(Cp) Clifton Kirkpatrick, a former declared official of the Basic Meeting of the Presbyterian Church (USA) and the pinnacle of the world group of reformed church buildings, died. He was 79.
Kirkpatrick died on Saturday in 4 Seasons Retirement Group in Columbus, Indiana, in keeping with Presbyterian Information Service (PNS), with a commemorative worship that can happen in March in Strathmoor Presbyterian Church of Louisville, Kentucky.
Kirkpatrick was preceded by his greater than 50 -year -old spouse Diane Worthington, who died in March 2024. He remained sister, two kids and 5 grandchildren.
“The highly effective good man was Cliff Kirkpatrick,” mentioned former PCUSA official, Reverend Gradye Parsons, in a press release quoted by the PNS. “From the day he requested me to work with him, I shortly realized the worldwide understanding of the Church of God.
“He critically confronted the PC (USA) and their opponents, and I’ve heard it a thousand instances to say this quote: 'Our position as Christians is to not be within the court docket stool, however to be within the cabin of witnesses.” We’re all higher that we lived our lives with him, his management and his religion. “
Kirkpatrick, a local of Harlingen in Texas and born Might 1, 1945, held varied roles in lots of native Christian organizations, together with Dallas Council of Church buildings, Fort Value Council of Church buildings and Houston Metropolitan Ministers. Lastly, he served within the Govt Committee of the World Council of Church buildings.
Kirkpatrick then labored as director of Worldwide Ministers on PC (USA) and was then appointed an official for 3 consecutive 4 -year intervals in 1996, 2000 and 2004. He was additionally a professor at Louisville Presbyterian Theological Seminary.
In 2004, Kirkpatrick was additionally elected president of the world alliance of reformed church buildings, which later modified its title to the world group of reformed church buildings, which serves till 2010.
The interim Secretary Basic WCRC Setri Nyomi issued a press release that Kirkpatrick was “an costly buddy whose management and pastoral items had been very inspiring in my service and ecumenical engagement”.
“We first met in 1996 when a small Warc staff met in Louisville to place collectively a” Reformed self-understanding “doc,” Nyomi mentioned.
“We had been warmly welcomed by the brand new PCUSa official. This was earlier than my work because the Secretary Basic Warc. Since then, Cliff remarked. “
In an interview with The Christian Submit in 2005, Kirkpatrick handled the issue of lengthy -term decline in PCUSA and defined that he believed that the large issue was that “we aren’t as efficient within the evangelization as God would hope for”.
“The most important problem is to concentrate on Jesus Christ and to have a rising recognition that Jesus is the one who calls us to work for justice, to be a group and to function the physique of Christ,” Kirkpatrick mentioned.
“Jesus is our room, cleanliness and unity. We’re not all the identical, however what’s extra invaluable than these variations is the united perception that Jesus Christ is our Lord and Savior.”
© The Christian Submit
