NYC Presbytery considering
De La Rosa for interim exec
The Layman, June 28, 2010
On June 30 the interim executive presbyter search committee for the Presbytery of New York City will recommend well-known Presbyterian elder and activist Luis Antonio “Tony” De La Rosa as its new interim executive presbyter. 
Tony De La Rosa in a 1996 file photo at the General Assembly in Albuquerque, N.M.
A Los Angeles attorney and an openly gay man, De La Rosa is clerk of session at Immanuel Presbyterian Church and a long-time leader in the movement to ordain practicing homosexuals in the Presbyterian Church (USA). Most recently, De La Rosa served on the Special Committee to Study Issues of Civil Union and Christian Marriage, which is presenting its report to the upcoming 219th General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (USA).
Known for his activism, De La Rosa led a demonstration in 1996 in Albuquerque, N.M., against GA commissioners after they adopted a constitutional standard (G-6.0106b) barring the ordination of persons who engage in sexual relations outside of marriage. The demonstrators carried a wooden cross to the front of the podium and hammered nails into it as a symbol of the persecution of homosexuals.
A former president of Presbyterians for Lesbian and Gay Concerns, De La Rosa is active with More Light Presbyterians, the Covenant Network of Presbyterians and That All May Freely Serve.
De La Rosa also served as chairman on the litigation committee that advised former Stated Clerk Clifton Kirkpatrick, and the Special Committee on Church-wide Compensation Policy. He was the attorney for the administrative commission that deposed the pastors of First Presbyterian Church in Hollywood, exacerbating a congregational split.
The report for NYC Presbytery describes De La Rosa’s work on a “high-profile” administrative commission as follows: “ … his ability to build bridges and negotiate competing goals – as well as eloquently interpreting the Book of Order – earned enormous respect from all sides.” Presuming that the statement is specific to the Hollywood case, there are former members of that congregation who would disagree.
His secular accomplishments also are notable. De La Rosa is associate counsel for L.A. Health Care Plan and former executive director of the Los Angeles Center for Law and Justice.
According to the NYC Presbytery document, De La Rosa lives with his partner in Los Angeles. He earned law and divinity degrees from Yale.
According to the search committee’s report, it reviewed 61 applications for the job. If voted into the position, De La Rosa’s term would begin Aug. 1, and could continue up to three years, or end when the presbytery finds a permanent executive presbyter.