The Presbyterian Church (USA) has undertaken significant restructuring, resulting in the termination of 12 national staff members, due to ongoing challenges with declining membership and donations.
The Rev. Jihyun Oh, the executive director and stated clerk of the PCUSA General Assembly, explained in a statement that this restructuring effort is “a lengthy process that seeks to align the mission and ministry of two General Assembly agencies to the needs of today's church, society, and our denomination.”
Oh emphasized that “we are at most half the size compared to when the current structures were set up. Migration patterns are bringing global neighbors into our communities so that the global is local and the local is global.”
She highlighted that the reconfiguration involved collaboration with leaders from predecessor agencies and the Administrative Services Group, as well as guidance from the Unification Commission. The goal is to “move toward sustainable ministries that better align with our vision and values, as well as mission and ministry priorities.”
The reconfiguration plans include dissolving the Presbyterian Mission Agency's Peacemaking Program, merging the Vital Congregations Program with the PCUSA's church planting initiative, 1001 New Worshiping Communities, ceasing publication of the Presbyterian Historical Society Journal of Presbyterian History, and halting in-person meetings of various committees.
These efforts are aimed at achieving a “sustainable, balanced 2025–26 budget” with a targeted $5 million reduction and decreased staff levels.
An online chapel service was held by PCUSA on Wednesday, attended by approximately 90 staff members, to honor the contributions of the 12 unnamed national staff members affected by the cuts. These individuals will retain their benefits, as reported by the Presbyterian News Service.
The PCUSA, like many religious groups in the United States, has faced significant membership decline over the past two decades. According to the PCUSA Office of the General Assembly's annual statistics report released in May last year, the denomination had approximately 1.140 million members in 2022, a sharp decline from around 2.5 million members in 2000. It first dropped below 2 million members in 2011.
In a bid to address its future positioning, the A Corporation board, serving as the corporate entity for the PCUSA General Assembly, considered the option of selling the denomination's headquarters located in downtown Louisville, Kentucky. The Presbyterian Center, as it's known, became home to the PCUSA leadership following a merger in 1983.
Communications Director Rick Jones previously informed The Christian Post that the potential sale is part of “a conversation about the long-term future” of the Church, noting, however, that “no decision has been made about what the future might be” for the Center.
