Coalition Names Terry Schlossberg Executive Director

The Board of the Presbyterian Coalition is very pleased to announce the selection of Terry Schlossberg to be its Executive Director, effective September 1, 2005.

The position is a new one created to offer leadership among our renewal partners in a spirit of mutual concern for the building up of the body of Christ in the PCUSA. The position calls for Terry to lead the Coalition in organizing, collaborating and visioning for the good of the whole church.

A member and elder currently serving on session at The National Presbyterian Church in Washington, D.C., Terry is well-known in Coalition circles and in the PCUSA generally. She has been active within the Coalition since its beginning, serving on numerous committees including the Coalition’s Nominating Committee and the task force that produced the Coalition's Unity in Christ documents. In addition, Terry has led the cooperative renewal effort in preparation for several recent General Assemblies. She has worked with and aided people from a wide variety of reform and renewal perspectives. She is appreciated for her extensive knowledge of the structure and polity of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), as well as for her relationships with men and women at all levels of leadership in the denomination.

She also has significant experience beyond the Coalition. She formerly served as Executive Director of Presbyterians Pro-Life and is a member of the board of the Institute on Religion and Democracy. She has been an integral part of the Presbyterian Renewal Network.

As the Coalition’s Executive Director, Terry will be pursuing two complementary goals. The Coalition board is calling her to facilitate collaboration among Presbyterians seeking to revitalize the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.). They also are calling her to give leadership to the growing concerns for new ways of accomplishing the mission of the church in our day. She will be actively engaged with Presbyterians seeking a more faithful expression of our life together in the future.

When she begins work on September 1, 2005, Terry will hit the ground running. Already planned is the Coalition’s Gathering IX in Orlando, Florida, November 7-9. Preparations for the 217th General Assembly (2006) in Birmingham have already begun. Terry is actively working to keep open lines of communication among renewal partners.

Terry said, “It is time for us to coalesce around the very heart of our faith and the calling we have from the Savior of the Church. It is time to join our hands and go to work to reclaim every aspect of the mission Christ has given his disciples. Together we can restore the Great Ends of the Church to a living reality in our time. The Presbyterian Coalition has a unique opportunity to encourage and lead in this effort."

Co-moderator of the Coalition, Jerry Andrews, in commending Terry to the Board said, “In Terry Schlossberg, we have found a proven, effective, and thoughtful leader. For the first time in our history, the Coalition will have an Executive Director serving full time from whom we will receive leadership in strategic planning, in coordination of effort, and in setting, with the wide participation of the renewal wing of the church, the vision and future direction of our efforts within the church, always working and praying for the faithfulness of the whole church.”