The Unification Commission’s four work groups outline their initial steps

Each group reports to the full commission during an online meeting Sunday afternoon

by Mike Ferguson | Presbyterian News Service

Photo by Mohamed Hassan via Pixabay

LOUISVILLE — Continuing its pattern of monthly meetings, the Unification Commission gathered via Zoom Sunday afternoon to hear reports from the four work groups the commission formed during its most recent meeting, March 9-11 in Louisville, Kentucky.

Those work groups — Common Mission, Consultations, Financial and Governance — have been meeting in closed session and will continue to do so after consultations that included Laurie Griffith, Associate Director of Constitutional Interpretation in the Office of the General Assembly, and the Rev. Dr. J. Herbert Nelson, II, Stated Clerk of the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.).

“Their feeling is that work groups and subcommittees typically are not final decision-making bodies,” said Kathy Lueckert, president of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), A Corporation, who’s serving as one of three staff to the commission, formed to unify the OGA and Presbyterian Mission Agency into one body. “They generate recommendations to another body — the full commission. Since these are not decision-making bodies, the decision [following the consultations] is those meetings don’t need to be open to the press.” That “makes the meeting process smoother,” Lueckert told commissioners.

Common Mission

The Rev. Bill Teng said the work group has identified more than a dozen tasks shared by both the OGA and PMA, including sharing the gospel, building disciples, striving to be flourishing faith communities, connecting with the body of Christ, partnering in global mission, practicing good stewardship, having accountability and transparency, advocating for social justice, serving congregations and mid councils and communicating well with them, gathering the church, equipping for worship, strengthening theological underpinnings, channeling financial resources, and articulating identity connected to ecumenical and interreligious concerns.

“We believe the whole church owns these tasks, and we are called to share, partner, lead, cultivate, equip, facilitate and amplify these common mission objectives,” Teng said.

Consultations

The Rev. Dr. Dee Cooper outlined a process over the coming weeks to gather input from several boards, committees, advocacy committees and others. Commission members heard from national staff members during their March meeting, and the Consultations work group will use a closed session to hear from the Presbyterian Mission Agency Board and the Committee on the Office of the General Assembly when they meet jointly on Wednesday.

Each consultation will feature a facilitator, a secondary facilitator to “sit, listen, observe and notice dynamics,” Cooper said, and a scribe to relay information back to the commission.

Each group will be asked the same questions:

• What would you like the Unification Commission to know and consider in their work?
• What are your hopes?
• What are your concerns?
• What questions should we be asking?

If there’s time, the work group wants to ask a fifth question: Thinking about how your work relates to OGA and PMA, what impact would unification have?

Each group would be sent the questions ahead of time, Cooper said, adding, “We want to be transparent, vulnerable and authentic.”

Cooper offered “a special shoutout to Lueckert” for scheduling meetings in the coming weeks with a number of groups, all of whom have their own business to complete. “She is coordinating major things, and she has the lion by the tail,” Cooper said of Lueckert.

Financial

The Rev. Scott Lumsden said this work group has upcoming meetings with the Presbyterian Foundation “to understand designated and undesignated giving, and the dynamics around both.” Members also want to speak with the Rev. Dr. John Wilkinson, who will begin work as the director of the Ministry Engagement & Support team on May 8.

“We are trying to understand finances a little better before we talk with Ian [Hall, Chief Financial Officer and Chief Operating Officer for the A Corporation],” Lumsden said.

Governance

The Rev. Debra Avery said this work group is also mulling several questions, including these: What does governance mean? What has remained constant? How does governance impact change management systems — or does it? How does it impact, create or change agency culture? What do mid councils need? What is the role of caucuses and advisory committees?

“We are trying to understand how the heck we are actually organized,” Avery said. Lueckert produced a chart for the work group describing governance in other denominations, including the Reformed Church in America, the United Church of Christ, the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, The Episcopal Church, the Evangelical Presbyterian Church and the Presbyterian Church in America.

“We are looking at best practices and practices we don’t want to reproduce,” Avery said.

Cristi Scott Ligon, co-chair of the commission along with the Rev. Dr. Felipe Martínez, thanked each of the commissioners for their work.

“When it gets frustrating and overwhelming, remember we serve a big God who isn’t going to let us fail,” Scott Ligon said.

The Unification Commission next meets from 3 p.m. through 5 p.m. Eastern Time via Zoom on Saturday, May 20.