Kevin DeYoung has been elected moderator of the 52nd General Assembly. He was elected by acclamation.
DeYoung is the senior pastor of Christ Covenant Church in Matthews, North Carolina, where he has pastored since 2017. He served on the Administrative Committee permanent committee for a number of years and was a member of the PCA’s Ad Interim Committee on Human Sexuality. He and the late Tim Keller presented portions of the committee’s report via video at the 2021 General Assembly.
DeYoung, 48, grew up in Jenison, Michigan, and earned his undergraduate degree from Hope College. He earned his Master of Divinity degree from Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary in 2002, and was ordained in the Reformed Church in America the same year. He pastored First Reformed Church in Orange City, Iowa, for two years before being called to serve University Reformed Church in East Lansing, Michigan.
In 2015, DeYoung helped University Reformed leave the RCA and join the PCA.
Nominating DeYoung was Jason Helopoulos, who served as an assistant pastor at University Reformed Church under DeYoung and became the church’s senior pastor when DeYoung left. In his nominating speech Helopoulos said DeYoung embodies servant leadership.
“In a time when clarity is rare and conviction is costly, he has shown both – without partisanship, without pride, and without compromise,” Helopoulos said. “He holds fast to the Scriptures, loves the Reformed faith, and speaks the truth in love. And through it all, he carries himself as a servant of Christ.”
Helopoulos said in working with DeYoung at University Reformed, he saw that DeYoung values perseverance, faithfulness, and theological depth. And with his staff, “he valued camaraderie, laughter, and hard work,” he said.
In observing DeYoung’s personal interactions with staff and others, Helopoulos witnessed a pastor who was consistent in public and in private.
“What you see from afar holds true up close,” he said.
While University Reformed joined the PCA in 2015, the birth of his seventh child prevented DeYoung from attending the PCA General Assembly as a commissioner until 2017. He was struck by how the PCA Assembly differed from the RCA’s delegated Synod in both tone and structure.
“Coming to the PCA General Assembly felt like a breath of fresh air,” he said. “Yes, we have our disagreements and controversies in the PCA, but the unity and fellowship and doctrinal agreement are so much stronger than what I had experienced before.”
And because only 250 voting delegates attend each RCA Synod, the gatherings don’t provide the same opportunities for fellowship and social connections.
“Like many of my colleagues, I look forward to GA because I enjoy seeing old friends and making new friends. The camaraderie is vital for the health of the PCA,” he said.
In 2017, DeYoung accepted the call to pastor Christ Covenant Church. He has served on the administrative and exams committees for Central Carolina Presbytery. He was also on a study committee that looked into the Revoice Conference.
“Above all else, Kevin is a true churchman. He loves the local church—and he loves the PCA,” Helolpoulos said.
When it comes to the Assembly, DeYoung said a successful Assembly is more than simply dodging controversy and finishing early.
“It’s easy to think that a successful Assembly is when we get done early and nothing terribly controversial takes place. And those can be signs of a good gathering,” he said. “But even more importantly, I think a successful Assembly is one where God’s people worship together and where the business of the church is handled fairly, charitably, honestly, and with a heart to honor God in all we do.”
DeYoung earned his doctoral degree from University of Leicester. In addition to his pastoral responsibilities, he is associate professor of systematic theology at Reformed Theological Seminary Charlotte.
He has also written, edited, or contributed to more than 25 books. Recently-published works include “Daily Doctrine: A One-Year Guide to Systematic Theology,” and “The Nicene Creed: What You Need to Know about the Most Important Creed Ever Written.” His books have been translated into more than two dozen languages.
DeYoung, 48, and his wife, Trisha, have nine children.