By Amanda Wells
The Church has chosen the Rev Peter Cheyne, of Calvin Presbyterian Church in Gore, as Moderator Designate for 2010-2012.
Peter was given a special welcome at General Assembly 2008, to which he spoke of his passion to see the Church thriving.
The election was conducted under the preferential voting system mandated by General Assembly in 2006, with parishes asked to rank candidates in order of preference.
Peter is well known for his work with Affirm, a group that has in the past been strongly associated with moves to restrict people in homosexual and de facto relationships from leadership roles.
He says he’s aware that not everyone in the Church would want someone closely associated with Affirm in the role of Moderator. “I do bring a set of convictions; but I assume every Moderator does. I think that I listen and I show people respect even if I don’t agree with their position.”
“If it came to controversial issues within the Church, I would not expect to take a ‘campaigning’ role but to help facilitate conversations, understanding of different points of view and resolution.”
Peter says that Affirm is committed to fostering renewal in the Church in a many-faceted way. “The acronym stands for Action, Faith, Fellowship, Intercession, Renewal and Mission. Those are things I am also committed to and would want to encourage once in the role.”
This is the third time that Peter has been nominated for the role of Moderator. He says it’s not something he sought. “When I was first nominated, I just laughed.”
At the same time, there has been a sense of call and, given the outcome, he says that he assumes “that God’s in it.”
Some aspects of the role are “scary,” he says, including the responsibility to represent the Church well. The Moderator’s job description also has a leadership element, which Peter says he appreciates.
While it’s “early days” in terms of thinking about the issues he might focus on, Peter says a central focus of his ministry is the concept of making disciples. “That’s perhaps something that I would want to try and encourage [as Moderator].”
Discipleship is both about bringing people to know Jesus and also about bringing people to maturity in Jesus, he says. It’s a key focus at Calvin Presbyterian, which has the slogan “helping people follow Jesus”.
Peter says Calvin puts a strong emphasis on being relevant in terms of style and content, while Biblical teaching is “critically important”. “It’s something that people can trust and believe.”
As well as second minister the Rev Paul Loveday, Calvin has full-time youth pastor Marty Redhead. Average Sunday attendance is about 250 people, with about 85 teenagers part of the Friday night youth group. “We have all age groups; there are a lot of young adults and families, and a lot of people who are very involved in the church.”
“I’m very optimistic about the future of the [wider] Church. I think we can see the Church growing again.”
Peter is married to Chris and has three daughters in their 20s, Kirsten, Sarah and Kimberley.