By Adam Bouverette, Director of Human Resource Ministries
When your willingness to live in sacred community as Christ’s new creation exceeds your natural fear of spiritual and relational transformation, you will become who you are called to be. The rise of Zion the beautiful, the peaceful reign of Christ, awaits your whole-hearted response to the call to make and steadfastly hold to God’s covenant of peace in Jesus Christ.
It has been a season of meaningful progress in Human Resource Ministries, and I want to share some good news from my first full year in this role. There is much more to do, but there is also real reason for gratitude.
Currency fluctuation and inflation in many parts of the world have, over time, eroded the real value of pension payments for some of our international retirees. In partnership with the Presiding Bishopric, we have identified a faithful path forward that protects these retirees and honors the commitment our church made to them at the time of their service. The work to implement that care is now underway, and we are grateful to be in a position to take this step.
We are also doing thoughtful work to build a more methodical approach to compensation across the diverse economic contexts in which Community of Christ serves. There is meaningful exploration in progress—it is not yet ready to be shared in detail—but we are committed to bringing a defensible and faithful framework forward in due time. This work is moving with care and with the long-term well-being of our global employees in mind.
Material is taking shape for what will become a meaningful resource for supervisors across Community of Christ. The work integrates evidence-based leadership research with our Enduring Principles in ways that are genuine. A team is currently reviewing the material and offering feedback, and that collaborative process is being shaped by many voices and refined by people who know our church well.
Alongside that work, Human Resource Ministries was glad to help frame the First Presidency Internship—a meaningful opportunity to invest in emerging leaders and walk alongside them as they discern how their gifts might serve the church. Investing in the next generation is not a side project for us; it is part of how Community of Christ continues to be renewed for the mission ahead.
Human Resource Ministries and the Presiding Bishopric are partnering with the First Presidency to identify strategic priorities most worthy of our shared attention, with the intent of bringing those priorities to the Strategic Alignment Team. This approach honors the structures the church already has, avoids duplication, and ensures that important questions facing human resources and leadership development are discerned alongside the broader strategic conversations of the church.
What unites this work is a single conviction: human resource ministry, done well, is genuine ministry. Every framework, every policy, every careful conversation is in service of the people who carry our mission across the 24 countries where Community of Christ serves. There is much more to do. But there is real reason to give thanks for where we are.
Prayer Phrase
“a new community…is being born” (Doctrine and Covenants 164:5).
Spiritual Community
Meditate on a time when you experienced true belonging—a moment when someone welcomed you, listened to you, encouraged you, or reminded you that you were not walking the journey of faith alone. Prayerfully consider the qualities that help build a Christ-centered community: hospitality, compassion, forgiveness, patience, courage, joy, and a willingness to walk alongside one another. Offer a prayer of gratitude for the communities that have shaped you and a prayer of commitment to help create spaces where all people can experience the love, peace, and presence of Christ.
Today’s Prayer for Peace
Engage in a daily practice of praying for peace in our world. Click here to read today’s prayer and be part of this practice of peace.