Serving Christ Together

Over the past several months, many of you have heard that the Rev. Marta Pumroy-Cordero and I are standing together as candidates for Co-Moderators of the 227th General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.).

First, let me simply say thank you.

Thank you for your encouragement, your questions, your excitement, your honesty, and most importantly, your prayers. This discernment process has already reminded me how deeply grateful I am to serve as your pastor.

To learn more about our call to stand, check out our website: www.BetheLeaves.org

One of the questions I have been asked several times is: “What exactly does it mean to stand as a candidate for Co-Moderator?”

In the Presbyterian tradition, the Co-Moderators are elected by the General Assembly to help guide and represent the wider church for a two-year term. They travel throughout the denomination and beyond, encourage congregations and presbyteries, participate in ecumenical and global relationships, and help tell the story of what God is doing through the church. Then, at the next General Assembly, they preside over the meeting itself.

At its heart, however, this is not about status or hierarchy. Presbyterians do not believe in bishops and no one person leads the church alone. In our theology, leadership is shared, connectional, and rooted in service.

In fact, one of the ordination vows we ask of church leaders (including ruling elders) is this:

“Will you be a faithful teaching (or ruling elder), proclaiming the good news in Word and Sacrament, teaching faith and caring for people? Will you be active (or share) in government and discipline, serving in the councils of the church; and in your ministry will you try to show the love and justice of Jesus Christ?”

Another vow asks:

“Will you seek to serve the people with energy, intelligence, imagination, and love?”

One of the beautiful truths of Presbyterian theology is that ministry does not belong only to pastors. Ministry belongs to the whole church. We serve Christ together through councils, congregations, committees, mission partnerships, worship, justice work, and shared discernment. Standing for Co-Moderator is, in many ways, an extension of that ordination promise to serve the councils of the church faithfully.

At the same time, I also want to be very grounded and honest with all of you: there are four highly qualified teams standing for this role. Any one of them could faithfully serve the church well. There is no guarantee Marta and I will be elected, and honestly, that is okay. Discernment in the church is never ultimately about ambition. It is about listening for where the Spirit may be leading.

Marta and I believe that the call to stand is every bit as important as the possibility of being elected. In the Presbyterian Church, discernment is not simply about the outcome; it is about faithfully responding when the Spirit invites us to participate. The election process creates space for candidates to help the church pay attention to important opportunities and challenges facing our shared ministry. For Marta and me, it has been a chance to lift up our hopes for a more connected church, to encourage healing in a polarized world, to celebrate the faithful ministry already happening in congregations across the denomination, and to invite conversation about where God may be leading us next. Whether we are elected or not, those conversations matter, and we are grateful God has called us to be part of them.

No matter what happens, I remain deeply grateful to serve First Presbyterian Church of Davenport.

I also know some people have practical questions, especially around time, finances, and how this would affect congregational life if Marta and I were elected.

Those are fair and important questions.

If elected, I would still remain your pastor and Head of Staff. I would not be leaving the congregation. The Session and I have spent significant time discussing what shared ministry during a Co-Moderator term would look like, and together we have a draft Covenant of Shared Ministry to guide that relationship.

That covenant makes clear that my primary call remains here at First Presbyterian Church of Davenport. It also outlines goals around communication, preaching, pastoral care, travel coordination, staff leadership, and shared congregational support. Among other commitments, I pledged to continue preaching regularly, maintain accessibility for urgent pastoral needs, and provide ongoing communication to both Session and congregation throughout the term.

The Session also thoughtfully named ways leadership would continue to be shared among staff, deacons, committees, and congregational leaders so that ministry remains strong and healthy.

Another important clarification: the church would still continue paying my salary because I would still be serving full-time as your pastor. The role of Co-Moderator is not a separate salaried denominational position replacing local ministry. Rather, it is an additional call of volunteer service within the wider church, similar to how I recently served as Moderator of the Presbytery of East Iowa. Travel and event expenses connected to Moderator responsibilities are covered by the denomination, not by the congregation.

And honestly, one of the reasons Session and I felt peace moving forward with discernment is because First Presbyterian Church already understands shared ministry so well. Week after week, I see staff, elders, deacons, volunteers, musicians, teachers, caregivers, and leaders living out the truth that the church is never built around one person alone. That is deeply Presbyterian.

One of the things that excites me most about this possibility is that it creates a two-way bridge between First Presbyterian Church and the wider church. If elected, I will have opportunities to share and celebrate the faithful ministry happening here at First Presbyterian Church of Davenport. I want the wider church to hear the stories of what God is doing through our congregation. At the same time, I will have the privilege of learning from congregations and ministries across the denomination and bringing those experiences, ideas, relationships, and inspirations back home. In many ways, this role is not simply about representing the wider church; it is also about helping our congregation deepen its connection to the larger body of Christ and reminding us that we are part of something much bigger than ourselves.

I will be participating in the work of the General Assembly starting on Monday, June 22 through July 2. In fact, the vote for Co-Moderators will take place in the morning on July 2 and you are invited to livestream the vote. We will try to get a link on our FPC website so that you can find it easily.

If Marta and I are elected, I will share much more in the months ahead about what the role involves and how we will continue living faithfully into our shared call together.

But for now, more than anything else, we simply covet your prayers.

Pray for discernment.
Pray for humility.
Pray for the wider church.
Pray for all four candidate teams.
Pray that whoever is elected would serve with compassion, wisdom, courage, and joy.

And above all, pray that we might all continue becoming a people of healing, hope, and love in a hurting world.

Peace, Love, and God Bless,

Rev. Dr. Kristopher D. Schondelmeyer
Pastor/Head of Staff
First Presbyterian Church of Davenport