Day One - Electing a New Moderator

Attending a General Assembly is a mixture of blessings. It is at times serious or joyful, agonizingly difficult or monotonously routine. For some of us there is a hint of the high school or family reunion. We see old friends from across the country and throughout the time we've spent in the church. We connect with new people. It is a time of learning, and for the voting commissioners, it is a time of making decisions that will make differences in the church.

For some volunteers and workers, this General Assembly began days, weeks, and in some cases years ago - but today was the official start of the meeting.

From the point of view of most of the church, the most important business done in the Assembly today was the election of the Moderator.

The Moderator is the presiding officer of the gathering, much like Don Cady from Chapel by the Sea is the Moderator-Elect of the Peace River Presbytery, or like I am the Session's moderator.

But the Moderator is more than the person who will preside over a meeting that lasts a few days. The Moderator becomes the most visible face of our Church, representing the church at a variety of gatherings and events during the next two years (General Assembly currently meets every other year).

The election of the Moderator is unlike anything else in our church. As you walk into the Minnesapolis Convention Center there are six kiosks where the candidates "press the flesh" like a local polician might, shaking hands and introducing themselves to the voters. You can pick up a campaign button. Groups and Presbyteries may endorse a particular candidate.

On the first evening of the General Assembly, each of the six candidates will be formerly nominated. The person making the nomination has up to five minutes to address the assembly. Then the candidates get to give a speech - again up to five minutes in length.

For the next hour, the commissioners have a chance to stand in line, waiting to be recognized by the outgoing Moderator so they can ask the candidates specific questions.

Then the voting begins - and the voting can take a while because the Moderator has to have a majority. In the past it has been rare that a person has been elected on the first ballot.

The process of voting is to allow the "advisory deligates" to vote first. Commissioners are then able to see how different groups advised the Assembly. Seminarians, Youth Advisory Delegates, and others are able to have their voices heard through offering these non-binding votes.

After seeing the results of the voting by advisory deligates, the commissioners vote. All voting is done by an electronic keypad and the results are projected on the screens throughout the assembly hall for all to see.

Tonight's first ballot resulted in a clear lead - Cynthia Bolbach had 149 votes, followed by Maggie Lauterer (76), Julia Leeth (73), James Belle (71 votes), Eric Nielson (71) and Jin Kim (57).

This first ballot gave Bolbach 30% of the vote.

The second ballot gave her 40% of the vote.

Voting on the third ballot was delayed because of glitches in the voting machines. The delay was so long that for a while it seemed that the assembly might go back to the old days of hand counting the hundreds of votes, but eventually the problem was resolved. Bolbach had 43% of the vote at the conclusion of the third ballot.

Bolbach was elected moderator on the 4th ballot, having achieved at least 50% of the votes.

All of the candidates are devoted Christians and faithful Presbyterians. They all had great gifts to offer the church. In my opinion, none of them came across as charismatic, dynamic leaders. But they were all level-headed and well informed, and each would have been able to offer sound leadership.

The new moderator, Cynthia Bolbach, was the only candidate in the field of six who was an elder rather than an ordained minister. She comes from a corporate background, having served as the executive vice president and corporate secretary of BNA, Inc (publisher of legal records). She is a member of the First Presbyterian Church of Arlington, Virginia. She is a former moderator of the National Capital Presbytery, which will give her a great background of valuable experiences as she moderates the General Assembly meetings.

Her Vice Moderator is the Reverend Landon Whitsitt, pastor of the First Presbyterian Church of Liberty, Missouri.

Graham Hart and Randy Moody, both from Peace River Presbytery, are among the many, many familiar faces I've seen at this year's General Assembly.