Nominating Duncan was Richard Phillips, the current senior pastor of Second Presbyterian. Phillips said Duncan has the experience, competence, trust, and goodwill necessary to lead the General Assembly proceedings. He noted Duncan’s considerable experience at the Assembly and the competence with which he leads.

The 53rd General Assembly has elected Melton “Mel” Duncan, ruling elder and stated clerk of Calvary Presbytery, to serve as moderator of the Assembly.

A lifelong member of Second Presbyterian Church in Greenville, South Carolina, Duncan comes from what he calls “a long line of Presbyterian forebears.” His father, J. Ligon Duncan, Jr., was a ruling elder at Second Presbyterian Church when the church decided to join the PCA, and his mother, Shirley, formed the PCA Musicians Association in the 1980s. At the PCA’s 43rd General Assembly, Shirley was formally recognized as one of the PCA’s “founding mothers.” Brother J. Ligon Duncan, III, is the chancellor and CEO of Reformed Theological Seminary.

Duncan grew up at Second Presbyterian under the ministries of Gordon Reed and Paul Settle. His father was an avid churchman, planning family vacations around attending General Assembly and involving the entire family in the life of the church.

“My whole life has been caught up in Second Pres,” he said.

Duncan embraced the church service modeled by his father and has served Second Presbyterian in a variety of roles, including Sunday school teacher, deacon, and ruling elder. He has served as stated clerk of Calvary Presbytery since 2016 and served on many presbytery committees, including the host committee for the 43rd PCA General Assembly in Greenville.

Duncan served for many years on the PCA Historical Center’s advisory committee as an alternate member, serving alongside his mother. But when Shirley passed away in 2022, Duncan assumed her role on the committee, just as Shirley had filled the committee vacancy left when her husband passed away in 1992.

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