Bruce Reyes-Chow is second candidate for GA moderator

San Francisco Presbytery endorses new church development pastor

LOUISVILLE, January 24, 2008 — The Rev. Bruce Reyes-Chow, 38, pastor of San Francisco’s Mission Bay Community Church and a leader in the “emergent church” movement, is the second announced candidate to stand for election as moderator of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)’s 218th General Assembly (2008) next summer in San Jose, Calif.

The Rev. Bruce Reyes-Chow with his wife, Elder Robin Pugh, and their three daughters, Evelyn, Abigail and Analise. Photo courtesy of Mission Bay Community Church

Reyes-Chow’s candidacy was endorsed Jan. 15 by San Francisco Presbytery. He joins the Rev. Bill Teng of National Capital Presbytery in standing for the denomination’s highest elected office.

An ordained Presbyterian minister since 1995, Reyes-Chow is a graduate of San Francisco State University and San Francisco Theological Seminary. He is the grandson of Chinese and Filipino immigrants and was raised in Sacramento and Stockton, Calif.

Reyes-Chow is the founding pastor of Mission Bay Community Church, a multi-cultural, multi-generational New Church Development of San Francisco Presbytery that makes extensive use of cyberspace to communicate and conduct its ministry. Reyes-Chow himself is a prolific writer and blogger, calling himself “pastor/geek/dad/follower of Christ.”

Reyes-Chow is a highly sought-after speaker who has served the church at levels as well as in the ecumenical arena. On his campaign blog, he cites at least five reasons for his candidacy:

• “The church needs an infusion of positive energy”;
• “The church needs empowering, Christ-centered leadership”;
• “The church needs someone who understands the many facets of ministry in the PC(USA)”;
• “The church needs someone who is not afraid to speak the truth”; and
• “The church needs a Moderator who can be a healthy presence to our congregations throughout the denomination.”

“This is not the time to try to legislate our way out of disagreements,” he told San Francisco Presbytery before the endorsement, “but to engage in the hard work of building relationships that are not about convincing and persuading but of authentic discovery of the voice of Christ within one another.”