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After hearing unanimous approval following worship on Sunday from the congregation of the church she’s served the past 11 years, Clayton Valley Presbyterian Church in the San Francisco Bay Area, the Rev. Dr. Barbara Barkley announced she’s joining the Rev. Dr. Bill Myers of West Virginia to stand for Co-Moderator on the final day of the 227th General Assembly.
Along with the Myers-Barkley team, the Rev. Marta Pumroy-Cordero and the Rev. Dr. Kristopher D. Schondelmeyer and the Rev. Dr. Sean Chow and the Rev. Dr. Frances Lin have announced their plans to stand for the office of Co-Moderators. The election is set for July 2 at the Baird Center in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The top vote-getters will officiate the 228th General Assembly (2028).
A pastor for 30 years, Barkley heard about the opening to stand alongside Myers on three separate occasions within an hour on Thursday. “Each time it was, ‘You should [stand] for this,’” she told Presbyterian News Service on Sunday. “[Myers] is about building and crossing bridges, which has been a focus of my ministry.”
The two shared a laugh when they spoke last week. Myers said he’d been seeking a parter to stand with from the Presbytery of the Pacific. As it turned out, his running mate serves a church in the Synod of the Pacific.
“God is laughing,” Barkley said.
Barkley earned her MDiv and DMin degrees from San Francisco Theological Seminary. She has served as co-moderator of the Presbytery of San Francisco and as co-chair of the presbytery’s Mission and Vision Leadership Committee and its peacemaking committee. She’s led conferences and retreats and has authored two books, “Seeking Grace” and “Seeking Grace, Volume 2.”
“What I bring to ministry is a love for and gift in music, a passion for social justice, a love and talent in preaching and a deep belief that my call is primarily about empowering others in their relationships and service to God and God’s people,” she said. “My ministry focuses on spiritual growth from whatever place a person starts, honoring each person’s journey as unique, recognizing that we all have much to teach as well as much to learn.”
She said she was recently gathered with ruling and teaching elders who are Spanish-speaking, with only a couple of them, Barkley included, whose first language is English. Most of the others are immigrants from Central and South America. Group members shared stories of their recent experiences with Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers and the fear present in their communities.
The pastor who called the group together asked why only two members had English as their first language. Barkley noted that many are busy and overscheduled. This pastor then said, “People make time for what is important to them. Why isn’t connecting with us important to them?”
“We say we care, but do we show up for one another? Do we take the time to get to know one another?” Barkley wondered. “Do we cross boundaries enough to really understand and celebrate who others are, to recognize our connections, to see one another for the children of God we each are?”
“My call is to be part of that conversation, to insist that this conversation across our differences continues and deepens,” she said. “My call is to empower others to lean into that calling as well. … My promise is that I will show up to hear, to connect and to grow. Hopefully, in so doing I also give others the opportunity to show up, hear, connect and grow as well.”
“That is my hope for serving as Co-Moderator: to have those opportunities to really listen but also to deeply connect others, encourage bridging, and help us all to grow in our following of Christ in the of loving our neighbors.”
Barkley is married to David Louttit. They have three college-age children.
She said the Presbytery of San Francisco meets in two weeks, when it will consider endorsing her candidacy.
“I was more worried about the congregation, but they were completely behind it,” she told the news service. If she and Myers are elected on July 2, she’s received commitments from nearby clergy to lead worship at Clayton Valley Presbyterian Church on Sundays when she’s away. “I think we’re covered there,” she said.
When Barkley spoke of her idea to stand to executives at the presbytery and synod, their responses included, “Of course you would do that,” she said.
“Their biggest concern was you tend to do too much,” she said. “I am trying to plan how not to do that.”
