In November of 2023, the Assembly Council created the Working Group on Narratives of Hope and Possibility to recommend pathways that position the PCC in an attitude of openness and possibility regarding its future. In June of 2025, based on the recommendations of the Working Group and the Assembly Council, the General Assembly approved the appointment of a Special Commission, the Change Leadership Team, to encourage the apostolic witness of the church. As of August 2025, the Change Leadership team is well into its work to achieve these deliverables, as directed by the General Assembly.
Hope and Possibility in a Season of Urgent Change
Stories of Jesus’ resurrection have transformed lives and reshaped the church for generations. Today, stories of hope and renewed purpose are emerging from presbyteries, sessions, congregations, and ministry partnerships across The Presbyterian Church in Canada (PCC). These communities testify that Jesus still shows up among us and continues to send the church into the world — through the power of the Holy Spirit — for Christ’s mission of reconciliation and transformation,
We are not merely an institution trying to survive. We are part of the body of Christ — animated by the God who brings life out of death. We are being called — once again — to cast our nets on the other side.
In this season, the Spirit breathes again: Do not be afraid. I am sending you.
Equipping for the Sent: Formation of the Change Leadership Team
In November of 2023, the Assembly Council created the Working Group on Narratives of Hope and Possibility to recommend pathways that position the PCC in an attitude of openness and possibility regarding its future. The Working Group believed that our church is ready for revitalizing change, reassured by the stories in John 20 -21 of Jesus showing up and Jesus sending us.
In June of 2025, based on the recommendations of the Working Group and the Assembly Council, the General Assembly approved the appointment of a Special Commission, the Change Leadership Team, which is collaborating to encourage the apostolic witness of the church and support “sentness” across the PCC. (See pages 31 and 50 of the 2025 Acts and Proceedings https://presbyterian.ca/gao/acts-and-proceedings/).
The Change Leadership Team first met in August 2025 and is now well into its work to achieve these deliverables (originally described as outcomes), as directed by the General Assembly.
Deliverables:
- A robust lay leadership program
- The design and implementation of shared services (previously labelled Denominational Resource Centres) in four areas (Human Resources, Financial Management, Information Technology and Legal Services)
- A design of multiple models of ministry
- A design for regional teams, and the initial implementation of some teams
- A proposal for the revised structure of the church at all levels – presented to the 2027 General Assembly
The Terms of Reference for the Change Leadership Team also include revisiting the policy on the allocation of resources from the sale of closed buildings and making recommendations to the 2026 General Assembly. The Terms of Reference emphasize collaboration and consultation in all this work.
These deliverables are not ends in themselves, but strategic building blocks that position our denomination for these attributes of a more hopeful future:
- An emboldened church willing to risk, rooted in resurrection hope, committed to mission
- Reclaimed identity of priesthood of all believers through strong Christian formation for all
- Lay people are purposefully encouraged and supported in leadership alongside clergy
- Energized and engaged clergy, continually equipped for leadership
- Thriving congregations as hubs of ministry, collaborating with each other and ecumenical and community partners
- Church courts focused on gospel ministry, relieved of administration burden.
The Change Leadership Team’s Work to Date
Currently, the Change Leadership Team’s work is focused on gathering information about existing and visioned models of ministries, training for laity and clergy, opportunities to reduce the burden on congregations and presbyteries associated with legal, HR, finance, and IT needs, and on how regional staff teams might support these ministries. We continue to hear wonderful stories of inspiration and faithfulness.
With the assistance of a consultant, we are integrating these insights and developing a detailed project plan to achieve the deliverables in a timely manner. These steps will include surveys, focus groups, and conversations with many people across the church. The Communications staff of the PCC are supporting us in ensuring regular updates.
Our Team appreciates the input of those who have generously shared their time and perspectives thus far. We are your brothers and sisters in Christ, recognizing our own frailty and dependence upon Christ to guide us as we seek his will.
What is asked of you?
Please pray for the Change Leadership Team and our church in these urgent times. Provide feedback through upcoming surveys, accept invitations for conversation and consider opportunities to pilot initiatives. Engage with your local communities and PCC courts about this work. Imagine a church where there is permission to risk, for the sake of the gospel of Jesus Christ.
Confident in Jesus’ promise of peace and presence, collectively we respond to his questions of hope and possibility for The Presbyterian Church in Canada:
“Do you love me?”
“Do you love me more than all this?”
“Feed my sheep.”
In Christ,
The Change Leadership Team
Yvonne Bearbull, Colin Conrad, Roberto DeSandoli, Maeve Forde, In Kee Kim, Peter Kinch, Heather Malnick, Debora Rolls, Cindy Stephenson (Convenor), Richard Topping, Renee Yardley
Change Leadership Team (Special Commission) Update #1, November 2025
Click above to download for discussion
Printer Settings: Landscape/Grayscale to save on ink.
From Left to Right: Dave Hughes and Denise Hughes (Blueridge Management Consulting Inc.), Roberto DeSandoli (Saskatoon), In Kee Kim (Etobicoke), Cindy Stephenson (Calgary), Renee Yardley (Montreal), Maeve Forde (Waterloo), Debora Rolls (Peterborough), Yvonne Bearbull (Kenora), Heather Malnick (Bracebridge), Peter Kinch (Toronto), and on screen: Richard Topping (Vancouver) and Colin Conrad (Halifax).
The Change Leadership Team recently requested input from Presbyteries about possible new models of ministry, lay and regional leadership, as well as shared services for Finance, Human Resources, Legal and Information Technology. The survey can be viewed or downloaded .
A Conversation with John Reeves, Elder at Union PC, Thorburn, NS
The Change Leadership Team (Special Commission) of the 2025 General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church in Canada chats with John Reeves, an Elder at Union Presbyterian Church in Thorburn, Nova Scotia.
Working Group on Narratives of Hope and Possibility (Now Concluded)
Update: Assembly Council Working Group on Narratives of Hope and Possibility
The Assembly Council Working Group on Narratives of Hope and Possibility, with the approval of the General Assembly, continues its work, focusing on, among other tasks, identifying a narrative that will amplify the hope and possibility the PCC believes God intends for the denomination. In an update to the most recent Assembly Council meeting held November 25 and 26 at Crieff Hills in southern Ontario, the working group reported that the gospel story in John 20 and 21 had been chosen as a foundational narrative needed for the PCC now and in the future. These two post-resurrection narratives encapsulated in two Easter watchwords — “Jesus shows up” and “Jesus sends us”— have emerged as clear ways to imagine God’s desire and direction for the church.
The working group plans to present a final report containing recommendations for consideration by the Assembly Council when it meets again in March 2025. The recommendations will focus on changes at the local, regional, and national levels of the church in areas of leadership, structure, and the allocation of resources.
Endorsing the work of the group through a vote of confidence, the Assembly Council tasked the working group with exploring and recommending pathways that position the PCC as open to possibility regarding its future. The terms of reference note that the working group is responsible for reflecting on, reviewing, publicizing, and reinforcing faithful, Christ-centered narratives for the denomination to clarify and encourage the PCC to imagine, learn, and act upon narratives that can lead to renewal, transformation, and vitality for congregations, courts, and church agencies. Other responsibilities include providing a theological rationale that underpins any narrative and invitation to transformational change and presenting to the denomination faithful stories of hope and possibility that can lead to a renewal in the structures of the denomination. In addition, the working group has written an ecclesiology that will inform the proposed changes to the structure, leadership and use of resources while also exploring exemplary practices and experiences of other Christian denominations, both in Canada and beyond. It was further agreed that Indigenous members would be formally added to the working group.
The working group’s report, which will be presented to the 2025 General Assembly through the Assembly Council, is meant to inspire direction and vision for the future of the PCC as guided by Christ. The convenor of the working group is the Rev. Dr. Jean Morris.
Read a full update in the Spring Edition of Connection.
The Rev. Dr. Patricia Dutcher-Walls, Moderator of the 2024 General Assembly of the PCC, earlier held an online workshop that considered biblical stories of hope from the Bible that lay a foundation for our own stories of hope and possibility. Designed for clergy and lay leaders, the workshop considers how Jesus’ words and actions impart hope for our congregations today and complements the project undertaken by the Assembly Council’s Working Group on Narratives of Hope and Possibility. The Working Group has been tasked to help the church imagine, learn and act upon narratives that could lead to renewal, transformation and vitality.
How to use this toolkit
- Gather as a group—big or small, it doesn’t matter—in a convenient and comfortable space.
- Open with prayer, a land acknowledgement and general introductions.
- Set aside at least 2-3 hours to complete the workshop.
- Make sure to download the different handouts on this page:
- Make one copy of each of the following handouts for each participant: the starting handout , the John 20 handout and the John 21 handout .
- For the facilitator of your workshop, one copy of each of the 4 Feedback Handouts that include the 4 key questions you will answer as you complete the workshop. The handouts can be downloaded here as Word documents.
Feedback form 1 | Feedback form 2 | Feedback form 3 | Feedback form 4 - Make sure also to include your location, the date of the workshop, how many people participated, and how many congregations were represented among the participants (on Feedback form #1)
- View the online introduction (held on January 11 as an online workshop) together as one group. The workshop is 37 minutes long.
- Break up into smaller groups to discuss and consider the four questions in the handouts.
- Return as one group and share the feedback from the smaller groups. This is the time when the facilitator will take notes of feedback from the small groups on the four feedback handouts.
- Close the workshop.
- Send the feedback to . [Note: If you record the feedback by hand, please type it into the feedback forms if possible before sending it in.] Grace will forward your feedback to Pat, who will use the information in her report for the 2025 General Assembly.
Break up into smaller groups to discuss and consider the four questions in the handouts.