Rev. Dr. Laurence DeWolfe, Church of St. David, Halifax, Nova Scotia
Born in New Glasgow, Nova Scotia, DeWolfe was ordained in 1983, and has served numerous congregations since that time, including two ordained missionary appointments at Knox Listowel, and in a team ministry in Palmerston and Drayton with his wife, Rev. Janet Allan DeWolfe. He came to his current charge in 1999. For the past seven years, he has also served as Lecturer in Homiletics at the Atlantic School of Theology.
DeWolfe has served as moderator of several presbyteries and one synod, has been a member of various special committees and task forces at various levels, including the General Assembly’s task force on the marriage service. He wrote the guidelines for welcoming children to the Lord’s Table, was an intern supervisor for Knox College and a member of the Knox College Senate, was chaplain of the First Hussars, Royal Canadian Armoured Corps, in Sarnia, and currently serves on the General Assembly’s Committee on Theological Education.
Laurence and Janet have one daughter, Mary Margaret (Maggie), who will graduate from St. Mary’s University in May. His interests include singing, photography and cooking.
1. What did you think when you found out you were nominated?
“It was a great honour to be nominated by my own Presbytery. When colleagues from other Presbyteries approached me I was surprised and overwhelmed by their belief that I might have the gifts to do the job. When asked if I would let my name be on the ballot I heard the church calling, and I had to be open to the possibility that God was calling, too.”
2. What would you bring to the position?
“I would bring 24 years’ experience of pastoral ministry in congregations large and small, rural, urban, and small town. I believe I have a good working knowledge of the rules and procedures of the church courts, and perhaps a better sense of how to apply them and make them work in differing situations. I’ve moderated Sessions, Presbyteries, a Synod and a Synod Commission. People tell me I’m a good listener and communicator. I think I would be an effective representative of our church, to itself and to others. The gift I treasure most is a good sense of humour, and that may be most important for a moderator. Moderators do a lot of preaching and public speaking, and I can be pretty good at both.”
3. What would your theme(s) be for your moderatorial year?
“It’s hard to narrow things down, as so many of our church’s ministries are important to me. I have a special interest in training church leaders, and particularly in the education of our ministers. I’d like to focus on recruiting and nurturing leaders, and on pastoral care of candidates for ministry and their teachers, in Canada and perhaps in our mission partner churches. I’d also like to spend some time with congregations like mine that are aging and declining, yet struggling faithfully to engage in local mission in authentic ways. I’d welcome all invitations from small, rural churches or big, thriving congregations. But we have a lot of middle-size churches, especially in our cities and towns that face big and unique challenges that denominational resources don’t always address. I guess Leadership and Local Mission could be themes for “my” year.”
4. What do you think are the church’s current strengths? Challenges?
“When they work and the people within them work in trust and good faith, our church courts are a great asset to our church. Good governance is one sign of a healthy organization. When our courts don’t work, they are our greatest weakness. The greatest strength of all is our faithful people, our elders and laity. Today going to church, and being a fully-committed member of a congregation, are counter-cultural activities. Presbyterians are steadfast people, and aren’t embarrassed to be identified as such. We’re rediscovering a distinctive Christian identity in today’s world, and this bodes well for the future. As a small denomination we can be creative and light on our feet in our changing society.
“I believe the greatest challenge we face is accepting our smallness. We’re a small denomination. As churchgoing Christians we are part of a distinct minority within Canada. Accepting this fact doesn’t mean admitting defeat. It does mean we have to look realistically at what we can do, whether it’s as a denomination with limited resources or as Christians, who no longer call the shots in Canada. Within the PCC I think we have to be clearer about what’s most important, and agree to disagree among ourselves about some things that aren’t as crucial to our mission as we may think. In our shared life as a church worship that honours God, and doesn’t just tickle our changing fancies, has to come first. In our life as the church in the world mission that expresses the truly good news of the gospel and the boundless love of God has to come first. Surely we can agree on these two things, even as we allow a wide range of local expression of both. If we focus on kingdom values first, then other concerns will fall into place–things like maintaining ethnic pride or coming to agreement on questions of sexuality.”
