Neal Presa
The moderator of the Presbyterian Church (USA) is leaving his call in New Jersey for the West Coast.
The Rev. Dr. Neal D. Presa will make the move from Middlesex Presbyterian Church (MPC), where he has served as pastor for 11 years, to assume an associate pastor’s position at Village Community Presbyterian Church (VCPC) in Rancho Santa Fe, Calif.
In doing so, Presa will be departing a church of 47 members on the East Coast to minister to a congregation of more than 1,000 members in San Diego County near the California coast.
Presa, his wife and two children will leave Middlesex Presbyterian Church within the next few weeks to begin his role at Village Community, working with Senior Pastor Dr. Jack W. Baca and Associate Pastor Jan Farley.
Presa’s call to Village Community was approved as was his transfer into San Diego Presbytery (SDP) from Elizabeth Presbytery during the Feb. 18 meeting of SDP. He will begin his new duties at VCPC on May 1, a church representative said.
He has served as the moderator of the PCUSA’s General Assembly since being elected to the post at the 220th GA in Pittsburgh in 2012. In addition to his ministry at Middlesex and moderator’s duties, Presa also has served on the adjunct faculties of New Brunswick Theological Seminary and Somerset Christian College.
Along with his ministry at Village Community, Presa also will fill the role of extraordinary associate professor of Practical Theology with North-West University in Potschefstroom, South Africa.
According to a story posted on mycentral jersey.com, Presa’s duties with the university include publishing and presenting papers, articles, essays and books for the university on Reformed theology as well as advising master’s and doctoral students on development of their theses.
3 Comments. Leave new
There are no “senior” pastors in the PCUSA. Only pastors and associate pastors. Associate pastors are not assistants to a “senior” pastor. Rather they are associate pastors to the congregation. I am surprised “The Layman” does not know this.
What a nit-picky comment!
BTW, apparently the church itself “does not know” there are no “senior” pastors in the PC(USA):
http://www.villagechurch.org/homepage/staff-and-leaders
D’oh!
I suspect this South African University hasn’t done their homework in selecting Mr. Presa. His position on homosexuality is in stark contrast to the prevailing opinion among that country’s religious.