On Oct. 28, Marvin Padgett was selected to serve as the second executive director of Great Commission Publications (GCP), the joint publishing organization of the Presbyterian Church in America (PCA) and the Orthodox Presbyterian Church (OPC).

In the wake of founding executive director Tom Patete’s death last December, Padgett, who has been GCP’s board president on an alternating basis since 1995, served as interim executive director while the search committee looked for Patete’s replacement. In the end, the committee voted to permanently hire Padgett.

“We found Mr. Padgett eminently qualified for the position,” said Alan Strange, head of the search committee. “We’ve been pleased with his work as interim executive director and wanted him to continue that as the new executive director.”

Prior to coming on full time at GCP, Padgett served as P&R Publishing’s vice president-editorial and earlier as Crossway Books’ editorial vice president.

During the next few years, Padgett says that GCP will work to deliver the curriculum in digital formats, although Sunday School curriculum for children will likely never be entirely paperless.

Padgett plans to work toward greater adoption of GCP’s Sunday School curriculum — “Show Me Jesus” — across the PCA specifically.

As well, Padgett plans to work toward greater adoption of GCP’s Sunday School curriculum — “Show Me Jesus” — across the PCA specifically. Currently, a greater percentage of OPC churches use the curriculum than do PCA churches.

“It’s a thoroughly Bible-based curriculum with a Reformed and covenantal perspective,” he explained. “It’s our desire to inculcate boys and girls in the PCA and OPC in the Reformed faith. I think we do a better job of that than anyone else. Our goal is to assist — but not supplant — churches and parents in what they’re doing.”