PCUSA’s first black head of denomination to step down

The first African American head of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) has announced he will step down after seven years as the chief ecclesial officer of the largest Presbyterian denomination in the United States.

P.C. (U.S.A.) Office of the General Assembly Stated Clerk, the Rev. J. Herbert Nelson II, announced his plans to step down effective June 30 on Tuesday.

Nelson said while his stepping down “was not an easy decision,” he believes “it is the right one to make for my family and the church in this time of change.”

“I have sought God’s will my entire life, following in the footsteps of my father and grandfather to preach the gospel in the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.),” stated Nelson. “I believe that God calls us into new seasons in our life of discipleship. After many conversations with my wife and daughter, I believe I have entered this new season.”

Nelson touted the denomination’s efforts to address “social justice challenges such as poverty, discrimination, and gun violence,” as well as internal reforms to the sect.

“We drew attention to the unfair cash bail system that has left many individuals, mostly people of color, charged and jailed with no means to post bail and support their families,” he continued.

“From my first day on this job, I have said that the P.C. (U.S.A.) is not dying but is reforming. In the next few years, the national church will undergo major reform better to meet the needs of our presbyteries and churches.”

Nelson was elected state clerk in 2016 on the first ballot at the P.C. (U.S.A.) General Assembly held in Portland, Oregon, defeating challenger David M. Baker of the Presbytery of Tampa in a vote of 447-112.

The Rev. Eliana Maxim, the moderator for the P.C. (U.S.A.) Committee on the Office of the General Assembly was quoted in the announcement as saying that Nelson’s time as stated clerk allowed the denomination to “step outside of her historicity and into a new creation as a reformed body yet again.”

“There will be many facets to J. Herbert Nelson’s legacy in the P.C. (U.S.A.), but perhaps the most deeply personal one for me will be his unfailing commitment to the fullness of our identity as God’s beloved, across race, ethnicity, language, and gender,” Maxim said.

“His advocacy for justice and inclusion of all voices in the church may have been rooted in this country’s civil rights movement, but it speaks the Gospel reality to us all, no matter where we come.”

Per P.C. (U.S.A.) bylaws, the Committee on the Office of the General Assembly will designate an acting stated clerk by June 30, which will be in place until the General Assembly elects a new state clerk in July 2024.

Nelson’s announcement comes days after he had said he would not seek a third term as stated clerk, originally planning to step down when his current tour was scheduled to conclude at the 226th General Assembly in 2024.

A pastor who had led churches in North Carolina and Tennessee, Nelson replaced 63-year-old Stated Clerk Gradye Parsons, who retired after serving two terms for eight years in office.

As with his predecessor, Nelson saw a considerable decline in the number of members and congregations belonging to the P.C. (U.S.A.) during his time at the helm.

In 2016, P.C. (U.S.A.) had approximately 1.48 million members and 9,451 congregations. By 2021, the most recent statistics currently available, the denomination dropped to about 1.19 million members and 8,813 communities.

Nelson steered the denomination through the COVID-19 pandemic, with P.C. (U.S.A.) holding its General Assembly online for the first time in 2020.

Due to its decline and financial concerns, P.C. (U.S.A.) has openly considered ditching the large in-person general assembly meeting model, with Nelson expressing his support for the move.

Nelson said in August 2020 that P.C. (U.S.A.) “cannot continue” to hold “the big tent General Assembly” in which “we have people from all over coming in and spending six, seven, eight days at a general assembly and utilizing that in a big arena.”

“I think that’s a good thing for the denomination because it helps us be more creative,” Nelson said then. “It helps us to look at what it means to be a Church. And as far as the General Assembly is concerned, it helps to remind us that, quite frankly, we are way ahead of the game regarding policy issues and the ability to go out and make a difference in the world’s life.”

Nelson has not been afraid to express his opinion on hot-button political issues. For example, in March, he called on Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear to veto a bill to ban the bodily mutilation of youth expressing confusion about their sex through gender reassignment surgeries.