Interim Unified Agency of the PC(USA) announces shift in approach to global ministry engagement

LOUISVILLE — Leaders in the Interim Unified Agency have taken the next step in reimagining Christ’s global ministry work through the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A). This week, IUA staff were notified of the changes that will move global ministry to a new approach designed to build stronger connections with faith communities around the world.

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“For years, we have been hearing from our global and ecumenical partners and diaspora communities that the world and the church are changing and the ways we engage with one another need to keep shifting,” said the Rev. Jihyun Oh, Stated Clerk of the General Assembly and Executive Director of the IUA. “This approach continues our commitment to partnership and takes the next step of moving from sending missionaries to being more equal ministry partners in the world. We have been shifting in that direction for decades and are taking another significant step this year. We do this as part of the global Church participating in God’s ongoing mission in the world, in us, and in our partners. The hope is that this approach will help us be more nimble in responding to the ongoing shifts in the world and in the church while continuing to foster deeper and broader relationships with faith communities worldwide.”

Under the new plan, a select group of staff who are currently serving as mission co-workers and in administrative roles within World Mission will transition into a new role as Global Ecumenical Liaisons. The Liaisons will be deployed internationally and across the United States to serve as a connecting and ambassadorial resource with PC(USA) partners around the world. The new role will require working closely with congregations, mid councils and new worshiping communities that are partnered with worldwide ministries. They will also serve as facilitator support for partner programs, relationships, and activities, and will implement local, regional and/or global strategies.

“This is a renewing vision for how we engage in the U.S. and around the world. That means we are creating new positions with gifts, skills and abilities to meet the shifting patterns of global mission engagement,” said Sara Lisherness, Deputy Executive Director for Mission Program in the IUA. “It honors the amazing maturation and spiritual leadership of the Protestant and Reformed church all over the world.”

“We further hope that those who love and support PC(USA)’s global missional and ecumenical engagement will take time to learn about and support this approach,” Lisherness added. “The legacy of God’s world engagement through the PC(USA) is massive and filled with blessings, profound courage and faithfulness, as well as missteps and harm,” she said.

“This new approach won’t be perfect,” she underscored, “yet we are confident it will demonstrate a deeper mutuality with our global partners.”

The shift also means all World Mission staff positions will be revised, and some will be concluded. The new model means a reduction in the number of people who are deployed internationally. The World Mission ministry is currently composed of 79 staff. The redesigned area will have 44 staff ministering together in a renewed way.   

“This is an opportunity for a new vision and financial sustainability to align,” said Tamron Keith, Associate Director for World Mission Finance. “We have been assessing our financial history and forecasting with the help of actuarial consultants for five years now, and it is clear that we need to take this step proactively now, or we will likely need to react to a bigger crisis in the near future."

The Rev. Mienda Uriarte, Director of World Mission, underscored that “mission co-workers are eligible for service in the new ecumenical liaison roles. Individuals who are not selected to serve in these roles may also apply for other open positions within the Interim Unified Agency.”

Regarding those whose positions may be concluded, Uriarte lamented, “These are our colleagues, co-workers, friends. Many have served for years, decades even. We pray for and care about their well-being and future.”

Any person whose position will be concluded will be offered salary continuation and severance packages based on their service.  

“The prayer, consultation, analysis and process with which we in the IUA, particularly those in World Mission, alongside the governing bodies of the Unification Commission and A Corp Board, have sought to discern God’s will is significant. We have also tried to approach this process with care for the staff who serve within the IUA, but know that not everyone has felt that,” said Oh.

The plans for these shifts have been reviewed and supported by the Unification Commission. The board of the PC(USA), A Corporation, the employer of record, also prayerfully considered and approved the rationale and process for making these changes from an HR perspective earlier in January.

Oh said that continued reform is needed for the denomination, for the role it has played in the past, to build and sustain long-term mutual ministry partnerships, adding that significant advances in transportation, technology and communication have improved the church’s ability to connect on the global stage. Many existing mission co-workers already operate from this approach. The renewed approach will extend that way of serving to all of the Global Ecumenical Liaisons.

“Unification has allowed us to reimagine many ministries that were divided between the former Presbyterian Mission Agency and Office of the General Assembly, and that includes global-ecumenical and interfaith ministries,” Oh said. “The partner relationships that we have built over the years continue to be highly valued, and we look forward to moving toward deeper mutuality in our partnerships.”

Over the past year, Oh has worked closely with both OGA and PMA leaders to address the changing international landscape, including the Rev. Dr. Diane Moffett, former President and Executive Director of the Presbyterian Mission Agency; the Rev. Bronwen Boswell, former Acting Stated Clerk of the Office of the General Assembly; Lisherness, the Deputy Executive Director for Mission Programs; and Uriarte, Director of World Mission, among others.

“This was not a decision that was made quickly or without careful consideration. The decision to transform World Mission is based on information we have gathered and counsel we have received from our global partners and mission personnel over the last 20 years. While the former labels and vocabulary terms are going away, the ministry and mission are being enhanced,” said Uriarte. “The newly envisioned roles are designed to transform our ecumenical witness worldwide, strengthening global and interfaith relationships through strategic, supportive engagements.”

“Our international commitment will focus on regional engagement, linking mid councils and congregations with partner churches in other parts of the world,” said Uriarte. "We look forward to sharing a deeper dive into how these changes and redesigned positions will work with those who are interested in the very near future.”

Oh says the new ecumenical approach presents opportunities and challenges.

“We affirm our commitment to the unity of the Church, and the ecumenical challenge for today moves beyond that initial vision of unity to the Church’s participation in God’s healing and wholeness for God’s beloved world,” she said. “This broader goal of Christian ecumenism requires us to ask how we can be partners with others in answering and acting on this call to ministry together.”

“We recognize that what we’re sharing with you in this interview doesn’t answer all the questions the readers may have or completely paint the picture of how this will work,” said Oh. “We are committed to sharing more about this approach in the coming days and months as we learn our way into it and make adjustments along the way. We also hope that this learning and adjusting will involve feedback and imagining with the denomination more broadly.”   

“The days leading up to these changes included a lot of online inquiries and comments by people who love this denomination and want us all to live up to our vision and values,” Uriarte noted. “We have done that to the best of our capacities at each step of the way during these several years o learning, reflection and now, action. Thank you for your care and concern. We also thank those who recognize the sensitivity with which we had to move prayerfully, discerningly, and intentionally through the process because of our care and commitment with our mission personnel who have served so faithfully and well.”

Expect some additional backgrounding about the new approach, how it will be lived out and how it rises to the occasion of the shifting world circumstances in the coming days.

For inquiries or comments, please email feedback@pcusa.org.