Succession of Stated Clerks and Moderators
of the Bible Presbyterian Church

Stated Clerks
Term
Name
Years of Service
1938
H. McAllister Griffiths
1
1939 - 1941
G. Douglas Young, Ph.D.
3
 
1942 - 1945
Stanley P. Allen
4
1946 - 1965
Robert Hastings
20

Moderators
1st General Synod
Met at Collingswood, NJ
6 September 1938
Moderator: J.U.S. Toms
Sermon by Dr. J. Oliver Buswell, Jr. on II Cor. 5:17-7:3
2nd General Synod
Met at Collingswood, NJ
14 November 1939
Moderator: Harold S. Laird, D.D.
Sermon by Rev. J.U.S. Toms [text and title not recorded]
3rd General Synod
Met at Chester, PA
22 October 1940
Moderator: Dr. Allan A. MacRae, Ph.D.
Sermon by Rev. Harold Laird [text and title not recorded]
4th General Synod
Met at Charlotte, NC
14 October 1941
Moderator: E.A. Dillard, D.D.
Sermon by Dr. MacRae [text and title not noted in the Minutes]
5th General Synod - [photograph]
Met at St. Louis, Missouri
5 - 10 November 1942
Moderator: J. Gordon Holdcroft, D.D.
Sermon by Rev. E.A. Dillard [text and title not recorded]
6th General Synod - [photograph]
Met at Wilmington, Delaware
14-19 October 1943
Moderator: Roland K. Armes [ruling elder]
Sermon by Rev. Holdcroft: "God's Minorities" [text not cited]
7th General Synod - [photograph]
Met at Greenville, South Carolina
12-17 October 1944
Moderator: Rev J. Oliver Buswell, Jr., PhD
Address by Mr. Armes: "Hold Fast the Profession of Our Faith"
8th General Synod - [photograph]
Met at Harvey Cedars, New Jersey
24-29 May 1945
Moderator: Rev. Flournoy Shepperson, Sr., DD
Sermon by Dr. J. Oliver Buswell, Jr. on Luke 9:23-26
9th General Synod
Met at Collingswood, New Jersey
23-28 May 1946
Moderator: Rev Carl McIntire, DD
Sermon by Dr. Shepperson on Heb. 6:1 and 12:1
10th General Synod - [photograph]
Met at Tacoma, Washington
17-22 July 1947
Moderator: Rev. Roy T. Brumbaugh
Sermon by Dr. McIntire: "To Obey Is Better Than Sacrifice"
11th General Synod - [photograph]
Met at Nashville, Tennessee
13 - 18 May 1948
Moderator: Francis A. Schaeffer, DD
Message brought by Mr. Armes in absence of Rev. Brumbaugh
12th General Synod - [photograph]
Met at Baltimore, Maryland
26 - 31 May 1949
Moderator: Peter Stam, Jr., LLD [ruling elder]
Sermon by Rev. Fred Stroud: "Get Ready to Act" [1 Peter 1]
13th General Synod - [photograph]
Met at St. Louis, Missouri
1 - 6 June 1950
Moderator: G. Douglas Young, PhD
Address by Mr. Stam: "Foundations and Superstructures"
14th General Synod - [photograph]
Met at New York City, New York
31 May - 5 June 1951
Moderator: Rev. John W. Sanderson, Jr., DD
Address by Dr. Young: "Total Mobilization of Our Church"
15th General Synod - [photograph]
Met at Pasadena, California
21 - 26 August 1952
Moderator: Rev. Robert G. Rayburn, Th.D.
Sermon by Rev. Sanderson: "The Necessity of Doing God's Work with God" [preaching from Exodus 33]
16th General Synod - [photograph]
Met at Elkins Park, Pennsylvania
4 - 9 June 1953
Moderator: Rev. William A. Mahlow
Sermon by Rev. Foxwell, "Christian Unity" [text not noted]
17th General Synod - [photograph]
Met at Greenville, South Carolina
3 - 9 June 1954
Moderator: Linwood G. Gebb, DD
Sermon by Rev. Mahlow [text & title not noted in the Minutes]
18th General Synod - [photograph]
Met at St. Louis, Missouri
2 - 8 June 1955
Moderator: J. Oliver Buswell, Jr., DD, PhD, LLD
Sermon by Dr. Linwood Gebb [text and title not noted]
19th General Synod
Met at St. Louis, Missouri
5 April 1956
Moderator: R. Laird Harris, PhD
Sermon by Dr. Buswell, "Ye Have Need of Patience" [Heb. 10:32-11:2]
A division occurs in the Bible Presbyterian Church at this point, with the larger portion of the denomination meeting in Columbus, OH to continue as the Bible Presbyterian Church, Columbus Synod, until its name change in 1961. The smaller portion of the division continued on as the Bible Presbyterian Church, Collingswood Synod; with the eventual name change of the Columbus Synod group, the Collingswood Synod later returned to the shorter appelation. A pro re nata meeting of the Columbus Synod group was held on 27 November 1956.
Bible Presbyterian Church, Columbus Synod:
20th General Synod
Met at Columbus, OH
28 November 1956
Moderator: L. LaVerne Donaldson
  Address by Dr. Harris [title & text not noted in Minutes]
21st General Synod
Met at Wilmington, Delaware
5 April 1957
Moderator: Kenneth A. Horner, Jr.
  Sermon by Rev. Donaldson: "Go Forward" [text not noted]
22nd General Synod
Met at Lakeland, Florida
19 June 1958
Moderator: Thomas G. Cross, DD
Sermon by Rev. Horner [text and title not recorded]
23rd General Synod
Met at Quarryville, Pennsylvania
4 June 1959
Moderator: T. Stanley Soltau, DD
Sermon by Dr. Cross: "The Wisdom of Winning Souls"
24th General Synod
Met at Gainesville, Texas
23 July 1960
Moderator: Kyle Thurman
Sermon by Dr. Soltau: "Unto the Building Up of Itself in Love" [Eph. 4:11-16]
In 1961 the Bible Presbyterian Church, Columbus Synod changed its name to The Evangelical Presbyterian Church (EPC) in order to eliminate confusion between itself and the Collingswood Synod group. The EPC name was then set aside in 1965 with the merger of the EPC and the Reformed Presbyterian Church of North America, General Synod, the united church taking the name Reformed Presbyterian Church, Evangelical Synod (RPCES). It should be noted that in 1981 a new denomination, formed from 12 congregations leaving the United Presbyterian Church, USA, took the name Evangelical Presbyterian Church. This latter group [1981-ongoing] should be distinguished from the former [1961-1965].
Evangelical Presbyterian Church:
25th General Synod
Met at Tacoma, Washington
22 July 1961
Moderator: John M.L. Young, DD
Sermon by Rev. Thurman: "Reaching Forth Unto Holiness"
[text from Philippians 3]
26th General Synod
Met at St. Louis, Missouri
7 July 1962
Moderator: McGregor Scott [ruling elder]
Sermon by Rev. James E. Hanson: "Our Divine Calling"
[Dr. Young had returned to Japan and so was not in attendance]
27th General Synod
Met at Harvey Cedars, New Jersey
13 July 1963
Moderator: Nelson K. Malkus
Sermon by Dr. Wilber Wallis [text & title not noted in Minutes]
28th General Synod
Met at St. Louis, Missouri
1 April 1964
Moderator: Donald J. MacNair, DD
Sermon, Rev. Malkus: "God and Our Ministry" [2 Cor. 2:13-4:7]
29th General Synod
Met at Lookout Mountain, Tennessee
2 April 1965
Moderator: Frank Smick, Jr.
Sermon by Rev. Samuel Ward: "David's House" [II Sam. 7:1-17]
The Service of Uniting of the Evangelical Presbyterian Church and the Reformed Presbyterian Church of North America, General Synod took place on 6 April, 1965 at 10:00 AM. This was followed by sessions of the 143rd General Synod of the Reformed Presbyterian Church, Evangelical Synod, at which the two Moderators of the now joined churches served alternately as Co-Moderators.