The Presbyterian Mission Agency Board will continue conversations with the Way Forward Commission and All Agency Review Committee through Feb. 28 – trying to work through differing views regarding restructuring of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), A Corporation, which is the corporate entity for the Office of the General Assembly and the Presbyterian Mission Agency. Melinda Sanders, a lawyer from Tennessee who serves as co-chair of the board’s Governance Task Force, told the board in a Feb. 16 conference call meeting that the concerns fall in four areas: The use and control of unrestricted funds; Authority to make personnel decisions; Whether the Presbyterian Mission Agency would be able to determine for itself how to receive administrative services; and The composition of the A Corporation board — “We still have grave concerns” about that, Sanders said. Joe Morrow, a Governance Task Force member, and Wilson Kennedy, from the Committee on the Office of the General … [Read more...]

LOUISVILLE – The Presbyterian Mission Agency Board voted Feb. 8 to approve some changes in its manual of operations regarding the size and structure of its board – but approved other changes provisionally, to give time for more consideration after some board members raised questions. The board also voted to add two ecumenical representatives as corresponding members of the board, with voice but not vote. The board had voted last September to reduce the size of the board from 40 voting members to 20 – and had decided at that time, after significant discussion, not to include any ecumenical representation on that board.   Some of the matters about which board members raised questions or concerns had to do with: Whether the leadership cabinet of the Presbyterian Mission Agency (PMA) has had adequate opportunity to weigh in on proposed changes – such as to the PMA budget process. How the transition process would work in the move from having an executive committee … [Read more...]