Kevin DeYoung, a prominent pastor, author and council member of The Gospel Coalition, has been elected the moderator of The Presbyterian Church in America General Assembly.
The senior pastor of Christ Covenant Church in Matthews, North Carolina, was elected Tuesday evening at the PCA General Assembly, which is taking place this week in Chattanooga, Tennessee.
Pastor Jason Helopolous, a friend of DeYoung, gave the nomination speech, reported the PCA magazine byFaith, touting the pastor’s beliefs and steadfast convictions.
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“In a time when clarity is rare and conviction is costly, he has shown both — without partisanship, without pride, and without compromise,” said Helopoulos. “He holds fast to the Scriptures, loves the Reformed faith, and speaks the truth in love. And through it all, he carries himself as a servant of Christ.”
Helopolous labeled DeYoung “a true churchman” who “loves the local church” and will effectively lead the assembly in a way that goes beyond avoiding controversy.
“It’s easy to think that a successful Assembly is when we get done early and nothing terribly controversial takes place. And those can be signs of a good gathering,” he said.
“But even more importantly, I think a successful Assembly is one where God’s people worship together and where the business of the church is handled fairly, charitably, honestly, and with a heart to honor God in all we do.”
A native of Jenison, Michigan, DeYoung earned a bachelor’s degree in religion from Hope College in Holland, Michigan; a master of Divinity at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary in South Hamilton, Massachusetts; and a doctorate in Early Modern History at the University of Leicester in the United Kingdom.
DeYoung has published over a dozen books, including Just Do Something, The Biggest Story, Crazy Busy: A Mercifully Short Book About a Big Problem, and What Does the Bible Really Teach About Homosexuality?
While originally ordained in the Reformed Church in America, DeYoung and his congregation changed their affiliation in 2015. He is married with nine children.
In the early 2010s, DeYoung had several columns published on The Christian Post, including a July 2012 piece titled “Why No Denomination Will Survive the Homosexuality Crisis.”
“Groups will split. Bodies will rearrange. Parts will realign. Maybe not this year. Maybe not on your watch. But soon enough,” wrote DeYoung at the time. “So my plea is for these denominations to make a definitive stand. Make it right, left, or center, but make one and make it clearly.”
“Insist that member churches and pastors hold to this position. And then graciously open a big door for any pastor or church who cannot live in this theological space to exit with their dignity, their time, and their property. Because sometimes the best way to preserve unity is to admit that we don’t have it.”
