The Board of Great Commission Publications (GCP) announced that Rev. Marvin Padgett has been called as its new Executive Director. Meeting on October 28, 2013, the GCP Board approved the recommendation of the search committee to hire Padgett as Executive Director.

Padgett had been serving as interim Director during the search process. The former Executive Director, Rev. Thomas Patete, died on December 14, 2012 (read a tribute here), which led the GCP Board to ask Padgett to serve in the interim capacity.

GPC is a joint partnership ministry of the Presbyterian Church in America and the Orthodox Presbyterian Church. It publishes a vast number of books on biblical and theological topics. GCP also publishes Sunday School material for all ages. One of its better known publications is The Trinity Hymnal.

Marvin Padgett served as a Ruling Elder in the PCA from 1982-1996, and was then ordained as a Teaching Elder in 1996. Padgett is no stranger to GCP in that he has served on the Board since 1991. He said, “I felt strange retiring from the GCP Board since I had served on it since 1991, but I had to do this in order to accept the position of Executive Director. I believe that GCP has served the Church with excellent books and study materials and I expect that we will continue to enhance our ministry in the years to come. I am particularly excited about the new high school curriculum, which has an interactive component to it.”

Padgett’s first act after being called was to appoint Rev. Mark Lowrey as Associate Executive Director. Lowrey is a PCA minister who has been serving in various capacities with GCP. Prior to his call to GCP, Lowrey served as the founder and then director of Reformed University Ministries.

Great Commission Publications is headquartered in Suwanee, Ga., a suburb of Atlanta.