PC alumna named moderator of Presbyterian Church (USA)

Photo © Danny Bolin.

June 28, 2006

When the Rev. Joan S. Gray was named moderator of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) during the denomination's 217th General Assembly in Birmingham, Ala., earlier this month, she not only became the national spokesperson and titular head of the country's largest group of Presbyterians but also a testament of the transformational power of her alma mater.

The 1973 graduate of PC, an interim minister based in Atlanta, Ga., and the wife of fellow PC graduate and college trustee William Gray, was chosen over three other candidates on the third ballot cast June 15 during the PCUSA's eight-day biennial gathering.

Facing the challenges of leadership in the denomination, Gray said she brings a facility for church polity and a willingness to listen to concerns raised in every congregation.

"I asked a friend why I would be a good candidate for moderator and she said, 'You know how to get out of the way and let God do His work,'" said Gray. "I'm a very good listener and I will to listen to all sides - through a posture of seeking God's will and a posture of prayer."

Gray said she also plans to continue PCUSA's work in missions.

"Our immediate moderator (Rick Ufford-Chase) did a fantastic job in the church's missionary work; the church exists for mission," she said.

Her own mission in the Presbyterian Church began, sure enough, at Presbyterian College.

"When I got to PC, I was a Baptist," she said. "My experience at PC was an experience of spiritual growth - from being the dutiful child whose parents took her to church every Sunday to having a whole new religious experience. I discovered that I was hungry for a faith that allowed me to think."

Though she first declared herself a French major, Gray took every course she could in the college's religion department and was encouraged by her advisor, retired English professor Dr. Jim Skinner, to become a religion major.

Professors in the department - Tom Stallworth, Dr. George Ramsey, Dr. Lewis Hay, and Dr. Jack Presseau - not only were teachers but also mentors who encouraged Gray to explore a life in the ministry of God.

"That whole group was very influential," she said. "With them, I never thought that doors would be closed - there were green lights all the way."

With a degree in religion in hand, Gray admitted there were hurdles along the way for women in the ministry as she went on to graduate from Columbia Theological Seminary and began her career in installed pastorates and the interim ministry. But they no doubt also prepared her for the next two years as she takes the stage as PCUSA moderator. In the beginning, however, she also had doubts that she would be able to do it.

"I was drafted (to become a candidate) by my presbytery," she said. "I never dreamed of doing this. It was like thinking I would walk on Mars. But after being asked and thinking about it, I began to pray. After about six weeks of prayer, I realized it was a call to be at least a candidate and participate in that process. I also knew that I was not in control of the outcome."

Now that the decision has been made, Gray sets herself to the challenges that face many mainstream denominations in the U.S. - issues of same-sex relationships, the ordination of gay men and women, and declining membership.

"The real issues are not just theological but also about our relationship with God and His church," she said. "Hopefully, we will be drawing on His resources. We'll be like Jacob wrestling with God. "This is a golden opportunity for us to explore what it means to be a church - to go back to John Calvin's Institutes (of the Christian Religion) and see what he says about schism and to go back to Scripture and see what it means about being a church. We must reclaim our sense of the amazing power of God to do more than we can imagine."