The labor-intensive work of unification

LOUISVILLE — The staffing and direction of the Unification Management Office came into sharper focus on Friday as the Unification Commission concluded its in-person meetings at the Presbyterian Center in Louisville, Kentucky.

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Vivian Blade, the UMO’s program manager, presented to the UC an overview of the work planned for 2025 and into the 227th General Assembly, which will be held online and in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, June 22-July 2, 2026. Commissioners to GA will vote on the recommendations presented by the UC, which will include a new Organization for Mission, a proposed unified budget for 2027-28 and a detailed plan moving forward for solidifying the unification of the former Office of the General Assembly and the former Presbyterian Mission Agency, which have been combined into the Interim Unified Agency.

The UMO’s primary role “is to develop and oversee a structured plan and process that supports a collaborative, organized, smooth and mission-driven implementation into a fully unified organization,” Blade told the UC. During April, a change management manager, a project manager/analyst and a strategic communications manager will be joining Blade aboard the UMO.

Blade explained the UMO has five main tasks:

• Manage the unification implementation plan to achieve a unified operating model and organization
• Inspire engagement and commitment by fostering trust, enthusiasm and a shared sense of purpose
• Provide project tools and processes, including training for consistency and effectiveness in project implementation
• Facilitate collaborations to effectively align unification efforts
• Provide project leadership and oversight.

The structure Blade proposed drew approval from UC members.

“We as a commission understood the task,” said the Rev. Scott Lumsden, “but we didn’t understand how we would get there. With the senior leadership team in place and you and [UC consultant] Kelly [Beeland] working together, I am very encouraged by the path forward.”

Blade identified UMO’s accomplishments to date, including establishment of a working relationship with the Interim Senior Leadership Team, support for the ISLT on the Global Ecumenical Partnerships transition, a beginning of the work with ISLT on development of an operating model, and the establishment of project management methodologies, tools and change management strategies.

She identified these next steps and their targeted completion dates:

• Establish project priorities with ISLT and determine key unification dates and milestones that are General Assembly related, by March 28
• Develop a unification implementation plan by April 4
• Hire UMO staff and onboard them by April 30
• Guide the work of the ISLT on operating model development during the week of March 24-28
• Support the Global Ecumenical Partnerships transition during March and April
• Begin project work based on established priorities by March 31
• Work with the UC’s Resource Coordination Committee on budget development process by March 31 and following

“What gives me encouragement is the experience you have and the skills you bring to help us with this work,” said another commissioner, the Rev. Dr. Dave Davis. “I wonder from your wealth of experience: if this was an Olympic sport, what would be the degree of difficulty?”

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It’s 4 out of 5, Blade replied.

One advantage is “you are already formed as a commission. You are focused on this work and are open to the expertise you need,” Blade said. “There is some foundation to come in on.”

One challenge is, “you have been on a journey for a little while. There have been hard decisions to make. We want to recognize that and honor that as well,” Blade said. “There is a lot of work yet to do, and at times it will still be hard. We are on an accelerated timeline where we are just now getting a Unification Management Office to help navigate this work.”

“I am becoming bilingual in unification language,” said the Rev. Dr. Felipe Martínez, the UC’s co-chair. “You are a native unification speaker. You bring a framework that is very specific with your expertise and experience,” which “I find super helpful.”

Blade asked commissioners, “How does the UC support the UMO in being nimble with this work?”

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“We want to stay out of the way as much as possible,” said the Rev. Deb Avery, a UC member. “The language of implementation is throughout your presentation. We are past theory and visioning now. We are in the implementation stage.”

“For me, the word that keeps coming back to mind is ‘sustainable,’ said Carson Brown, a UC member. “Given the attempts in the past to change the shape of the national office,” some people “are skeptical that whatever happens will be lasting.”

“I know there is change fatigue. The work will be toward sustainability,” Blade said, “but there will be a need for agility and adaptability. Things don’t stay constant in the universe.”

Communication will be another important quality, especially in the lead-up to the 227th General Assembly, according to Commissioner Kris Thompson. “I don’t know that we’ve kept an eye on that,” Thompson said. “If we don’t undergird this with good communications, we will not be set up well going into GA.”

“Whatever we do, we need to be relevant,” said the Rev. Bill Teng, another commissioner. “One question I hear from people is, what does Louisville have to do with us? What do they have to offer? How can they make us better?”

“How can we make our work relevant to them?” Teng asked. “[On Thursday] we talked about connectionalism, empowering and equipping ministry. How do we do that?”

“Sometimes we lose sight of that as we go on with our work,” Blade said. “An important question is, who do we serve and what do they need from us?” She thanked Teng for bringing the matter to the attention of the commission.

2026 meeting schedule

Commissioners didn’t vote on their 2026 meeting schedule, but here are the proposed dates heading into the upcoming Assembly:

• Jan. 22-24, in person
• Zoom meeting sometime in February
• March 19-20, in person
• Zoom meeting sometime in April
• May 21-22, in person

“Pencil in those dates,” Martínez recommended. “I sense a consensus these will work.”

The commission meets next May 22-23 at the Presbyterian Center.