Commission on the Unification of the Office of the General Assembly and the Presbyterian Mission Agency
Livestream (please note: the livestreamed portion of the UC's meeting on Saturday, November 16, 2024 has concluded.)
Next Meeting: December 14, 2024
Additional information and resources are available on Equip.
Watch the live meeting on Vimeo for full-screen viewing.
The Unification Commission would like to hear from you.
Please send your feedback/questions for the commission to unification.commission@pcusa.org.
Upcoming Meetings:
| December 14, 2024 3:00 - 5:00 p.m. (EST) Zoom |
More Information, or to address or observe the meeting:
Alejandra Sherman
alejandra.sherman@pcusa.org.
Members:
| Teaching Elder Debra Avery Great Rivers Presbytery Moving Forward Implementation Committee |
Ruling Elder Emily Martin North Central California Presbytery Young Adult Advisory Delegate - GA225 |
| Ruling Elder Carson Brown Peace River Presbytery Young Adult Advisory Delegate - GA225 |
Teaching Elder Felipe N. Martínez (Co-Moderator) Ohio Valley Presbytery Commissioner - GA225 |
| Teaching Elder Dee Cooper Denver Presbytery Presbyterian Mission Agency Board |
Ruling Elder José Rosa-Rivera Presbiterio de San Juan Per Capita and Financial Sustainability Special Committee |
| Teaching Elder David Davis Coastlands Presbytery Committee on the Office of the General Assembly |
Ruling Elder Cristi Scott Ligon (Co-Moderator) Middle Tennessee Presbytery Commissioner - GA225 |
| Teaching Elder Francis Lin Riverside Presbytery At-Large |
Teaching Elder Bill Teng Peace River Presbytery PCUSA, A Corp Board |
| Teaching Elder Scott Lumsden Seattle Presbytery Per Capita and Financial Sustainability Special Committee |
Ruling Elder Kris Thompson National Capital Presbytery At-Large |
STAFF RESOURCE |
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| Berry Creech Presbyterian Mission Agency |
Kerry Rice Office of the General Assembly |
| Kathy Lueckert Administrative Services Group |
Commission Covenant:
- To pray for one another
- To speak and listen with respect
- To inhale and exhale, to remember to breathe
- To have a posture of open mindedness, ready to listen, not quick to make decisions but seek understanding first
- To offer grace as we share collective witness
- To address things authentically, transparently and directly
- To make tough decisions
- To not be bound by our assumptions
- To be open to the Spirit’s new options we haven’t even considered
- To stay trusting in God
- To know when to speak and act, and know when to be quiet and wait for decisions to come in their time
- To be sensitive to the mindset of staff from OGA and PMA, to pray for them, to be a calming force
- To be consistent in how we communicate officially and unofficially
- To not take ourselves too seriously
- To support and care for one another
Assembly Mandate:
Form a commission to oversee and facilitate the unification of the Office of the General Assembly (OGA) and the Presbyterian Mission Agency (PMA) into a single agency, revise the Organization for Mission to reflect this change, and work to align the entities, boards, committees, and constituent bodies of the General Assembly toward long-term faithfulness and financial sustainability of its mission within the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.).
- The commission shall establish missional and ecclesial coordination and determine the strategies and priorities, across all entities, committees, and constituent bodies of the General Assembly where all available dollars, responsibilities, and charges are evaluated and unified to provide the best accomplishment of General Assembly goals.
- The commission shall provide governance for and have the authority to assume all governance functions of the Presbyterian Mission Agency Board (PMAB) and the Committee on the General Assembly (COGA) as the commission deems necessary.
- The commission will consult with representatives from OGA, PMA, and all other agencies, committees, staff, and PC(USA) entities and their boards, including the advocacy and advisory committees, and mid councils. Additionally, the executive leadership of PMA and OGA shall participate as requested.
- The commission will have the authority to review, adapt, align as necessary, and organize the role(s) and relationships of those committees of the General Assembly, entities, boards, committees and constituent bodies that are not explicitly established in the Book of Order toward long-term faithfulness, financial sustainability, and a unified new structure.
- This commission shall have the power to combine, unify, eliminate, and/or create any necessary organizational structure, including personnel and budget, to accomplish these missional strategies and priorities.
- The commission shall review, address, and align the financial agreements including per capita, restricted, and unrestricted funds, among the Foundation, the Presbyterian Mission Agency, the Office of the General Assembly, and the Presbyterian Church (USA), A Corporation (A Corp) to support the new Organization for Mission so that each area of mission has adequate funds to sustain its mission long-term.
- This commission shall not have the power to change the boards or bylaws of the Board of Pensions (BOP), the Presbyterian Publishing Corporation (PPC), the Presbyterian Investment and Loan Program, Inc. (PILP), the Presbyterian Foundation (PF), or the Presbyterian Church (USA), A Corp, but may make recommendations to these agencies in an effort to better align the mission goals and priorities of the General Assembly.
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Once unification is finalized, the commission shall determine the structure moving forward and present the new Organization for Mission to the 227th General Assembly (2026).
Membership Composition:
- Two members from the Per Capita and Financial Sustainability Committee
- One member of the Moving Forward Implementation Commission or its successor
- Two commissioners from the 225th General Assembly (2022)
- Two members-at-large from the larger church, including persons with expertise in strategic planning, visioning, experience on administrative commissions and/or institutional reorganization
- One representative each from the Committee on the Office of the General Assembly, the Presbyterian Mission Agency Board, and the Board of the Presbyterian Church (USA) A Corporation
- Two Young Adult Advisory Delegates from the 225th General Assembly (2022)