LOUISVILLE, Ky.--The Presbyterian Church (USA) has launched a five-year campaign to raise $40 million for missions. The Mission Initiative: Joining Hearts & Hands program will give half of the funds raised to new church development and congregational redevelopment in the United States. The other half will go to mission work overseas, according to PCUSA News.

Bill Saul, co-chair of the national campaign's steering committee, said the pledge is exciting.

"When we talk about this campaign renewing the church for mission, this is exactly what we're talking about," Saul said. "We want Presbyterians to commit, not only to the national campaign, but to the spirit of the Great Commission and the work it calls us to do at home and abroad."

The Santa Fe Presbytery has launched a $1.7 million local campaign in conjunction with the national initiative. Executive presbyter, Jim Collie, said the Santa Fe group has pledged to divide the money equally between the national and local projects.

Santa Fe Presbytery has a long history of ranking near the top of the PC (USA) in per-capita mission giving, despite being in one of the poorest states in the nation.

Collie said a series of recent events led Santa Fe to renew its focus on church development within the presbytery, which takes in about two-thirds of New Mexico.

Two fellowships have been talking with presbytery officials about becoming Presbyterian churches. Santa Fe Presbytery also is looking into the possibility of starting a Native American fellowship in Albuquerque. And the presbytery received a large estate gift to support new-church development.

"All of the signs were saying we need to take this seriously," he said. "In some ways, I think you could say it was the guiding hand of the Holy Spirit."