Nashville pastor is candidate for General Assembly moderator By John H. Adams The Layman Online Monday, October 20, 2003 The Rev. K.C. Ptomey Jr. of Nashville, a board member of a special-interest group that wants to repeal church law prohibiting the ordination of practicing homosexuals, is the second candidate for moderator of the 216th General Assembly. If elected, he would be the 20th person affiliated with the Covenant Network of Presbyterians to serve as moderator of the Presbyterian Church (USA). He would also be the first moderator to serve a two-year term since the General Assembly decided to begin meeting every other year after its gathering in Richmond in June of 2004. The Covenant Network has already proposed that the 216th General Assembly repeal the General Assembly's 1993 authoritative interpretation that homosexual practice is sinful. The Network has said it will also work for repeal of the constitutional ordination standard – G-6.0106b – at the 217th General Assembly, which will meet in 2006. While the Network has failed to gain repeal of the church's ordination law, it has compiled political successes in gaining seats of power in the denomination far beyond its constituency. About 300 congregations affiliate with the network while, on contrast, nearly 1,300 congregations in the denomination identify with the Confessing Church Movement. Ptomey is pastor of Westminster Presbyterian Church in Nashville. The Presbytery of Middle Tennessee endorsed his candidacy. Rita Hood, Westminster's clerk of session, said, "This call has come at a time when K.C. can be a reconciler and peacemaker for our great Presbyterian Church. I urge you to confirm this resolution and pledge your prayers and support for K.C. and for the session and congregation of Westminster as we look toward this wonderful opportunity to share K.C. with the whole of the Presbyterian Church (USA)." Ptomey has been pastor of Westminster for 22 years. He describes the congregation as having a "wide diversity in its theological and political differences, but we are a church that has always valued each other in our differences and keeping the church together." According to denominational statistics, Westminster is an 1,800-member congregation that has lost 10 percent of its membership since 1992. Attendance at worship services on Sundays average 928 people. It is a congregation noted for attracting people in political power. Ptomey is a graduate of Rhodes College in Memphis and Louisville Presbyterian Theological Seminary. He received a doctor of ministry degree from McCormick Theological Seminary in Chicago. He is a former member of the General Assembly Council and twice (1973 and 1999) served as a commissioner to General Assembly. He gave the nominating speech at the 1999 General Assembly for former General Assembly Moderator Freda Gardner. Ptomey is married to the Rev. Carol Tate, a new church development pastor. He has two grown children and two stepchildren. The first candidate to enter the race for moderator was David McKechnie, pastor of Grace Presbyterian Church in Houston. He has been pastor of Grace Presbyterian Church, a growing Confessing Church congregation, since 1981. At the end of 2002, the congregation had 4,310 members, with an average worship attendance of 1,515 and a Christian education enrollment of 2,958.

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