The Rev. Sarah Moore-Nokes appointed as director of Mid Council Ministries
Most recently, she served as general presbyter for Winnebago Presbytery
The Interim Unified Agency of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) announced this week that the Rev. Sarah Moore-Nokes has been appointed as director of Mid Council Ministries. Moore-Nokes has been hired for an 18-month term.
The previous director of Mid Council Ministries was the Rev. Dr. Tim Cargal, who served for almost a year as interim director after the Rev. Jihyun Oh left the role in 2024 to become Stated Clerk of the General Assembly and Executive Director of the Interim Unified Agency.
The director of Mid Council Ministries oversees more than a dozen employees who provide ministry support to presbytery and synod leaders in a number of ways, including training and education, call process support, constitutional interpretation, insight on immigration issues and advocacy, and more.
Moore-Nokes comes to the position after nearly two decades of presbytery leadership. She has served in a variety of roles, most recently as general presbyter of the Winnebago Presbytery, which consists of 28 congregations in north central and northeastern Wisconsin. She described her work in presbytery leadership as having given her deep understanding of both the challenges and the importance of mid councils.
“I'm excited about joining the IUA staff, particularly during this time of transition,” Moore-Nokes said. “Mid councils are the glue that hold our connectional denomination together, and I'm eager to support mid council leaders and help strengthen denominational infrastructure for this important work.”
In addition to her church leadership work, Moore-Nokes is also a certified coach. She created her own coaching and consulting business in 2018 and has been coaching full-time since 2020. Moore-Nokes was led to become certified as a coach because of the benefits having a coach brought to her presbytery work. She says her coaching work has also prepared her for her new role as director of Mid Council Ministries.
Oh believes that Moore-Nokes is the right person for such a time as this. “Sarah has a keen understanding of systems and listens intently for the needs that exist,” Oh said. “Sarah will not only support the ministries currently in the Mid Council Ministries, but will help guide the unified agency as it works to support the vitality of all mid councils.”
“A key skill of coaching is listening, and I believe a key skill of leading is listening,” Moore-Nokes said. “I'll be listening carefully to the hopes and needs of mid council leaders as well as what's working in their various places. I've also been privileged to coach mid council leaders in a variety of contexts, so while I most recently served in a small presbytery, I have a sense of how diverse our presbyteries and synods are.”
While Moore-Nokes is excited to begin her work, she said she has not set any specific goals or expectations for the next 18 months. Instead, she’s focused on learning more and understanding what the priorities for her ministry are first. She will begin her work on July 14.
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