Koster comes to the election from a varied background with experience as a pastor, presbytery stated clerk, and lawyer.
He is a graduate of the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland, and served five years in the Navy during the Vietnam War. After receiving his Master of Divinity from Union Theological Seminary in Richmond, Va., he studied Old Testament history in the doctoral program of the Department of Near Eastern Studies of the University of Michigan for three years, receiving his MA in 1974. He served as pastor of Calvary Church in Ann Arbor, Mich. for 10 years, during which time he also served as chaplain in the Washtenaw County Jail, president of the Ann Arbor Council of Churches, and chaplain at the VA Hospital in Ann Arbor. He studied organizational development in 1985-86 under the late Dr. Ronald Lippitt, then at the Institute for Social Research at the University of Michigan, and Kathie Dannemiller, who was principal in Dannemiller-Tyson Associates of Ann Arbor.
He entered the University of Toledo College of Law in 1988 and began his law practice in Ann Arbor in 1992. He practices in the Washtenaw County Juvenile Court in cases of abuse, neglect, and delinquency. He is trained by the Michigan Supreme Court Administrator’s Office as a mediator and mediator trainer in Michigan’s community mediation program.
Koster has served since 1995 as the stated clerk of the Presbytery of Detroit, the regional body of Presbyterian churches in southeast Michigan. The Detroit position is the regional parallel to the Stated Clerk of the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.). This work involves organizing seven Presbytery meetings a year and preparing the minutes, advising on process and parliamentary procedure, staffing various committees and teams of the Presbytery. He works with Presbyterians throughout the region to advise on church rules and procedures, and consults with local churches to help them through times of change and difficulty. He is a parish associate at First Church, Ann Arbor.
Koster is the author of a dozen published articles about issues facing the church at national and local levels.
The PC(USA) stated clerk election will take place at the General Assembly to be held in San Jose, Calif., June 21-28. Nominations will be made to the Assembly on the evening of June 22nd, and the election will take place on the morning of the 27th. Koster will be nominated by his pastor, Douglas Brouwer of First Church of Ann Arbor. The Presbytery of Detroit voted to support Mr. Koster when he announced in January that he had submitted his application.
Among the advisors to Ed Koster are Ruth Knoll (Ann Arbor, Mich.), Elders Dixie Elam (Livonia, Mich.) and Virginia Koster (Ann Arbor, Mich.), and ministers Allen D. Timm (Grosse Pointe Park, Mich.), William Zambon (Ypsilanti, Mich.), Douglas Brouwer (Ann Arbor, Mich.), and Kevin Johnson (Detroit, Mich.)
“We know Ed Koster, have seen his dedication to Jesus Christ and his Church, and have observed his skills in his work as stated clerk of the Presbytery,” said Neil Cowling, spokesperson for Advisors to Ed Koster. “For eight months we have been advising, meeting with him, and praying with him as he has described his sense that God has called him to seek election. We believe that his call is genuine, and that if elected he will make an outstanding stated clerk.”
Responding to the announcement of his advisors, Koster said, “I feel that God has called me to serve the Church in this way, to lift up issues I see from my experience in the church as pastor, attorney, and 13 years as stated clerk of the Presbytery of Detroit. I believe that while our leadership has been faithful and competent, it has increasingly strayed from the core of the church. If I am called to serve, I believe I can make a difference.”
