Korean American Jihyun Oh becomes first woman of color elected to lead PCUSA
Korean American Rev. Jihyun Oh has become the first woman of color to be elected the stated clerk of the Presbyterian Church (USA) Office of the General Assembly, becoming the new leader of the mainline Protestant denomination.
Oh, born in South Korea and raised in Kansas, was elected on Monday in a vote of 420-2 at the 226th PC(USA) General Assembly, which is meeting in Salt Lake City, Utah. She previously served as director of Mid Council Ministries in the Office of the General Assembly.
She is the first Korean American to serve in the predominantly theologically liberal denomination's highest ecclesial office and only the second woman, according to the Presbyterian News Service.
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In remarks given before the vote was held, Oh told those gathered, "I love this church for who we have been, warts and all, for who we are now, and who we will become as we faithfully discern God's call for us."
"Knowing who we are can help us identify and shed forms, habits and assumptions that no longer fit or serve us — a decluttering of sorts," she said. "What are the things within our ecclesial lives that were once useful, when things were different, but are no longer useful and even sap us of joy and gratitude toward God?"
"I hope that we will continue to shift from lamenting the loss of the church's central and leadership role in society and our communities, and befriend the hopeful possibilities of our liminal marginality … If we could see the possibilities of the margins, might that empower some and free others to see new ways of being church now and into the future?"
Rev. Dr. Sallie Watson, moderator of the Stated Clerk Nomination Committee, said Monday that the committee was "blown away" by her intelligence and "depth of her experience."
"Someone along the way said to me, 'Jihyun is always the smartest person in the room — any room,'" Watson said, according to General Assembly News. "But along with her intelligence, we were impressed with her wisdom, moved by her humility, thrilled with her passion for soccer, delighted by her sense of humor, and just blown away by the breadth and depth of her experience in, and love for, the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)."
Last year, the Rev. J. Herbert Nelson II, the first African American to serve as stated clerk, announced that he was stepping down on June 30, 2023, a year before his second term was scheduled to conclude.
Nelson was elected stated clerk at the 222nd General Assembly in Portland, Oregon, in 2016 and was unopposed at the virtually-held 224th General Assembly in 2020.
Nelson said that while his stepping down "was not an easy decision," he believed it was “the right one to make for my family and the church in this time of change."
"I have sought God's will my entire life, following in the footsteps of my father and grandfather to preach the gospel in the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)," stated Nelson at the time.
"I believe that God calls us into new seasons in our life of discipleship. Following many conversations with my wife and daughter, I believe I have entered into this new season."
Nelson touted the denomination's efforts to address "social justice challenges such as poverty, discrimination, and gun violence," as well as internal reforms to the denomination.
The Rev. Bronwen Boswell, general presbyter and stated clerk at the PC(USA) Shenandoah Presbytery, was named acting stated clerk, fulfilling the role until the 226th General Assembly.
