Fred Greco, pastor of Christ Church in Katy, Texas, has been elected moderator of the 50th General Assembly.
A former corporate attorney and ruling elder, Greco is currently the assistant secretary of the Standing Judicial Commission, and he served as its chairman for eight years. He also chairs the Candidates and Credentials Committee for Houston Metro Presbytery and has moderated the General Assembly Overtures Committee three times.
Known for his energetic voice and penchant for calling himself a “repenting lawyer,” Greco is a regular at the General Assembly floor microphone. But he rarely rises to advocate for a position; rather, his purpose is usually to explain procedure and guide the Assembly through confusion over how to proceed.
He told byFaith that when leading a meeting, he considers himself a kind of traffic cop, preventing procedural gridlock by ensuring everyone follows the rules and has their turn.
“My goal is for the Assembly to run smoothly and for people to have the opportunities to make their points and for us to get out on time,” he said.
Born in Niagara Falls, New York, Greco earned his law degree from the University of Michigan in 1996. In 1998 he was ordained as a ruling elder at Grace Presbyterian Church in Hudson, Ohio, while working as a corporate attorney in the Cleveland area.
When the senior pastor of Grace left to teach at Covenant Theological Seminary, Greco assisted with preaching during the pastoral search. Members of Grace suggested he get some seminary training, so Greco enrolled in distance courses at Reformed Theological Seminary Jackson. He then decided to move to Jackson, enroll at RTS full time, and pursue ministry.
David Strain, pastor of First Presbyterian Church in Jackson, Mississippi, nominated Greco to be the General Assembly moderator. Their friendship began 17 years ago when Strain was still a member of the Free Church of Scotland and would meet with PCA friends when visiting the US. It was through those connections that he met Greco.
Strain noted that Greco has already served the Assembly as both a ruling and teaching elder and in many different roles. In addition to knowing Roberts Rules and the Rules of Assembly Operations, Strain said Greco is “a humble guy who leads well with a great deal of poise and efficiency.”
Though Greco is well known at the Assembly, being possibly the only person to receive complaints of being too loud at the Assembly microphone, Greco also works behind the scenes. Strain said Greco regularly helps churches that reach out to him with difficult procedural questions. When the COVID pandemic forced the PCA to suspend the 2020 General Assembly, Greco advised the Administrative Committee on how to handle vacancies on the permanent committees and agencies when there would be no Assembly to vote on filling those vacancies.
“He is an extraordinary Christian leader and exactly the kind of man we need to lead us at our 50th anniversary,” Strain said.
Just as he learned from elders such as David Coffin and John White, Greco wants to come alongside younger pastors who have an interest in procedure so that the next generation of General Assembly leaders will be prepared to run efficient, equitable meetings.
“Part of serving the church is realizing that the church is perpetual. It goes beyond you,” he said.
As the PCA continues to mourn the passing of faithful ministers, including Harry Reeder and Tim Keller, Greco acknowledges that points of order are not the heart of the church. The gospel is advanced when local churches faithfully preach the gospel in their communities.
“I hope, Lord willing, when I’m long gone and my grandchildren are showing up at the Assembly, there are people there to make effective points of order,” he said. “But more than that, I hope there are people with ministries like Tim Keller and Harry Reeder.”
Greco, 53, and his wife Deb have been married for 26 years and have four adult children.