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The 219th General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) has elected Cynthia Bolbach, Elder Commissioner from National Capital Presbytery, as its Moderator. Voting was complicated by significant technical difficulties, but in the end Bolbach was the clear winner, with The Reverend Julia Leeth from the Presbytery of Santa Barbara coming in second.Moderator Bolbach is a member of the First Presbyterian Church of Arlington, VA. She has previously served as moderator of National Capital Presbytery and is Executive Vice President/Corporate Secretary of BNA, Inc, a publisher of legal records, but Bolbach is best known to those who follow the inner workings of the PC(USA) as the co-moderator of the task force to revise the current Form of Government.
In an interview with the Presbyterian Outlook, Bolbach previously identified the most significant issue coming before this assembly as, “how we as a denomination can effectively help our congregations go out and make disciples.” She sees the proposed new Form of Government as a necessary first step in that process. She does not see conflict as inherently wrong in the denomination. Quoting Bolbach, “…what is wrong is when we personalize our disagreement by diminishing the person who opposes us by saying, ‘I am a true Christian and you are utterly wrong in what you believe.’”
In the Assembly question and answer session, Bolbach was clear about her personal support of same-sex marriage. However, she does not believe the denomination is ready to “go there” yet.
Presbyterians for Renewal, while disagreeing with Moderator Bolbach’s positions on marriage and the value of the proposed revision to the Form of Government, is committed to praying for and working with our new moderator to glorify God and proclaim the Good News of Jesus Christ for all God’s people within and through the ministry of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.).