With the many decisions of economic and liturgical proportions. With ideas both old and new not seaming to be moving to fruitition. With our General Officers handling finance, information, missions and outreach. Should we not have a C.E.O to administer the daily business of the Church at the Connectional (or Global Level)? Professor Bill I particularly would like to know your thoughts! God Bless You All

-- Anonymous, May 07, 2002

Answers

Bro. Nalton:

You raise an important and interesting point. The growing needs and fiscal responsibility of our connection warrants an individual who is equipped to handle these chores. I alluded to such a position several years ago when I opined on this BB that our Zion would benefit by having a premier management consulting firm like the McKinsey Group or KPMG, Inc. conduct a full and comprehensive evaluation of our current operations and make substantive recommendations for change. I would amend your post by calling for a CFO (Chief Financial Officer) as oppossed to a CEO (Chief Executive Officer). The CFO position should be filled by an individual who is first a woman/man of unimpeachable integrity, a CPA, holds an MBA or DBA from either Wharton, Harvard, Univ of Chicago, MIT, Stanford or the like(no 2nd tier schools), solid publication track record in finance, demonstrated fund-raising abilities of at least 2 million dollars and ten years of professional experience in corporate finance. I have no doubt that someone within our connection fits the above description. It only requires paying the individual market equity ($125K plus perks) to bring the person on board. Fiscal accountability is a normal expectation members require of organizational leaders. Our church should be no different. QED

-- Anonymous, May 07, 2002

I agree with Bill. I think the more equipt we get the better we are prepared for the future. Knowledge is power. I am a business men myself and know what advantage it is to have such expertise on your side. Believe me I am not the only in our connection with a few business degrees, there's a lot of us. Definitly those with years of experience!!!.

Regards

Jerome

NB. My company is administring a lot of great churches in Africa and you can see there growth on a yearly basis...

-- Anonymous, May 08, 2002

Bro. Brangman,

You have raised a most important question again. Absolutely, the AME church should have a CEO/COO/CFO, an individual with technical expertise and experience in business to manage its business affairs. I am certain that you can appreciate this statement coming from Bermuda which is attractive to many insurance companies and international corporations because of its corporate tax advantages(All I know is what I read in BUSINESS WEEK magazine)and some exemptions from U.S. taxes.

I have noticed that the catholic church, The Salvation Army, and many other large ministries have adopted a professional business structure to manage the affairs of their church. Look at the great successes that these other churches have had in operating schools from grades K to college. Also observe the many hospitals, adult homes, drug rehab programs, and scholarships these institutions have produced. We can do the same thing by improving our present structure!!!

Jazzman

-- Anonymous, May 09, 2002

I fully agree that there is a need for restructing. Financial accountabilty is a concern for many Bubby generation members. Though I agree, my concern is not one HBCU school was listed as a choice for study. I am sure this was an oversight and the message certainly is not, we don't have schools that we feel can adequately prepare young people for the Business world. Please add to the list, Florida A&M University, Howard University, Hampton University, North Carolina A&T. These are only a few HBCU schools that have prepared many to go into Corporate America and succeed.

Thanks

-- Anonymous, May 09, 2002

Dear Brother Jazzman Thank You for being so kind to our country as you have read. I raise this point as we enter the pre-General Conference planning and legislative agenda development portion of our Zion. Thank you all for your responses.

God Bless You

-- Anonymous, May 10, 2002

I'm not quite sure what to make of D. Curry Grime's somewhat flippant comment that "fiancial accountability is a concern of the Bubby Generation". I have always been under the impression that this expectation (accountability) is consistent across the generational divide. Now reference to my exclusion of HBCUs from the proposed list of MBA/DBA degree granting institutions warrants additional comment. Brother Grime's comments are construtive and merit an informed response. Having taught at several of the HBCUs mentioned in the author's post I know first hand their strengths and limitations. With the exception of SBI (FAMU) none of the HBCUs are currently 1st tier Business Schools in the strict sense of the term. You will not find any ranked in the authoritative annual edition of US News & World Report's publication of "Best Colleges & Universities in the US". Two of the HBCUs mentioned are not currently accredited by the governing body for Business School education, AACSB. Is a non- accredited program 1st tier? Are students who matricualte and graduate from non-accredited programs MBA interchageable with those students from my list? The non-partisan answer is painfully clear. While our students from HBCUs offer competitive academic skills from their undergraduate institutions, my focus is on graduate training at the MBA/DBA level. Currently, I'm not aware of any program at our HBCUs which offer a Ph.D. or DBA in business administration. This could be a future goal but we have to go with what is available now. Excellence ought not be compromised for political or social reasons. QED

-- Anonymous, May 11, 2002

Yes,

I feel the church should have a CEO/CFO, preferrably a non-AME, so that there will be no conflict of interest concerning the finances of the church.

-- Anonymous, May 14, 2002