A Corporation Board hears reports ahead of decisions it will make on Friday

LOUISVILLE — Gathering via Zoom for the first of two days of meetings, the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), A Corporation Board heard several reports on items the board is scheduled to vote on during Friday’s online session.

After checking in with one another, board members shared brief reports on the boards, committees and agencies they represent on the A Corp. Board. Danny O’Gara, general counsel for the Presbyterian Foundation, said construction of the Foundation’s new building should be complete by mid-April, when Foundation employees will begin moving in. Staff from the Presbyterian Investment & Loan Program will move in once General Assembly is complete this summer.

The Rev. Dr. John Wilkinson reported that the Funding Model Development Team is ready to launch its field study. The Rev. Bronwen Boswell, the former interim Stated Clerk of the General Assembly, has agreed to fill one of the vacancies on the team.

The work of the Unification Commission is winding down as the 227^th General Assembly approaches, reported the Rev. Bill Teng, who serves on both the UC and the A Corp Board. The “major accomplishment” most recently completed is the approval of a rewritten Organization for Mission, with the remainder to be adopted during the commission’s Feb. 12 meeting, which will be held online.

A look back at an eventful year

Ian Hall, the interim president of the A Corporation as well as its chief operating officer and chief financial officer, offered a year-in-review report for 2025. Hall said board members can consider the report a preview of the report that the Administrative Services Group will submit to the 227^th General Assembly, which meets online and in person from June 22-July 2.

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Hall called ASG’s work “the ministry of administration.” Its role is “to create conditions that allow mission and ministry to flourish,” he told the board.

In late 2024, Hall was asked to serve as interim president as well as the COO and CFO roles he already held when Kathy Lueckert shared her plan to retire as president. “I want to go on record saying we could not have done that without the support of the senior leadership team at ASG,” Hall said. “It demonstrates the strengths and abilities of the team.” He also credited the board with helping to work on a revised mission statement for the ASG, which includes, “we steward diverse resources entrusted to our care so our partners can do ministry and mission into the future.”

As the Unification Commission had done its work, “I like to think we played a stabilizing role during this transition,” Hall said. “ASG was not in transition, and so stability, I hope, was provided to our colleagues.” Human Resources and Legal Services were both “instrumental in that work,” he said.

“When it comes to financial stewardship and long-term stability, I really think we are faithful stewards of the resources we are blessed with,” Hall said. “We continue with the 2027-28 budget process, which started in 2025.” That work has included multi-year forecasting, “dialing in our assumptions,” and watching trends, he said.

Another important accomplishment was the policy to fully fund reserves, which was approved in 2025. A three months operating reserve is in place, and also included are reserve funds for capital replacement and determined risks. “We should be proud we have those reserves fully funded,” Hall said. “We are moving away from reactionary budgeting and looking at more long-term resiliency when it comes to finances.”

ASG continues to care for the Presbyterian Center in Louisville, Kentucky. Gathering Grounds on the first floor is a newly opened spot for employees and guests to gather and enjoy a hot or a cold drink. Presbyterian Distribution Service and Hubbard Press have both been relocated, and as of last week, the Kentucky Conference of the United Methodist Church moved into about 5,000 square feet in the Presbyterian Center that it’s leasing. “I look forward to that ecumenical partnership,” Hall said.

He also cited significant progress with payment card industry compliance and ASG’s information technology infrastructure.

Hall cited a few year-ending statistics, including:

• The Information Technology service desk processed more than 3,100 service tickets in 2025. Most challenges were resolved within an hour.
• Eighteen percent of suppliers to the A Corporation are companies with diverse ownership. The standard is 10%.
• Hubbard Press distributed more than 43,000 fulfillment orders last year.

Hall finished his talk with five takeaways:

• Administration ministry “is just that. It’s ministry,” he said. “Everything we do is about the stewardship of resources.”
• The A Corporation, which was born in 1799, has provided “stability during a season of change. The A Corporation provides continuity as things continue to evolve and change,” he said.
• “Financial discipline positions us for the future,” he said. Producing a unified budget helps with that endeavor, as do comprehensive reserve policies and a reduction in risk.
• Another key development is “preparing and not reacting to a digital future. We are moving forward in a thoughtful manner with our digital strategy and readiness,” Hall said.
• “Faithful stewardship builds intentional trust.” A strong administrative team “builds trust,” he said, “and trust will allow the A Corporation to lead.”

“Job well done,” said Carol Winkler, the board’s co-moderator.

“I want to compliment Ian and the entire executive staff,” said the Rev. Amy Williams Fowler, another board member. “All this was accomplished with one person down.”

Board members also heard reports on proposed bylaw changes, changes to the employee handbook, and a new Information Technology and Data Security Policy. They’ll decide on those proposed changes and additions during Friday’s online meeting.

Also on Thursday, board members entered into executive (closed) session, then rose to announce they’d taken no action.