The PC(USA)'s Unification Commission co-moderator updates mid council leaders on the work so far

LOUISVILLE — Asked by mid council leaders to deliver an update Tuesday on the work of the Unification Commission, the Rev. Dr. Felipe Martínez, co-moderator of the commission alongside Cristi Scott Ligon, offered up an account that was both personal and structural.

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“I will never forget how the Unification Commission offered me its care and support when, during an in-person meeting of the UC, I received news from my family in Mexico that my little brother had had a brain hemorrhage,” he told mid council leaders during their gathering online and at the Presbyterian Center in Louisville, Kentucky. “They were there for me with prayer and action.” His brother would die two months later.

Martínez, pastor of First Presbyterian Church in Columbus, Indiana, touched on some of the rewarding moments, including last year’s passage of the unifying budget by the General Assembly, “the product of the hard work of staff to embody the guidance of our commission.” But there have been hard moments as well, such as the announcement that unification meant there would be a reduction in force.

“It has been important that Cristi and I have been available to the staff and leaders like you to be in conversation about the knowns and the unknowns of this unique practice,” Martínez said. “We have had people write to us to tell us that they’re praying for us, to tell us how we’re getting things right, to tell us how we’re getting things wrong — sometimes all those messages in a single email!”

While continuing its work of unification, the commission has taken on the duties as the governance body of the Interim Unified Agency, Martínez noted, following its decision last year to sunset the Committee on the Office of the General Assembly and the Presbyterian Mission Agency Board as of Dec. 31, 2024. He thanked Interim Unified Agency staff as well as the Administrative Services Group, whom he called “willing partners as we are working through difficult things.”

“Our work has focused on listening to the church and on addressing the steps needed to bring about this unification,” he told mid council leaders. One of the most significant decisions the UC made was to structure leadership in a single office, the Stated Clerk of the General Assembly and Executive Director of the Interim Unified Agency, the position currently held by the Rev. Jihyun Oh. “Under her leadership, the Interim Unified Agency described its vision in this way: to be ‘called as a partner to convene, connect, equip and empower the whole church as disciples journeying toward God’s wholeness — in the PC(USA) and beyond,’” Martínez said.

The IUA sees that “justice, love, equity and inclusion … are core and foundational values already embedded in the theology, polity and confessional life of the PC(USA),” Martínez said, adding that the four values for how the IUA lives out those foundational commitments are nimble, trustworthy, learning and courageous.

In September, the UC approved the high-level organizational structure in which the IUA focuses on thriving mid councils, disciple formation and leader development, life of the denomination, restorative justice and witness, and unifying, Martínez noted. The structure “reflects the need for its programs and services, beyond Mid Council Ministries, to be connected to how mid councils are ministering,” he said.

The UC also brought in additional staff to form the Unification Management Office to aid in program management, change management and organizational development “to help staff design and implement an organization and system that serves the whole church better,” Martínez said.

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For those wondering how the agency can better serve mid councils, Martínez said there’s still work to do “designing how Mid Council Ministries supports you.” IUA leaders have made “significant strides, and the hard work of designing this new structure continues while still delivering work. That’s hard,” he said. “You know about that: having the fulltime job of restructuring to match new realities, while still having the fulltime job of doing the ministry to which you have been called.”

“As the full answer comes into focus,” he said, “we ask that you continue to work with us.”

After engaging in several conversations with mid council leaders, Martínez noted that many find themselves in the middle. “You’re managing the challenges of your congregations, putting out fires, while seeking the resources and support from the Interim Unified Agency. So you want us to have a sense of your ministry reality, to be responsive to you and your congregations, to get support in areas of ministry and guidance in legal and immigration challenges.”

Mid council leaders also “want transparency and conversation from the Interim Unified Agency and the Unification Commission related to the changes that are happening. Many of you have been around through ups and downs in our church, and you just don’t want to be caught off guard while trying to explain those changes to folks back home,” Martínez said.

“And because you’ve been around, you also offer grace because you understand that change takes time, and Presbyterian change takes even more time,” he said, drawing nods and laughter. “You know that when complex systems are in the mix, not everything comes out as you planned all the time.”

Martínez said he’s heard “theological and pragmatic questions” over World Mission’s transition to Global Ecumenical Partnerships. “You are right: we could have done more outreach to you, added more layers of communication, made a deeper effort to explain and interpret how this really complex process had been years in the making. And even then, you may have agreed or disagreed with these decisions.”

“You know how hard it is to be nimble in the midst of change,” Martínez said. “That’s where we are, and our efforts lean into faithfulness and trusting that God is guiding our discernment.” He said the UC is “not afraid of having those tough conversations with you if you’re willing to help us figure out the solutions together.”

One way mid council leaders can help is by nominating key leaders from their mid council to be part of the new governance body of the agency. The nomination form is here.

“I can’t imagine what God has in store for us,” Martínez said. “But I trust the Spirit is leading us. I am counting on you [mid council leaders] to be part of this, our common ministry, so the love for our denomination can deepen as we work together to share the love of Jesus and the justice of our God.”