The Presbyterian Church of Aotearoa New Zealand (PCANZ) announced that Rt Rev. Peter Dunn will stepp in as the new moderator. He will begin his two-year term immediately.
Dunn’s installation will take place at St Paul’s Trinity Pacific Presbyterian Church where the Presbyterian Church’s General Assembly is currently underway.
Born in Dunedin, Dunn studied at the University of Otago and graduated in 1986 with a Bachelor of Arts. From 1987, he studied at the Presbyterian Theological Hall, graduating with a Bachelor of Divinity two years later.
He went on to minister at the Waipu Presbyterian Parish in Northland from 1990, where he served for 22 years. Dunn then served at Windsor Community Church in Invercargill, where he has been since 2012.
“We Believe”
For his term, Dunn has chosen the theme “We Believe” to reflect his personal observations on the journeys that nonbelievers often take before coming into the faith.
“They come from non-Christian backgrounds, with no experience of what it means to belong to a Christian community. We give them space and time to find their sense of belonging. What they most want is a safe place, so they will watch with suspicion how we, as a Christian community, interact. If they see that we do not live out our faith, it is over between us. People often can come to our church two or three years before they come to faith. Then, we believe together,” Dunn explained.
He also added that one of his main thrusts as moderator will be to create conversations on that which “we believe together as faithful Christians,” which he opined are, “the heart, the soul, the mind, and the integrity of PCANZ.”
Parallel to his current appointment, Dunn also represents the church’s Synod of Otago and Southland on the Southern Presbytery council, and is a co-convenor of the Synod Executive.
He has held previous appointments on the Presbyterian Church’s Council of Assembly; as co-convenor of its Resourcing for Mission Policy Group; as Synod of Otago and Southland moderator; on the leadership of the Northland Uniting District Council—later renamed Churches Together in Northland (CTN); a member of the group that worked to form the Northern Presbytery; and was on the board of Presbyterian Support Northern.
