The
committee’s
unanimous vote
came on Jan. 28
during a meeting
in Berkeley, CA.
Commissioners
to the 216th General
Assembly, which
begins on June
26 in Richmond,
VA, will elect
a stated clerk,
the top ecclesiastical
officer in the
denomination.
Kirkpatrick will
be opposed by at
least one other
candidate. The
Rev. Bob Davis,
of Escondido, CA,
the executive director
of the Presbyterian
Forum, a PC(USA)
renewal group,
announced his candidacy
earlier this month.
The Rev. Linn “Rus” Howard,
of Venetia, PA,
reportedly has
told friends that
he intends to run,
but has not formally
announced.
Both have criticized
Kirkpatrick for
what they characterize
as unwillingness
to “uphold” and “defend” the
PC(USA) constitution,
particularly its
ban on the ordination
of sexually active
gay and lesbian
Presbyterians.
The nomination
committee said
Kirkpatrick has
acted “with
competence, with
much pastoral sensitivity,
with appropriate
firmness and with
tact, with a large
measure of common
sense and uncommon
wisdom, with obvious
Christian faith
and conviction.”
Kirkpatrick,
who directed the
PC(USA)’s
Global Mission
office for 15 years
before becoming
stated clerk in
1996, accepted
the renomination.
“It continues
to be a great honor
to serve this church
as its stated clerk,” he
said, “and
to work closely
with so many other
faithful Presbyterians
in seeking to build
up our church as
the body of Christ
in accord with
the wonderful core
values of our Constitution.”
Kirkpatrick,
noting that he
and John Detterick,
executive director
of the General
Assembly Council
(GAC), have visited
115 presbyteries
and synods in the
past three years,
outlined six “common
themes” that
he said have emerged
during those visits:
January 29, 2004
The Stated Clerk
Review/Nomination
Committee is pleased
to declare its
intention to nominate
the Rev. Dr. Clifton
Kirkpatrick to
serve a third four-year
term as Stated
Clerk of the General
Assembly of the
Presbyterian Church
(U.S.A.).
At a November
24-25, 2003, meeting,
the committee conducted
an end of term
evaluation of Kirkpatrick’s
work, having sought
and received input
from throughout
the PC(USA) and
from ecumenical
partners. During
this meeting, Kirkpatrick
was interviewed
in relation to
his performance
during his last
term.
The conclusion
of the Committee
was that the Rev.
Dr. Kirkpatrick
has fulfilled the
responsibilities
of General Assembly
Stated Clerk with
competence, with
much pastoral sensitivity,
with appropriate
firmness and tact,
with a large measure
of common sense
and uncommon wisdom,
with obvious Christian
faith and conviction.
The Committee strongly
affirmed his job
performance during
the term of office
which will end
with the 2004 General
Assembly.
In compliance
with General Assembly
Standing Rules
Section G-1c(1)(f)(1),
on December 19,
2003 the Rev. Dr.
Kirkpatrick wrote
to the Committee
declaring his sense
of God’s
call to seek re-nomination
to another term
as Stated Clerk.
In his letter Kirkpatrick
stated that if
nominated and elected,
he would “look
forward to the
great privilege
of continuing to
serve this church
for another four
years as its Stated
Clerk. As I am
sure you know,
I have a deep love
for Jesus Christ,
my Lord and Savior,
and for the Presbyterian
Church (U.S.A.),
which is called
to be a living
expression of the
body of Christ
in the world.”
Speaking for the
Committee, moderator
Sandy Peirce said, “Through
our process of
evaluation, reflection
and prayer, we
have concluded
that the Rev. Dr.
Kirkpatrick has
served Christ well,
ministering to
the whole church.
Looking to the
future, we believe
the PCUSA will
be well-served
by his continuing
leadership.”
Meeting in Berkeley,
CA, on January
28, 2004, the Stated
Clerk Review/Nomination
Committee voted
unanimously to
declare its intention
to nominate the
Rev. Dr. Clifton
Kirkpatrick to
serve a third four-year
term as Stated
Clerk of the General
Assembly.
The Stated Clerk
Review/Nomination
Committee, elected
by the 2003 General
Assembly, consists
of ministers Sandy
Peirce, El Dorado
Hills, CA, chair;
Thomas Are, Jr.,
Prairie Village,
KS; Karen Dimon,
DeWitt, NY; John
Goodman, Elizabethtown,
NC; and Charles
Heyward, Charleston,
SC; and elders
Cynthia Joe, San
Francisco, CA,
vice chair; Stephen
Grace, Midland,
MI; Suzanne Souder,
Mechanicsburg,
PA; and Kathy Walker,
St. Petersburg,
FL. Staff to the
Committee is Katherine
Runyeon, stated
clerk of the Presbytery
of San Francisco,
Berkeley, CA.
The full text
of Kirkpatrick’s
statement:
January 29, 2004
Dear Presbyterian
Friends and Colleagues:
I am extremely
grateful for the
affirmation of
my ministry by
the Stated Clerk
Review/ Nomination
Committee elected
by the 215th General
Assembly. I am
pleased and honored
to learn of their
intention to re-nominate
me for another
term as Stated
Clerk of the General
Assembly.
It continues to
be a great honor
to serve this church
as its Stated Clerk
and to work closely
with so many other
faithful Presbyterians
in seeking to build
up our church as
the body of Christ
in accord with
the wonderful core
values of our Constitution
that have been
and continue to
be at the heart
of my ministry:
- that
Jesus Christ is
the Head of the
Church and the
Word of God
- that the Great
Ends of the Church
are our common
calling
- that we uphold
a generous orthodoxy
growing out of
scripture and
the confessions that
affirms the great
themes of the
Reformed faith
- that we hold to
an ecclesiology
built on covenant
community and
a commitment to Christian
unity.
In
partnership with
my colleague,
John Detterick,
I have spent much
of the last three
years in consultation
with 115 of our
presbyteries and
synods. A number
of common themes
have emerged in
those dialogues
and conversations:
- A
growing and widespread
consensus that
evangelism is
our first calling
and
that justice
is God’s
great intention
for humankind
- A passion to revitalize
our congregations
-
A priority for
reaching out to
the rich multicultural
reality of God’s
people that are
among us
- A focus on building
a new generation
of leaders for
the life and
mission of the PCUSA
- A valuing
of our polity
with its
emphasis
on discerning
the will
of God through
the collective
and shared
leadership
of ministers
and elders
- A hunger for
the peace,
unity and purity of our church.
I share these
passions and, if
re-elected by the
216th General Assembly,
look forward, with
a great deal of
enthusiasm, to
joining those in
our congregations,
presbyteries and
synods in being
faithful to God’s
call to build up
our church as a
faithful expression
of the body of
Christ.
Grace and peace,
Clifton Kirkpatrick
Stated Clerk
of the General
Assembly
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