The Rev. Jihyun Oh shares aspirational purpose and values with Unification Commission

LOUISVILLE — With the 227^th General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) less than a year away, the Unification Commission continues to move forward in its work to finalize the structure of the new unified agency.

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During day one of its two-day meeting at the Presbyterian Center in Louisville, the commission heard a series of reports, including one from the Stated Clerk of the General Assembly and Executive Director of the Interim Unified Agency. The Rev. Jihyun Oh shared the aspirational purpose and values that she and the Interim Senior Leadership Team have been working on.

In her report to the commission, she said the IUA is not a secular corporation, but an agency of the General Assembly, grounded in its biblical and theological convictions.

"This marks an important step in our shared journey of unifying. The unified agency is called not simply to reorganize, but to discern and reimagine how we serve, partner and grow together,” Oh said. “The IUA’s aspirational purpose and values provide the theological and practical framework for the agency’s work that guides how we show up as partners with courage, trust and a commitment to learning as we serve the whole church.”

Oh added that as the agency works toward God’s wholeness, it must also embody a culture of wholeness.

The agency’s Unification Management Office reported that it has met with nearly 160 staff members in recent weeks to get their take on the purpose and values.

“Each session was structured around key questions that asked everyone to reflect on the aspirational purpose and values, and how they might shape their work in new ways,” said Dr. Cynthia Ganote, change management manager for the UMO. “Staff members were thoughtful and engaged, and they brought candor, deep insight and commitment to the process. A number of people were cautiously optimistic by the end of the session, but there was also some skepticism about whether these words could turn into real behavioral change.”

The UMO is working on a detailed internal communications strategy to keep staff fully informed and engaged.

During Thursday’s meeting, the Unification Commission also approved a job description for members of the future Unified Agency’s governing body.

The approved recommendation came from the commission’s ministry coordination committee. Primary tasks will include:

• Advise, guide, evaluate, support, and collaborate with the Stated Clerk of the General Assembly and Executive Director of the Unified Agency (SC/ED)
• Oversee the operations and performance of the Unified Agency
• Fulfill fiduciary responsibility by establishing budget development and approval processes and working with agency leadership to present a budget to General Assembly
• Work with the Stated Clerk of the General Assembly of the PC(USA) and Executive Director of the new agency, as well as the President of the Administrative Services Group to establish and maintain accountability standards
• Ensure effective communication within the Unified Agency as well as General Assembly commissioners, mid councils and congregations
• Maintain/nurture relationships with other national entities of the PC(USA).

“Members of this new body will be stepping into a vital role. Their leadership will shape how the unified agency lives into its purpose and values — not only through governance and oversight, but by helping to carry the work of unification,” said commission member the Rev. Debra Avery, who also serves on the committee. “This is a call to serve the whole church in a way that is both strategic and Spirit-led.”

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The new governing body will also guide the ongoing unification efforts by working with the agency’s leadership team and the Unification Management Office. Governing body members will be nominated by the General Assembly Nominating Committee and reflect GA values related to diversity, equity and inclusion as well as other factors such as geography and size of congregation.

The new governing body will include:

• Ordained ruling and teaching elders with each office representing 50% of the elected body.
• Four members of the Unification Commission in the first two classes
• The Stated Clerk/Executive Director and the Moderator(s) as ex-officio members.

The body is expected to meet three to four times a year in- person with the possibility of additional virtual meetings. Each member will also be assigned to a standing committee that will meet virtually between in-person meetings.

In other action, the commission:

• Approved reducing the size of the General Assembly Nominating Committee from 16 to 12
• Disapproved new nominations to the Presbyterian Historical Society board at this time in order to complete its evaluation of all committees
• Finalized the 2026 commission meeting schedule which will include monthly meetings from January through June (both in person and online).

Friday meeting is set aside for committee work with staff and partners and is not being livestreamed. The next scheduled meeting of the Unification Commission is Sept. 25-26.