John Bise, a business consultant and ruling elder from Huntsville, Alabama, was elected moderator of the 49th PCA General Assembly in Birmingham, Alabama on June 21, defeating Ruling Elder Melton Duncan of Calvary Presbytery.
The vote was 945-856.
“It is an honor to be elected, but a humbling one,” said Bise. “I love the PCA and it is a privilege to serve her in this role.”
In his nominating speech Howie Donahoe — a ruling elder and moderator of the 47th General Assembly — called Bise “fair and collegial.”
“Everyone who knows John, knows this to be true,” Donahoe said. “His fellow judges on the SJC recognized these qualities by unanimously electing him each of the last three years as SJC Vice Chair.”
In 2019 Bise’s friend Dan Carrell, the 39th General Assembly moderator and a ruling elder from James River Presbytery, described Bise’s extensive Assembly experience and godly character as keys to his nomination and election.
“I have found John always well-prepared, careful in his judgments, and judicious in temperament,” said Carrell. “He interacts well with others as a good listener and respectful toward their views, even when different from his. And he consistently seeks to facilitate reasonable resolutions of disputed matters.”
Donahoe noted that after the 2019 General Assembly in Dallas he asked Bise, whom he had defeated for the position of moderator, to help him determine which elders should serve on the Ad Interim Committee on Human Sexuality.
“If you value that AIC Report – as it seems nearly ALL of us do – then a great measure of thanks is due to John for his discernment and judgment,” Donahoe said.
Carrell and Donahoe also noted that Bise, 69, has decades of experience in the church courts on all three levels of the PCA. He serves as a ruling elder and clerk of the session at Cornerstone Presbyterian Church in Huntsville, and has also served as moderator of Providence Presbytery. Bise describes himself as a “son of the PCA,” having been reared in First Presbyterian Jackson, Mississippi, where three generations of his family had also been members and served.
Bise graduated from Vanderbilt University with an economics degree and later from Harvard Business School. In his decades-long career in finance and business management consulting, Bise has frequently functioned as a peacemaker, amicably resolving disputes to help parties avoid litigation.
“I feel that I am helping bear witness to the peace of Christ to my clients,” he says.
And those skills will come into play in his role as moderator of the Assembly.
“As moderator I long to see us bear witness to Christ to Birmingham and the world, and to facilitate a charitable discussion of the items of concern to the church,” said Bise.
“What Unites Us Far Outweighs Our Differences”
As a regular General Assembly attendee, Bise observes how easy it is for assembly-goers to get caught up in their differences, but that the moderators who are appreciated most are those who unite the body.
“I want to serve in a way that promotes harmony, even when people are expressing disagreement. We ultimately want to honor Christ and everyone in the room, because what unites us far outweighs our differences.”
Bise has served in many capacities in previous assemblies: as a member of the Committee of Commissioners for MNA and RUF, a member of the Overtures Committee, the Committee on Constitutional Business, and the Standing Judicial Commission. But he sees GA as more than a business meeting. He describes it as a “wonderful mix” of tedious but necessary work and a time of spectacular worship, fruitful fellowship, and encouragement with elders from across the country.
“At last year’s Assembly, to be in the midst of this body of believers, loudly singing praises to God – I was extraordinarily uplifted,” said Bise. He hopes to see the PCA expand beyond its historical underpinnings in the Southeast, and reach out ethnically, geographically, and internationally in the future.
“We need to winsomely express the truth we possess,” said Bise. “We can have a huge impact on our neighbors for the kingdom.”
Bise has been married to Jane for 45 years. They have two daughters who have been active in their local churches.