Rev Derrick Lau is the Executive Director of Methodist Missions Society (MMS). / Photos courtesy of MMS
Restructuring for the future
M
ethodist Missions Society (MMS) conducted an Organisational Restructure Exercise to address the issues related to the emerging trends in missiology and alignment of roles according to the arising needs in the mission fields. The organisational restructuring was also driven by other needs. Firstly, at the MMS Leaders' Summit in August 2022, the need for a more streamlined leadership was raised, with operational matters put under the purview of the Field Director (FD), and strategic and management matters put under the purview of the Executive Director (ED). By removing overlapping responsibilities and areas of authority, it would create greater bandwidth in planning strategically and increasing stakeholder engagement. Secondly, it was necessary to look into restructuring because of the need to address staff costs, which had exceeded the support cap from The Methodist Church in Singapore (MCS). This was brought up at the Executive Committee (ExCo) meeting in September 2022. Because of the above, MMS was challenged to think holistically about the roles of each position to ensure their alignment with strategic objectives. This is part of a twopronged approach to address the support
24 Methodist Message June 2023
cap, as well as to review the cap itself in relation to the activities executed. The restructuring is therefore a forward-looking exercise, repositioning MMS for the future, and not just to put right past shortcomings in the organisational structure. The MMS ExCo endorsed the Organisational Restructure on 31 January 2023. The key roles in the restructured organisation are: Field Director (FD) • Provide leadership for the field missions •
Oversee the Regional Directors to ensure all operational matters in the mission fields are in order so as to achieve the established goals
Regional Director (RD) • Formulate goals, objectives, strategies and plans in the mission fields •
Oversee all operational matters in the field to achieve the coordinated and established goals
Director, Strategic Planning and Capacity Building (SPCB) • Oversee SPCB to identify and analyse issues or in anticipation of challenges, or confronting, particular mission fields or within MMS •
Develop relevant and effective strategies and solutions aligned with the overall MMS strategic directions
From Nepal to Timor-Leste, MMS continues to bring the gospel to the communities through planting indigenous churches and community development