The 9th Executive Council meeting of the 41st General Assembly Period (2019-2020) was held on Oct. 26, with the core leadership (moderator, vice-moderator and secretary) meeting together with the executive secretaries and a few of the council members at the Kyodan office, while most of the other members attended online.
In his report, General Secretary Akiyama Toru reported that due to the Corona Virus pandemic, it was decided not to publish the 2021 Kyodan Yearbook and that the various reports concerning the 41st General Assembly Period would cover a two-year period, with the extended year being handled as an appendix. The Kyodan office will not be hiring any new personnel, and due to the financial situation, the bonuses provided for the executive secretaries were reduced. Likewise, he reported that a studio concept is being considered with which to produce YouTube and other such productions for youth evangelism.
In the report on the Committee for Reviewing the System of Clergy Development, chairperson Sugahara Tsutomu presented a three-page document entitled “A Discourse on Clergy in the Kyodan,” which explains the debate about the status of clergy. In response to various questions, Sugahara stated that this document “isn’t something that deals with all of the issues surrounding the status of clergy but is for the purpose of coming to an agreement on the most important parts related to it in the Confession of Faith and the Church Constitution.”
Agenda items related to finances included a second revision of the 2020 fiscal year budget, as well as the 2021 budget. Uda Makoto, chairperson of the Commission on Finance, reported that most of the meetings were conducted online and that cuts to the summer bonuses of the general secretary and executive secretaries, along with the 10% reduction in assessments from the districts had been actualized. Since the districts were unable to utilize the money in the evangelism fund for 2020 for that purpose, due to the restrictions of the pandemic, the remainder of those funds are expected to be returned.
The discussion that took up the most time during the Executive Council meeting concerned the Kyodan Board of Publications. Secretary Kumoshikari Toshimi reported that in order to improve the operations and finances of the Board of Publications, a “Board of Publications Operations Improvement Team” was established and an outside consultant by the name of Kato Masasumi, who is an expert in the field, has been added to that team. The approximately 1.3-million-yen expense for the consultant will be paid from the Executive Council budget. (Tr. TB) —Kato Makoto, executive secretary
第４１総会期第9回常議員会報告
加藤 誠
第41総会期第9回常議員会が2020年10月26日、三役、総幹事、幹事、一部の常議員が教団事務局に集まり、多くの常議員はオンラインで出席して開催された。総幹事報告において秋山徹総幹事は、コロナ禍の対応の一環として「2021年度版教団年鑑」を休刊とし、41総会期の諸報告は1期2年の活動報告を行い、延期された1年については「補遺」を考えていることを報告した。教団三局については職員の新規採用は行わず、コロナ禍の財政状況に鑑み、幹事の一時金を減額したこと、青年伝道についてはユーチューブ等で発信するスタジオ構想を検討していることを報告した。教師養成制度検討委員会の報告では、菅原力委員長が、教団の教師論を定義した3ページにわたる文章「日本基督教団の教師論」を報告した。様々な質問を受け菅原委員長は、この文章は「教師をめぐる諸問題を反映するものではなく、信仰告白・教憲が記す一番大事な部分を共有するためのもの」と述べた。
財務関連の議案は2020年度第2次補正予算、2021年予算が取り扱われた。宇田真予算決算委員長は、多くの会議がオンラインで行われ、総幹事及び幹事の夏の一時金減額により、各教区からの負担金10％減が実現したことを報告した。2020年度の伝道資金運用については、コロナ禍の影響で各教区の伝道資金を用いた活動が行えず、執行残金が返金されることが予想される。今回の常議員会で一番時間を割いたのは、「日本基督教団出版局の件」であった。雲然俊美書記は出版局の事業及び財務の改善に関して外部専門家を加えた「出版局経営改善検討チーム」を設置し、加藤真澄に経営コンサルタントの業務を依頼することに至ったことを報告した。外部委託費用は約130万円で常議員会費から支出される。（加藤誠）
