(By Leslie Scanlon, The Presbyterian Outlook). Tony De La Rosa, interim executive director of the Presbyterian Mission Agency, has resigned, apparently effective immediately, and David D. Crittenden, a mid council executive, has been named to replace him as acting director of the Presbyterian Mission Agency.
De La Rosa’s term had been scheduled to continue through November.
The Presbyterian Mission Agency Board met in closed session Sept. 13, and made the announcement several hours later, offering no reason for De La Rosa’s departure.
Ken Godshall, chair of the board, said in the news release: “We are very grateful for Tony’s service and dedication to the Presbyterian Mission Agency. We wish him the very best.”
Crittenden, a Presbyterian Church (USA) minister, currently serves as stated clerk of the Presbytery of Ohio Valley. He has extensive experience as a mid council executive and with the denomination – including having served as the PCUSA’s director of stewardship from 2010 to 2013, as the transitional synod executive of the Synod of Lake and Prairies, and on the staff of the Synod of Lincoln Trials for 16 years, ten of them as co-executive.
Related article: Presbyterian Mission Agency Names New Acting Executive Director
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When I watch “Game of Thrones” every Sunday my thoughts are not so much of the fantasy world of the author, but the palace intrigue of all things PMA-OGA-Louisville. Winter is not coming for the Administrative State PCUSA, its already here. And yes by any objective measure of historical theology the administrative state is apostate. But that in and of itself is not the cause of their ongoing management issues.
The continued chaos and churn of the administrative state is a result of three institutional factors.
-Poor leadership at the top. The three elected leaders remain tone-deaf and insular in their grasp of the institution as a whole, with skill and leadership skill sets limited to bull horns and soapboxes.
-Administrative and head-count bloat as the administrative matrix still continues to staff, pay, keep on the roles people more in line with a 5 million member entity, not 1 million and falling.
-Fear and paranoia in the entity highlighted by closed door meeting, crises management, questionable firings, loyalty clauses or oaths as a condition of employment, and back room politics and poor employee moral as folks turn on each other and employ passive-aggressive tendencies in their public spats.
The current directors of the PMA can change, names change, job titles change. But much like a dying Presbytery who burn though EPs and Staff, who change titles from EP to transitional, to interim, to enabling to convenor to whatever the process and trajectory will not change. Winter is here.