114.4 million. Most of the 28 people who lost their jobs ended their work by May 6. The cuts were spread among departments overseeing congregational ministries, national projects, missions support and the office of John Detterick, the director of the General Assembly Council.