wfn.org | [PCUSANEWS] Kirkpatrick renominated for 3rd term

[PCUSA NEWS <PCUSA.NEWS@ecunet.org>]

Note #8098 from PCUSA NEWS to PRESBYNEWS:

Kirkpatrick renominated for 3rd term
04055
January 29, 2004

Kirkpatrick renominated for 3rd term

Nominating committee says incumbent stated clerk 'has served Christ well'

by Jerry L. Van Marter

LOUISVILLE - The Rev. Clifton Kirkpatrick, stated clerk of the General
Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (USA) since 1996, has been renominated
for a third four-year term.

The Rev. Sandra Peirce, of Placerville, CA, the moderator of the Assembly's
Stated Clerk Review/Nomination Committee, 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 PC(USA) will be well-served by his continuing
leadership."

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:

* A consensus that evangelism is the first calling of the church;
* A "passion" for revitalizing congregations;
* An emphasis on the importance of making the PC(USA) multicultural;
* A focus on developing a new generation of church leaders;
* Belief in the value of Presbyterian polity, which put a premium on
"collective and shared leadership of ministers and elders"; and,
* A hunger for the peace, unity and purity of the church.

THE FULL TEXT OF THE STATEMENT OF THE STATED CLERK REVIEW/NOMINATION
COMMITTEE:

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

The web version of this story contains a picture.
http://www.pcusa.org/pcnews/oldnews/2004/04055.htm

To subscribe or unsubscribe, please send an email to
pcusanews-subscribe-request@halak.pcusa.org or
pcusanews-unsubscribe-request@halak.pcusa.org

To contact the owner of the list, please send an email to
pcusanews-request@halak.pcusa.org