Since June 2025, John Bise has served as the PCA’s provisional stated clerk. With a nominee for stated clerk coming before the Assembly next week, Bise’s tenure will be over soon. We asked the ruling elder from Huntsville to reflect on what he has learned and enjoyed in his time as provisional stated clerk. This conversation has been edited for length and clarity. 

What has it been like? What are some things about the job that you have found challenging, and what are some things you have found rewarding? 

It has been fun. It’s been busy. And it’s been, in ways, demanding. But it’s also been really instructive and enjoyable. General Assembly is omnipresent here. We got finished with the Assembly, we had post-Assembly activities. And then we’re already looking ahead to Assembly 2026, 27, 28, and so on. 

I’ve been surprised by the variety of questions and topics. The phone rings, and it can be anything from someone calling about a disciplinary matter to a calendar question to questions about overtures. There’s just a lot that goes on here.

I’ve also been surprised by the longevity of our staff in terms of their tenure here. When you take me out of the equation and you look at the folks who are here, there is an average tenure of almost 10 years. There are 11 people on the staff that have advanced degrees. We’ve got a PhD in international business, we’ve got MBAs, we’ve got attorneys. It’s quite a mix.

One of the things that I’ve emphasized has been trying to get out to see our presbyteries, churches, and people. I actively visited presbyteries or had what I’m going to characterize as city-wide luncheons. I’ve also visited a number of churches or their special events individually. 

I’ve been struck by the variety that we have in our presbyteries. One of the trips that was most fun and interesting was a trip that I made to Siouxlands Presbytery in the winter. That presbytery is so big that not only do the members of presbytery travel, but they bring their entire families with them. Because of the distance, they spend the morning of Day One in committee work, then worship midday, and then convene a regular presbytery meeting.

We arrived at 7 a.m. on a Friday for breakfast at the host church with a whole group of people, including extended families, and I observed these mothers and young children who were there, at times sitting in on the presbytery meeting, at times having their own activities. Some children, I understood, actually held their own pretend presbytery meeting. But it was sweet to watch these children who referred to one another as their “presbytery cousin” and to some of the presbyters as “presbytery uncles”

We went all day. I think we broke at about 10 p.m., and they were coming back on Saturday morning to continue the work of the presbytery.

And I’ve been to Metro Atlanta and Tennessee Valley Presbyteries. There were probably over 100 presbyters present at each gathering. Those meetings were also busy, and friendships were evident, but far different circumstances than what I experienced in South Dakota. 

I’ve been able to receive questions, but I’ve also been able to tell people about the Administrative Committee and the things that we do. A number of people don’t understand the functions of the Administrative Committee, nor do  they understand the fact that we need money to conduct our work and depend on the broader church for that funding.

I have also had occasion to attend a variety of meetings of other committees. I’m on the SJC, but I also attended the Committee on Constitutional Business’ review of the overtures, and the Committee on Review of Presbytery Records. To get in a room where there are a fair number of people, some of whom I know don’t always see things the same way, but you give them a common project around the work of the church, and the differences melt away. Friendships come into play, and you see them working together cooperatively, solving problems, and just handling the work of the church.

I’ve also come to really appreciate the staff here and the work that they do. I don’t think that the average person in the pew appreciates the depth of engagement that this staff has and their keen desire to see the church function well and be healthy in terms of advancing the gospel.

You had told me when we talked last summer that you had three areas where you had hoped to help the AC move forward: fence mending, fundraising, and leading the staff. I’m curious what it has looked like for you to move those three areas forward.

In the area of fence mending, I was providentially hindered from attending the NAPARC meeting in the fall. But last week I attended the General Assembly of the Orthodox Presbyterian Church and the Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church General Synod.

But I’ve also had interactions recently with someone from a fellow Reformed denomination concerning a disciplinary matter. Just to have collegial relationships with brothers and sisters in like-minded denominations, but not our own, has been rewarding and fun. In God’s providence, one of the gatherings that I attended was the Twin Lakes Fellowship. There were 275 elders there, and in God’s providence, I rode from the airport to the camp where the meeting was held with the primary speaker, who was from the ARP. That gave me an opportunity to make another connection with the ARP.

And my going out to visit presbyteries in part was alerting them to the needs of the Administrative Committee. I laughingly told folks, “I’d be failing at my job if they didn’t ask you to consider giving and give you some reasons to do so.”

And I’ve had churches who have said, “We’re going to start giving now. We haven’t given in a while, but, we’re going to be giving.”

The other thing that I’ve done is I’ve really dug into our financial records and looked closely at the financial circumstances of the Administrative Committee, and I think I’ve been able to be helpful in that area. We’ll be bringing some things to the Assembly as an outgrowth of that. I feel like I’ve accomplished much of what I set out to do, though I don’t think that the fruit is yet fully borne out.

What are some things about serving in the stated clerk role that you have found challenging?

I wanted to go to more presbytery meetings than I was able to. And the limitations of the office are difficult. I’ve had phone calls or emails indignantly asking why I have not made a statement on behalf of the PCA on a topic, or why hasn’t the PCA made a statement. And all I can say is, “I don’t have the authority to make a statement. We have godly concerns. The matters that you bring up are certainly of interest to us, and of significance, but I’m not the mouthpiece.”

Probably my biggest difficulty has been time. I feel like I want to be here. I need to be here to interact, and it’s energizing. Though at the same time, it consumes a lot of energy, and so I find myself frequently waking up in the morning thinking, “What are the things that I’m most behind on? What’s the most urgent thing?” It’s just difficult for me. I hate to be behind. 

What are some things you have learned in the last year?

I’ve learned that presidents and coordinators of our agencies and committees are really at work trying to do a good job of working cooperatively with one another and for their committees and agencies to do the same. I didn’t know the extent to which that happens. I’ve come to appreciate that, and the friendships that I’ve gained out of that.

I’ve learned that many of our churches do not appreciate the need for their financial support. When I first heard the relatively modest percentage of our churches who support committees and agencies, I was astounded. But I’ve had conversations with some churches and churchmen about that, and that’s been rewarding. I’ve been able, I think, to advance the ball in that area. We,ve been dependent on individual givers to fill what otherwise would be a financial shortfall; that should not be the case.

Is there anything from the past year that you have experienced which encourages you about the PCA’s future?

To see presbyteries at work, and to see 100-plus people gathering for the meeting of Metro Atlanta Presbytery to advance the work of the church. To see in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, a gathering of folks that range from Minneapolis, St. Paul in the east to Wyoming in the west, and all of these people working together with the common goal of advancing the gospel, evangelizing our neighbors, worshipping together, singing together. Those experiences and others like them — they are truly encouraging to me.

And despite the disparate circumstances and the differences among the presbyteries, what I found was people who were dedicated to the building of Christ’s kingdom and his Church. May our fellowship and love for one another grow as we labor together.