For immediate release For further information, contact:
March 15, 2007 Diane Kessler 617-523-2771
Jack Johnson 609-393-1918
MA Council of Churches announces new leadership
United Methodist pastor Rev. Jack Johnson assumes post in mid-June
Boston—The Rev. Jack Johnson, an ordained minister in the Greater New Jersey Area Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church, has been called by the Board of Directors of the Massachusetts Council of Churches to become its ninth executive director, effective in mid-June. The 105 year old ecumenical body, headquartered in Boston, is the state-wide partnership of seventeen Orthodox and Protestant denominations in the Commonwealth, whose members include over 1700 congregations. The Board also includes representatives from the four Roman Catholic dioceses in the Commonwealth. The purposes of the Council are to break down barriers and build bridges among Christian churches, to promote healthy interfaith relations, and to support the common good.
Rev. Johnson will be responsible for the direction and public presentation of the Council’s work in areas such as education and evangelism for Christian unity, ecumenical worship, cooperation among local councils of churches, various forums for ecumenical and interfaith dialogue, and social mission/prophetic witness. In addition, the MCC executive serves as a diplomatic liaison among religious leaders and denominations in the effort to promote reconciliation among the churches.
Immediately prior to this call, Rev. Johnson has been serving as Pastor of the First United Methodist Church of New Jersey and St. Paul United Methodist Church in Trenton--two downtown, multi cultural, urban congregations exploring merger potential. Before that he was District Superintendent of the Greater New Jersey Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church, involving oversight of eighty congregations. As a member of the Bishop’s cabinet, he served as a liaison for his office to the Mission Personnel Committee, Supplemental Salary Committee, Convocation Committee, Conference Sessions Committee, Conference Trustees, Conference Nominating Committee, Primary Task Team, and the Shalom Ministries in Urban Partnerships. Leadership on the Capital District includes the development of a Liberian partnership with churches in Liberia.
A native of New Jersey, he has a B.A. from Union College in Barbourville, Kentucky, and an Masters of Theology from Boston University School of Theology (1967). Rev. Johnson has been involved in ecumenical and interfaith ministries throughout his career, including service as ecumenical officer for the Greater New Jersey Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church and President of the New Jersey Council of Churches. He currently is Acting President of the Trenton Ecumenical Area Ministries. He also has experience in interfaith relations. He was chair/co-founder of the Interfaith Neighbors of Monmouth County, a coalition of one hundred Protestant, Roman Catholic, and Jewish congregations providing rental assistance and housing for homeless and low-income families. In 2004 he was convener of an interfaith dialogue between Muslim and Christian youth, sponsored by the New Jersey Council of Churches.
MA Council announces new leadership…
He now is President of a Coalition of Religious Leaders, involving Christians, Jews, and Muslims.
Rev. Johnson also has been active in a wide-range of public policy and governmental entities, including those dealing with gun violence, hunger, anti-casino initiatives, a death penalty moratorium, and a coalition for nuclear disarmament. In the mid-‘80’s, he convened the National Impact Educational Board, a Washington-based coalition sponsoring national briefings for hundreds of religious leaders. He now is a member of the Martin Luther King, Jr. Commission for the State of New Jersey.
Probably unique in the history of MCC executive directors, from 1976-77, he was Mayor of Dover Township (Toms River), New Jersey, a region with a population of 75,000 people.
In response to the appointment, Rev. Johnson said “I am honored and excited about the opportunity to work with the Massachusetts Council of Churches. I trust that my experiences will lend themselves to the work of the Council. I know that the Council has a national reputation among Council of Churches as being in the forefront of engaging the Church in ministries of Christian Unity. I especially look forward to working with church leadership throughout the state and engaging in new partnerships where our faith impacts public forums.”
MCC President Mr. Richard Harter, a layman in the United Church of Christ, said “We expect to benefit from the experience and energy Jack brings to the position out of a different ecumenical setting.”
The present MCC executive director, Rev. Dr. Diane Kessler, who is retiring after thirty-two years of service at the Council, said “I am so pleased about Jack’s appointment to this position. He has demonstrated an interest in and commitment to the ecumenical movement throughout his vocational life. The range of experiences he has—in ecclesial oversight, service in a variety of capacities as an ecumenical volunteer, ministry in a variety of congregational settings, and public policy—all these bode well for ecumenical life in the Commonwealth. It is a joy to see the energy and enthusiasm that is bringing to this new responsibility.”
Rev. Johnson and his wife, Coleen, have three grown children. He will begin work at the Massachusetts Council of Churches on June 18. The MCC Board of Directors has arranged for a two-week transition period with the retiring and incoming executive directors.
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