WINFIELD “CASEY” JONES
Question 1. What’s so good about being in the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)?
Compared to some, we may have broad theological boundaries, but they are good boundaries nonetheless. In our Form of Government, I appreciate both the Great Ends of the Church (Chapter 1) and what our clerk has called the Core Convictions (Chapter 2). We emphasize, as I heard a church say, “that faith is a journey and thinking is required.” Yet many of us Presbyterians run the risk of talking about how good our church is before we talk to the world about how good God is. Peter writes in his second letter that the church has been given God’s “great and very precious promises,” and he goes on to say that through these promises we participate in the divine nature. So the very best thing about the PC(USA) is the great promises God has given us in Christ. We are at our best when we focus on these promises.
Question 2. What do you believe are the causes of conflict in the PC(USA), and what will you do as stated clerk to help bring resolution?
Because each of us has different life experiences, we view things differently. In the Reformed tradition, Scripture trumps experience as a source of truth, but we disagree on important areas of Biblical interpretation. Excessive levels of conflict in the PC(USA) can be resolved in three ways. First, we must “fervently and desperately” pray. Second, we must recommit to finding God’s truth in Scripture, and then commit to speaking that truth in love. Finally, we must be reminded that, as Gamaliel said in Acts 5:38-9, truth will not go away but will win out in the end. So if people believe God is revealing new truth from Scripture, nothing happens unless there is a big enough majority in the presbyteries and at GA to agree to change our Constitution. As clerk, I would try to model both this perspective and a servant leadership that has learned gentleness and humility of the heart from Jesus.
Question 3. What are the primary gifts and skills you bring to the Office of the General Assembly?
I am committed to prayer, to teaching and preaching the Bible, and to being a pastor and a spiritual guide, especially to those who are seeking and struggling. I know and can explain both parts of the Constitution. Between General Assemblies, the stated clerk is often one of the “continuing faces” of the PC(USA), both ecumenically and within our own denomination. That face needs to be the face of a spiritual leader and fellow pilgrim on the journey who represents the open arms of Christ. People tell me I have a warm personality and that I approach matters seriously but also with a certain sense of humor. My style is both relaxed and irenic and I relate well to different kinds of people. I have a particular place in my heart for international people and for the worldwide church. I like teaching the faith.
Question 4. If you get elected, how will the national office and the whole church be different four years from now?
I would help the clerk’s office (OGA) become even more a place of spiritual leadership, of promoting and preserving the Constitution, and of narrowing the distance between General Assembly and local congregations. I am committed to help the denomination engage in concerted prayer and fasting. I would prepare us to move into God’s future by helping us become more in touch with our roots and with the church at the grassroots. I would help Presbyterians become more conversant with our confessions as a guide to Scripture, and more able to use the Directory of Worship as a resource in worship. But my concern is also about forty years from now. We must leave a spiritual inheritance for our children and grandchildren. My hope is that the PC(USA) be a people on our knees, people of prayer. I would like us also to be a people of the Word who, “chew on the Scripture day and night” (Psalm 1-Peterson).
EDWARD KOSTER
Question 1. What’s so good about being in the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)?
We are passionate and dedicated, working faithfully for the mission of Jesus Christ in a complex, difficult, and hurting world. Our mission and ministries throughout this country and around the world are shining examples of what can be done in the name of Jesus Christ.
We are wonderfully diverse and inclusive, with membership open to all who call Jesus lord.
We have a confessional standard that is powerful and elegant. We are in covenant relationship with the sovereign God, where Jesus Christ came to reconcile us to God, and the Holy Spirit guides us into life that seeks to demonstrate the mercy and justice of the Good News. That we struggle with it is good, for it compels us to engage the continuing reformation to which we are called.
Our polity is a wonder. It expects that the Holy Spirit works through committees, and that each individual Presbyterian votes his or her conscience, not as representative of a group. We seek God’s will in a marvelous partnership between ministers and elders.
Question 2. What do you believe are the causes of conflict in the PC(USA), and what will you do as stated clerk to help bring resolution?
I believe the major source of our conflicts lies in a distortion of our doctrine of the church. Reformed ecclesiology embraces the parable of the weeds in the wheat — to pull up the weeds damages the wheat (Matthew 13). Jesus tells us to leave the winnowing to the final harvest.
But many wish to characterize the church as pure. What defines purity varies with the particular cause embraced, but this expectation leads to a theology of cleansing — attempts to remove the sinners from among us — and it damages. I believe we are a forgiven people. And it is a good thing, for without this grace we cannot stand: As it is written: “There is no one who is righteous, not even one …” (Romans 3:10).
If called to serve, I will seek to help us heal by bringing all viewpoints together as issues come before us. I especially hope we can move from yes/no answers to more nuanced resolutions of our differences. Activating the more moderate voices in the middle may help us move forward.
Question 3. What are the primary gifts and skills you bring to the Office of the General Assembly?
An abiding faith. I have absolute confidence that Jesus Christ is alive in my life, in our church, and in the world.
Experience. I am a stated clerk in a large, diverse, and complex presbytery, where I have served for thirteen years.
Varied background. I have followed a path of learning and skill building that includes working with large groups in organizational change, the practice of law, Biblical scholarship, immersion in foreign cultures, mediation.
Conversation. I am and continue to be in conversation with those who stand for the most difficult issues facing us. Though not always in agreement, we have been able to maintain respectful relationships.
New eyes. My view of the church is from the grass roots, not the treetops. I deal daily with ground level problems and issues raised by elders and ministers who work so hard to fulfill the great ends of the church in their local congregations and presbyteries.
Question 4. If you get elected, how will the national office and the whole church be different four years from now?
Extended connectionalism. Our connectional system, mostly understood now as relationships between governing bodies, will be augmented to a more broad-based and relational organization.
Redirected energies. The efforts of the General Assembly and middle governing bodies will be directed to better support of local congregations.
Expanded diversity of beliefs and ideas. All views and perspectives will be heard in the offices, agencies, and committees of the GA. I believe the lack of this diversity substantially contributes to our conflicts.
Better discernment. We will have relief from the effects of politics, polarization, and distrust that interfere with our ability to discern God’s will. With this better discernment, we will begin to come together in mission and ministry.
Expanded ecumenical dialogues. Our formal ecumenical relationships will have been extended to include Evangelicals, Pentecostal Christians, the Roman Catholic Church, non-mainline churches, and non-church groups.
GRADYE PARSONS
Question 1: What is so good about being in the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)?
Being part of the PC(USA) is good for many reasons. Here are three:
• The PC(USA) seeks to engage both people’s whole minds and hearts. This is expressed through a theology of worship that focuses on the centrality of the proclamation of the Word. In this experience, the Spirit brings God’s forgiveness to men and women; moves them to respond in faith, repentance, and obedience; and initiates the new life in Christ (Confession of 1967).
• Presbyterians are moved to engage the world with the good news of Jesus Christ and the expectations of God’s justice. We are involved in a variety of mission around the corner and across the earth. When a need exists, the question is not, Will Presbyterians show up? Rather, When are they coming?
•Our theology is reflected in the governance of the church as a shared ministry of ministers and elders — the real gem of our polity. Thus, every decision is a discernment of the Spirit by the community.
Question 2: What do you believe are the causes of conflict in the PC(USA), and what will you do as Stated Clerk to help bring resolution?
I believe the main cause of conflict in the PC(USA) is fear, which includes the anxiety that flows from it. People are anxious about the future of their congregations and communities. Our security becomes misplaced in numbers of worship attendance or the Sunday offering. Problems and issues become larger than life because of the tendency to focus solely on the glass darkly (1 Cor.13).
The stated clerk and the entire PC(USA) leadership share in the call to lift up our real hope that is in Jesus Christ. We are part of the worldwide Reformed church that has experienced struggles and amazing accomplishments in its nearly 500 years of history. It is the shared calling of the Stated Clerk and every Presbyterian to show by example the ability to engage in conversations about difficult, frustrating issues in a way that is respectful of the Christ in the other and has real potential to move beyond bitter stalemates.
Questions 3: What are the primary gifts and skills you bring to the Office of the General Assembly?
I bring experience at every level of the PC(USA):
• As a pastor, I learned how to teach and live out a commitment to justice locally and beyond.
• As an executive and stated clerk, I learned the importance of stepping out in faith and taking risks for the sake of the gospel.
• As a synod council member, I experienced the struggle with people who differed in significant ways and watched the power of grace lead them in a common mission.
• As an OGA staff member, I have listened to people across the spectrum of the church. I have represented the PC(USA) ecumenically and have developed a working knowledge of our history and polity. I have served as acting stated clerk, leading me to a deep understanding of that call as pastor and leader.
These experiences have made me who I am, deepened my faith, and given me a great love for the PC(USA). I also have a solid work ethic, the ability to work with a broad range of people, and a sense of humor. I value the collegiality of others, am pastoral in my general approach, and work at being unflappable when faced with controversy.
Question 4: If you are elected, how will the national office and the whole church be different four years from now?
In four years, I hope the whole PC(USA) is so engaged in mission that we are known for our good works and not our great arguments. Despite disagreements that will arise, I hope we will be at a point where those discussions are between people who have engaged in mission together and who speak to one another as sisters and brothers in Christ.
My greatest teachers about living the Christian life have been elders. That heritage needs to be revived in the church, which is one of my great hopes for the next four years. Too often we have turned sessions into another board of directors. That is not the vision lifted up in the sixth chapter of the Book of Order. Elders are to be worship leaders, Bible teachers, and co-workers with their minister in the care of the congregation. I dream of a mighty group of empowered elders leading in their congregations, communities, and the PC(USA).
WILLIAM PAUL “BILL” TARBELL
Question 1. What’s so good about being in the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)?
A. We keep faith with our founders and the One who founded all. Through our Constitution, confessions, ecumenical ties, and adherence to Scripture, we pledge always to honor our forebears in faith, respecting the tradition we have received from them, and offering ourselves — without reservation — to Jesus Christ.
B. We also keep faith with the Holy Spirit in the struggles of life. We are “faith seeking understanding.” We are looking for God’s way in the midst of vexing questions.
C. We bless all the gifts of our people, clergy and laity alike. We emphasize this by calling and ordaining lay leaders to sacred service. We have been vital witnesses to Christ in the past when laity has firmly embraced his call. Such vitality in the future depends upon the same firm embrace, the same sacred service faithfully carried out.
Question 2. What do you believe are the causes of conflict in the PC(USA), and what will you do as stated clerk to help bring resolution?
A number of substantive issues capture our attention and push us toward positions in line with deeply held loyalties. War, environment, immigration, economy, human sexuality, Christology, interpretation of Scripture, even our understanding of authority for Christian faith and life itself, provoke us to take stances that are often deeply at odds with each other. Indeed, we feel conscientiously bound to do so.
What we do not seem to comprehend is how our personal and group identities form our commitments and consciences, making it difficult for us to unite around our core identity, namely Jesus Christ and his Body, the Church.
Since the stated clerk exercises neither executive nor legislative power in the PC (USA), anything I might do or say to deal with conflict would be advisory and pastoral. This is good. Only what Jack Stotts called “the creative tensions of constructive engagement” can lead us to our true center. Thus, as stated clerk, I will exhibit profound respect for all my sisters and brothers, always encouraging encounter rather than confrontation, the will to love rather than the will to power, until the charitable Spirit of our Lord teaches us the way to accord and common witness.
Question 3. What are the primary gifts and skills you bring to the Office of the General Assembly?
A. Demonstrated, consistent support of qualified employees and volunteers, regardless of gender, ethnicity, or cultural background
B. Wide pastoral experience in several geographic regions
C. Training and experience in conflict resolution, both in secular and church settings
D. Published writer, twice in The Presbyterian Outlook, several times in Monday Morning, and other Christian and secular publications
E. Thorough background in parliamentary procedure and principle. Commitment to due process, including consensus models
F. Comprehensive knowledge of our Constitution and Reformed history
G. Organizational expertise grounded in systems analysis
H. Accomplished public speaker
I. Experienced teacher in secular and church settings; developer of workshops, retreats, seminars, curricula, and camp programming
J. Student and practitioner of spirituality and its implications for our life together as Christ’s body
K. Global perspective of Christian doctrine and practice. As Joe Small suggests, the goal is to be “broadly Christian and deeply Reformed.” Therefore, I maintain contact with Roman Catholic, Orthodox, and Protestant communities
Question 4. If you get elected, how will the national office and the whole church be different four years from now?
Any genuine difference in our national office or church has to be wrought by God. As with all other Christian disciples, my role is to carry out my calling as authentically as possible, staying true to the highest principles of the office of stated clerk, and relying on the sustaining grace of Jesus Christ. I will have treated my colleagues as friends in ministry, extended utmost respect to ecumenical partners, acted and spoken without bias or pretense to the best of my ability, and paid particular attention to details of each activity undertaken. When my term of service is complete, I hope and pray that we face each other and the world with love, determined to let God work in us and through us.
