Presbyterian Mission Agency stated clerk of the general assembly of the presbyterian church (u.s.a.) Archives

Good faith, good company and ‘good trouble’ have guided the Rev. Dr. J. Herbert Nelson, II

Posted June 30th, 2023

J. Herbert Nelson, II, then known as Herbie, was nominated as a deacon at age 15. “I had no idea what a deacon did,” he recalled, laughing. What he did was begin a new season of serving others and fighting for justice, all of it underscored by faith.

The Stated Clerk of the PC(USA)’s General Assembly sends graduates on the road forward with a reminder to look back sometimes

Posted June 27th, 2023

Addressing the Class of 2023 at Davis & Elkins College during this year’s baccalaureate service, the Rev. Dr. J. Herbert Nelson, II assured graduates that “it doesn’t matter if you came here cum laude or thank you Lordy. If you wear that tassel today, say thank you for the amazing way family and friends have nurtured you.”

The PC(USA)’s Stated Clerk, the Rev. Dr. J. Herbert Nelson, II, is honored by the National Black Presbyterian Caucus

Posted June 17th, 2023

The National Black Presbyterian Caucus held a banquet Friday night honoring the retiring Stated Clerk of the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), the Rev. Dr. J. Herbert Nelson, II, and Nelson honored caucus members right back with an hour-long valedictory that was clearly heartfelt, sometimes funny and always insightful.

The PC(USA)’s Stated Clerk says he’s glad to be ‘in the midst of a powerful gathering of women’

Posted March 5th, 2023

The Rev. Dr. J. Herbert Nelson, II, the Stated Clerk of the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), offered thanks to God and to those present during worship Sunday at Church of the Covenant in New York City “to be in the midst of a powerful gathering of women.” At the invitation of the church’s interim pastor, the Rev. Dr. Cornell Edmonds, Nelson preached Sunday as part of the 67th Commission on the Status of Women, an in-person and online gathering of about 8,000 people that runs from March 6-17.

REAC sends a ‘loving and justice-centered response’ following the Stated Clerk’s MLK Day remarks

Posted April 5th, 2022

The Racial Equity Advocacy Committee submits this letter as a loving and justice-oriented response to our colleagues in ministry who call upon REAC to respond to A Message from the Stated Clerk dated January 22 by the Rev. Dr. J. Herbert Nelson, II, Stated Clerk of the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), following the Stated Clerk’s letter on the occasion of the Martin Luther King Day holiday.

Israel/Palestine Mission Network issues statement on the Stated Clerk’s MLK Day call

Posted January 25th, 2022

The Israel Palestine Mission Network [IPMN] of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) supports our Stated Clerk, the Rev. Dr. J. Herbert Nelson, II, in his Jan. 17 call for unity of spirit, which he issued on the occasion of Martin Luther King Jr. Day.

Per Capita: What’s in it for me?

Posted January 13th, 2022

It’s that time of year again: time to take a quick breath to recall Advent and Christmas celebrations; time to look ahead to what the new year will bring. It’s also time to consider your local congregation’s missional priorities and the financial pledges you have received so that a budget can be finalized.

Longtime Louisville Seminary Professor Clifton Kirkpatrick to retire at the conclusion of the fall 2021 semester

Posted October 18th, 2021

The Rev. Dr. Clifton Kirkpatrick has announced his retirement from Louisville Presbyterian Theological Seminary effective at the conclusion of the fall 2021 semester.

‘We are tearing down the Creation God has given to us’

Posted August 9th, 2021

On the eve of a United Nations report released Monday that predicts dire and nearly immediate consequences to human health and safety due to global warming, the Rev. Dr. J. Herbert Nelson, II told the Presbyterians for Earth Care conference Sunday that it’s high time we started treating the Earth in a way that’s more respectful of the God of life, “who tapped us on the shoulder this morning and breathed another breath of life on us.”

21st century ministry in a repurposed denominational HQ

Posted July 21st, 2021

Like the Presbyterian Mission Agency, the Office of the General Assembly has been rethinking what it means to do ministry in the 21st century, the Rev. Dr. J. Herbert Nelson, II, Stated Clerk of the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), told PMA board members Wednesday.