World Mission 'retools' to better serve grassroots Presbyterian mission efforts

LOUISVILLE – The Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)’s World Mission program is retooling its ministry to respond to the growing number of grassroots Presbyterians who are participating in God’s mission around the globe, World Mission director the Rev. Hunter Farrell announced Tuesday, Jan. 29.

World Mission has created three associate director positions, including one charged with leading a work area dedicated to training congregational mission committees, mission networks and other mission initiators. A search will be launched for an associate director to lead that work area, which is called Equipping the Church for Mission, and for a mission training materials specialist who also will serve in that area.

“This ‘retooling’ responds to the needs of the 230 Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) mission leaders and global partners I have interviewed over the past six months,” said Farrell, who began his current assignment Aug. 1, [2007]. “Whereas for decades the General Assembly Council (GAC) ‘did’ international mission in behalf of the denomination, changes in international travel and communication have opened up new possibilities for Presbyterians to participate in international mission.”

Farrell said he found that World Mission’s constituencies want it to continue to deploy high-quality, long-term mission personnel, serve as a nexus for the growing network of Presbyterians involved in mission work and equip the church for mission.

Equipping the Church for Mission and two other work areas, Mission Partners and Programs and Mission Personnel, will seek to meet the needs of World Mission’s constituencies, Farrell said.

Two veteran PC(USA) staff members will lead the Mission Partners and Programs and Mission Personnel work areas.

Doug Welch, the coordinator for Africa, will be the associate director for Mission Partners and Programs. This work area will include all area coordinators and the International Evangelism office. Welch will continue his current duties in the Africa office.

Jo Ella Holman, the associate for mission personnel education and training, will be associate director for Mission Personnel. Recruiting, training and caring for mission personnel will be the responsibility of this work area. In addition to the new associate directors, other existing World Mission staff will have new duties.

Two administrative assistant positions, one in Mission Service Recruitment data entry and a vacant position in the South America and Caribbean office were eliminated in the reorganization. The affected individual will receive a separation package in accordance with GAC policies. All personnel changes are effective immediately.

Those receiving new responsibilities include:
Nancy Cavalcante, associate for National Volunteers, who will be coordinator of Mission Service Recruitment.
Shannon Langley, coordinator for Direct Mission Involvement, who will be coordinator of the Young Adult Volunteer and National Volunteer programs. The Young Adult Volunteer program was previously divided into national and international components, but it will now be under the auspices of a single office.
K. T. Ockels, current coordinator for Mission Service Recruitment, who will move to the director’s office as projects and operations manager.

Besides maximizing the experience and talents of World Mission staff, Farrell listed four other objectives he hopes the retooled mission program will achieve. They include:

A user-friendly environment that will serve congregations, presbyteries networks and other mission initiators. The Equipping the Church for Mission work area will provide mission initiators contacts, training, information and encouragement. The work area also will equip all World Mission staff to be more “client centered” as they relate to mission initiators.

Expanded mission service recruiting efforts to help willing Presbyterians hear God’s call to mission service. Qualified candidates for mission may be referred to other sending agencies when a position is not available through World Mission. A major push will be made to grow participation in the Young Adult Volunteer program and to elicit financial support for qualified young adults who cannot afford to participate in the year-long experience.

Refocusing the work of the area coordinators to include mission initiators. The seven area coordinators will provide enhanced leadership in efforts to facilitate the growing number of Presbyterians participating in mission networks. Currently, World Mission staff serves 30 networks that have formed around mission interests in a particular country or among a certain people group. Area coordinators will travel less internationally and some of the work they now do will be picked up by 32 regional liaisons serving around the world.

Giving more support to PC(USA)-appointed mission personnel. Decision-making will be streamlined on personnel matters and more input will be sought from mission personnel on decisions related to mission policy.

“In essence we are trying to take the highly effective ways we have been doing mission in partnership with global partners around the world and apply them to mission initiators and mission personnel from our own denomination,” Farrell said.

He noted that the recent mission consultation in Dallas was a significant step in helping to bring diverse Presbyterian mission groups together for coordination, the sharing of best practices and clarifying core values and missional practices that those values require.

“The spirit of the meeting in Dallas and the promise of building on our denomination’s tremendous mission energy through a retooled World Mission program make me optimistic about the future,” Farrell said.

“Our primary goal is to be faithful to the God who calls us to participate in mission. The prayers of Presbyterians across the denomination are needed as we move forward together into a new chapter of what, by God’s grace, has been our church’s magnificent mission story.”

-------by Pat Cole, Associate for Communications, World Mission, PCUSA
Date given above is an artifice; please disregard.