In his years as a ruling elder Donahoe has served in many positions (sometimes multiple times) including session clerk, presbytery moderator, and presbytery stated clerk. He has attended 26 of the last 30 General Assembly gatherings and served as host committee chairman in 2003 when the Assembly met in Charlotte. For 20 years he has served on the Standing Judicial Commission (SJC).

The General Assembly has elected Howie Donahoe, a ruling elder from Seattle in the Pacific Northwest Presbytery, to moderate the 47th General Assembly. The vote was 848-493.

Donahoe has been a member of the PCA for 36 years and has attended churches in Washington, Virginia, North Carolina, and Pennsylvania. He has served as a ruling elder for 32 years.

In his years as a ruling elder Donahoe has served in many positions (sometimes multiple times) including session clerk, presbytery moderator, and presbytery stated clerk. He has attended 26 of the last 30 General Assembly gatherings and served as host committee chairman in 2003 when the Assembly met in Charlotte. For 20 years he has served on the Standing Judicial Commission (SJC).

Bryan Chapell nominated Donahoe. The two first met more than 20 years ago, and Chapell appreciates Donahoe’s tireless dedication to the work of the church.

“For those of us in pastoral ministry, it’s our livelihood to care for the life of the church. But for a ruling elder like Howie, it is love for the health of the gospel that drives him,” Chapell said. “And he has been extremely active and dedicated at all levels of the church.”

An Ambassador for Civility

In his years of service, Donahoe has developed a reputation for helping opponents come together, get to know each other, and talk out their differences in a personal setting. When Donahoe began serving on the Committee for Review of Presbytery Records (RPR) several years ago, he noticed that people clustered in the same groups to work and to socialize after the meeting.

Wanting to change the cliquish dynamic, he started bringing beverages and cigars, hoping to bring together people who didn’t know each other. Not only did the men initiate across-the-aisle conversations, but they built common ground by discussing shared experiences like families and favorite books

Donahoe understands that relationships are one of the antidotes to animosity, so when he senses that discord might threaten the unity of the church, he creates opportunities for relationships to grow.

As the 46th General Assembly approached in 2018, Donahoe became concerned that competing overtures dealing with memorials could disrupt the unity of the Assembly. Donahoe and his wife, Debbie, invited backers of the overtures to join them for dinner in Atlanta before the Assembly convened. When the differing sides had a chance to sit down face to face, get to know each other in an informal setting, and hear each other, they came away with greater understanding of the opposing points of view, Donahoe said.

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