News from the Gay, Lesbian, and Affirming Disciples Alliance

Contents: October 2007

Michael Kinnamon Nominated as General Secretary of the National Council of Churches

The National Council of Churches has announced that Rev. Dr. Michael Kinnamon, a Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) clergyman and a long-time educator and ecumenical leader, is the nominee for General Secretary of the National Council of Churches (USA).

Dr. Kinnamon became well known to GLAD when his nomination to become the General Minister and President of the Christian Church became controvesial because of his membership in GLAD. His nomination ultimately failed in large part due to this controversy.

If affirmed by the council's Governing Board and General Assembly next month, Kinnamon will become the Council's ninth general secretary since its beginnings in 1950.

The National Council of Churches was founded in 1950. Its 35 member faith groups — from a wide spectrum of Protestant, Anglican, Orthodox, Quaker, Evangelical, historic African American and Living Peace churches — include 45 million persons in more than 100,000 local congregations in communities across the nation. Its contributions to social justice have been a hallmark from its earliest days to the present: A social justice creed created in 1908 by the NCC’s predecessor organization, the Federal Council of Churches, formed the basis of the New Deal legislation of the 1930s; last year, the NCC was instrumental in the passage of minimum wage legislation nationally and in 11 states.

Kinnamon was General Secretary of the Consultation on Church Union, which became Churches Uniting in Christ, from 1999 to 2002. He was executive secretary of the WCC's Commission on Faith and Order from 1980 to 1983 and had a major role in drafting the World Council of Churches' major planning document, "Toward a Common Understanding and Vision of the WCC."

According to the press release from Eden Seminary, Dr. Kinnamon states that he is "committed to continuing the social witness of the council, but also to the faith and order emphasis. What I want to stress is that a council of churches isn’t just an agency that does things for churches; it’s a community of the churches themselves. Because of their life together, they can’t be as they once were—they must engage each other in depth and with accountability. Part of my role will be to encourage that the member churches begin to pray for one another and know one another at a deeper level than simply across a meeting table or picket line.”

He has been the Allen and Dottie Miller Professor of Mission, Peace and Ecumenical Studies at Eden Theological Seminary since 2000. He was professor of Theology and Ecumenical Studies at Lexington, Ky., Theological Seminary from 1988 to 2000 and was dean of the seminary from 1988 to 1998.

Michael Kinnamon is a member of the National Council of Churches Governing Board and chair of the Council's Justice and Advocacy Commission. He has overseen the commission's development of resolutions and statements on a wide range of justice and peace issues and was the primary drafter of the NCC's Strategic Plan drafting committee over the past three years.

Michael Kinnamon has been active in the mission and ministries of the Christian Church and has been a frequent speaker at Disciples and United Church of Christ national and regional assemblies, ministers gatherings and special conferences including the GLAD Alliance, Disciples Peace Fellowship, and the North American Pacific Asian Disciples.

If affirmed by the NCC Governing Board and General Assembly during their meetings November 5-8, 2007 in Woodbridge, N.J., Kinnamon will assume his new responsibilities in January 2008.