STATED CLERK

SUMMARY OF WORK

Maybe it’s my age, season of life or the calling I have received, but I have spent a lot of time in the last few months reflecting on unity in the Body of Christ. Anchored in our text for this 46th General Assembly, I have gone deeper into Ephesians 4 to mine its heavenly treasures. It was the heart of King David (Psalm 133); the focus of much the Apostle Paul’s pastoral letters (I Corinthians 12) and of course the very prayer of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ (John 17). The reality is, we live in a fallen world, and the Church of Jesus Christ is not immune to the ravages of the Fall. Much, too much, like the societies in which we live, we are fractured and that divided witness does not reflect well to the fallen, fractured world. Our witness is diminished, and the heart of God weeps. I weep.

Twice in Ephesians 4 the Apostle Paul calls his beloved church at Ephesus to unity. First, he exhorts them to “maintain” unity and then later he calls his listeners to “attain” unity. Interesting does he instruct us to create, build or work at unity. For Paul, as for Jesus, unity of the Body of Christ was a gift, anchored in the unity of the Triune God. Jesus prayed that we would be one, as He and the Father were one. He prayed this knowing our fallen and sinful propensity to pull apart -for a myriad of reasons all seemingly right and righteous to us as we pull away from one another. Paul said this gift of unity is something we are called to maintain.

For years, our motto, “In the essentials unity; in non-essentials liberty and in all things charity” has been a rallying cry of unity that has held us together. Today those bonds are being sorely tested. This is not to diminish the seriousness of the debate we are currently having, for the sake of unity; the concern being a “unity at the expense of theological fidelity.” That is not the kind of unity I am speaking of, nor the kind Paul exhorted or for which Jesus prayed. We have had difficult conversations before, and we will again in the future. That is the nature of things in our fallen world. But I am convinced, my beloved, that as Paul concludes in Ephesians 4, that we are better together!

This has been a very full and challenging year in many ways. My pastor, Doug Walker of RiverCity EPC in Debary, FL preached through the book of Ecclesiastes this year. That’s a heavy lift. One verse, among many that has been shaping me is Ecclesiastes 7:14 – “In the day of prosperity be joyful, and in the day of adversity consider God has made the one as well as the other…” This year has been filled with both wonderful blessings and considerable adversity.

I was blessed to preach thirteen times this year. Something I have really missed since leaving pastoral ministry. Some were wonderful celebrations like the 200th Anniversary of the Hanover EPC Church in southwest Pennsylvania and the high energy multi-generational worship of Manoa Community Church (former Bart Hess Award winner) outside of Philadelphia and others more difficult like speaking at the memorial services of dear pastor friends Rob Sparr and Scott McKee who graduated to glory. Preaching at the historic Hamilton Road Presbyterian Church in Bangor, Ireland and then the prolific church planting Orangefield Presbyterian Church in Belfast, were definitely highlights. I’ll long cherish the memory of singing “Be Thou My Vision” at Hamilton Road -that was truly special.

I attended seven presbytery meetings this year and now have visited all 16 presbyteries at least once and some multiple times since becoming Stated Clerk 5 years ago. Witnessing the alignment of our Gospel Priorities in each of our presbyteries has been a great encouragement in watching our family of churches on mission together. I cherish the annual meetings of our presbytery Stated Clerks (1 in person and now another via zoom) and presbytery Moderators (also 1 in person and 1 online). The fellowship of these groups is sweet, and the unity is thick. What a gift. Other highlights would be our World Outreach Family Gathering in Cyprus last summer, our annual Small Church Summit and preaching at the commencement ceremony of our partner Knox Theological Seminary this Spring.

Perhaps above all else, I have been richly blessed to serve alongside the faithful and talented brothers and sisters of National Leadership Team and staff in the Office of the General Assembly. In all the years I have served on the NLT as a member, Moderator and now Stated Clerk, I have never worked with such a strong, dedicated and sacrificial group of servant leaders. Living in Florida has enabled me to be in the office every week (unless I am traveling) and allowed me to really get to know and help grow our staff. Our mission in the OGA is to “Serve those who carry out the Great Commission” and nobody does it better. Perhaps the greatest joy of being on these two teams is that they are together fully unified in our love of the Lord, commitment to His Word and dedication to our mission. There is much more to celebrate this year. Please be sure to explore the reports of our nine permanent committees, three ad-interim committees and of course our Gospel Priorities to see the many ways we are on mission to join the Holy Spirit in carrying out the Great Commission. While numbers don’t tell the whole story, they do point the way. Here are a few numbers to praise God for His faithfulness among us.

A few important “measurables” for this past year might include the following:

As a Stated Clerk, who is also a pastor, I am going into our 46th General Assembly praying for unity among our family of churches. Both because it is a gift given to us by God, but also because it is essential to our witness to those who don’t know Christ. And after all, our mission is to Carry out the Great Commission. When I look at all the Lord has been doing in and through us this past year, I am humbled and hopeful. One thing, I know in reflecting on God’s Word and God’s faithfulness, is that in carrying out the Great Commission, we are much Better Together!

Blessings,
Coram Deo!

Respectfully submitted,

D. Dean Weaver
June 2026

2026 Annual Church Report
Churches Received, Dissolved, Dismissed (May 2025-April 2026)

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