“Bob Edgar’s legacy is a financially sound council, but unfortunately not a strengthened ecumenism.”
—Dr. James Tonkowich, IRD President
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Washington, DC—The Rev. Bob Edgar ends his term this week as general secretary of the National Council of Churches and will depart to become head of the Washington-based advocacy group Common Cause. When Edgar began his tenure in 2000 at the NCC, the council faced runaway spending and a shortage of funding from constituent denominations. Since that time, the council has returned to financial solvency by paring staff and seeking out funding from secular foundations in lieu of support from member denominations, many of whom face difficult financial decisions of their own due to decreased membership.
IRD President James Tonkowich commented,
Edgar’s view of the church’s role in society usually involved a more expansive federal government. While some hailed him as a prophetic voice on issues of war, poverty and environment, what he advocated exclusively pointed to liberal politics and human institutions as the answer.
Edgar placed the council on a firmer financial footing by seeking funding from secular liberal foundations that were interested in a leftist political agenda, not the spread of the gospel.
The NCC’s ever-reluctant member communions were unconvinced by Edgar that they needed to further bear the financial burden of the activities done in their name. Clearly, the NCC’s increasingly political agenda did not appeal to many of the member denominations, many of whom declined to contribute any financial support to the organization.
Edgar often dismissed the precipitous membership plunge of many of the NCC member communions, saying that influence was more important than numbers. Both however seemed equally in decline as the national media, policymakers and everyday churchgoers increasingly directed their attentions toward mainstream Evangelical voices and away from older mainline leadership and tired institutional ecumenism.
During Edgar’s tenure, the NCC continued to prove unappealing to more orthodox faith groups, with evangelicals wary of the NCC’s agenda and one member denomination choosing to permanently disassociate itself from the council.
Bob Edgar’s legacy is a financially sound council, but unfortunately not a strengthened ecumenism.”
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