At their annual meeting, Moderators and Moderators-elect from the EPC’s 14 presbyteries developed proposals for Leadership Institute workshop topics, ministry resource distribution strategies, and requirements for churches to adopt child protection policies.
The group met August 22-23 at the Office of the General Assembly in Orlando, Fla.
Other items addressed in the meeting included reports from several presbyteries of growth in their church planting initiatives, as well as annual retreats for Teaching Elders that were well-received by the pastors in their presbyteries.
Among topics of concern was a discussion regarding the pipeline of younger Teaching Elders. Several individuals expressed unease about the number of qualified pastors who would be available to fill pulpits that are expected to be vacated in the coming years as pastors reach retirement age. In response, Assistant Stated Clerk Jerry Iamurri reported that the Office of the General Assembly has processed 33 ordination examination requests for Teaching Elder candidates so far this year, and is on pace to have completed 50 by the end of the year.
Current Moderators who attended were Mike Gillett, Ruling Elder from the Presbytery of Florida and the Caribbean; Palmer Griffin, Ruling Elder from the Presbytery of the Southeast; Randall Leonard, Ruling Elder from the Presbytery of the Great Plains; George Salnave, Teaching Elder from the Presbytery of the Rivers and Lakes; Mike Wright, Teaching Elder from the Presbytery of West; and Roy Yanke, Ruling Elder from the Presbytery of the Midwest.
Moderators-elect who attended were Josh Brown, Teaching Elder from the Presbytery of the Alleghenies; Jim Conners, Ruling Elder from the Presbytery of the Pacific Southwest; John Dorr, Teaching Elder from the Presbytery of the East; Bryant Harris, Teaching Elder from the Presbytery of the Southeast; Joyce Harris, Teaching Elder from the Presbytery of the Midwest; George Hertensteiner, Ruling Elder from the Presbytery of the Great Plains; Mac MacGowan, Ruling Elder from the Presbytery of the Central South; Bill Reisenweaver, Teaching Elder from the Presbytery of Florida and the Caribbean; and Rich Swedberg, Ruling Elder from the Presbytery of the West.