J. Herbert Nelson II, stated clerk of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), has been nominated to serve a second term as the denomination’s chief ecclesiastical officer.
The Stated Clerk Nominating Committee is recommending that the 2020 General Assembly re-elect Nelson – a compelling preacher, former head of the PC(USA)’s Office of Public Witness and fierce advocate for justice – to a second four-year term. That General Assembly is scheduled to meet in Baltimore June 20-27, but the Committee on the Office of the General Assembly is considering virtual alternatives to that because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Nelson, 60, has pushed Presbyterians to stand up publicly for what they believe — leading public actions on gun violence at Big Tent last August in Baltimore and on ending cash bail, for example. The 2016 General Assembly elected the third-generation pastor as stated clerk following the retirement of Gradye Parsons.
Here is the text of a news release from the Office of the General Assembly announcing Nelson’s nomination:
The Reverend Dr. J. Herbert Nelson, II, Stated Clerk of the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), has been nominated to serve a second term. Nelson, who was first elected to the post at the 222nd General Assembly (2016), received the recommendation today from the Stated Clerk Nominating Committee (SCNC) of the 224th General Assembly (2020).
“In his first term as Stated Clerk, he has begun the monumental work of leading our denomination away from an institution and into a movement of God’s justice, love, and peace,” said Wilson Kennedy, committee moderator. “In our conversations with him, we were convinced of his humble spirit, pastor’s heart, and prophetic vision for God’s kin-dom. Personally, his emphasis on faithful innovation at the forefront of our common witness as Presbyterians—all the while remaining true to our Reformed heritage, confessions, and, primarily, Scripture—is a compelling vision for how we might be the church now and in the future. The committee is confident that God is continuing to call him to this work and trust that he will lead our church with energy, intelligence, imagination, and love!”
Per Standing Rules of the General Assembly, the Stated Clerk is elected every four years and applications are available to all ruling elders and ministers of the Word and Sacrament. The SCNC, elected by the General Assembly, meets near the end of the Stated Clerk’s term of office, receives and reviews applications for the position, and declares the nominee no later than sixty days before the opening of the 224th General Assembly (2020).The committee began its work last October.
“I’m excited about what is in front of us. I recognize people are predicting loss in the coming year, but our communities and churches are resilient,” Nelson said. “We have expanded our relationships with cities like New York and have an opportunity to engage in the broader work in the life of Christendom. The groundwork has been set for growth in the life of the denomination to recapture the essence of theology and ecclesiology moving forward.”
Committee members include: Leon Lovell-Martin (member of Committee on the Office of the General Assembly and Presbytery of Tropical Florida); Marcia Mount Shoop (member of Committee on the Office of the General Assembly and Presbytery of Western North Carolina); Aimee Moiso (General Assembly commissioner, Presbytery of Middle Tennessee); Amos Mendez-Gutierrez (General Assembly commissioner, Presbyterio de Noroeste); Moon Kyung Kim (General Assembly commissioner, Eastern Korean Presbytery); Harold Ellis (General Assembly commissioner, Presbytery of Detroit); Kevin Porter (stated clerk of Presbytery of Philadelphia); Mark Brainerd (Presbyterian Mission Agency Board representative, Presbytery of Grace); and staff resource: Jennifer Burns Lewis (Presbytery of Wabash Valley).
The committee will recommend Nelson to the General Assembly, which is currently scheduled to meet June 20–27, 2020, in Baltimore. In lieu of the COVID-19 outbreak, the Committee on the Office of the General Assembly is considering other options.
For more information:
Rick Jones
Office of the General Assembly
Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)
rick.jones@pcusa.org
(502) 569-5750
