Unlike the other candidates for Moderator, I am not employed by the church. So perhaps a little information about BNA, Inc. – my employer for my entire career as an attorney — might be helpful.
BNA’s official corporate name is “The Bureau of National Affairs, Inc,” with “Bureau” intending to connote ”news bureau.” What BNA has always done, and continues to do, is to provide the essential information and expert analysis that professionals in specific subject areas — tax, labor, environment, business, law — need in order to do their jobs. We have more credentialled reporters covering Capitol Hill than any other news organization. And, with more than 350 publications, we cover a vast array of subjects.
BNA is a preeminent newsgathering and news media organization. But the other reason that BNA stands out is that we are, and have been since our founding in 1947, employee-owned. We are the oldest completely employee-owned company in the United States.
I came to BNA more than 30 years ago figuring I’d stay for a few years and then move on. I haven’t moved on, because BNA became not just a place to work, but a community — a community that’s often found in the church but not that often found in workplaces. At BNA, our employees are our shareholders, and so employees at BNA are not just cogs in a wheel. When, several years ago, National Capital Presbytery needed a short-term Interim General Presbyter, BNA allowed me to go part-time in order to serve the Presbytery in that role.
There’s another link, in my mind at least, between BNA and the church — and in this sense I mean the wider church, the denomination. Just as our denomination is going through a time of discerning how we need to change our structure and processes in order to effectively proclaim the Gospel in today’s society, so too did BNA have to move through a time of unsettling change. Over the past decade, we have transformed BNA from a print-centric publisher to a Web publisher — a transformation that was difficult, scary, but absolutely necessary if BNA was to survive. It wasn’t easy — but we did it. So too, I believe, can the P.C. (U.S.A.) transform from an organization rooted in the mentality and structures of mid-twentieth century to a vibrant force that can bring Christ’s message to a 21st century society.
So, you might ask — what happens to me at BNA if I am elected Moderator? BNA knows I am a candidate for Moderator, and is supportive. I will say, however, and this probably doesn’t happen to my fellow Moderatorial candidates, eyes often glaze over at BNA when I say that I am a candidate to be the “Moderator of the 219th General Assembly of the P.C. (U.S.A.).” The response often is, “say again?” If anyone can come up with a succinct definition of what being Moderator means that will be understood by persons not just outside the Presbyterian church, but outside any faith culture whatsoever — please let me know.
If I am granted the honor of being elected Moderator, serving as Moderator, and carrying out all the duties of the Moderator, will be my first priority. I will either retire (which I am now eligible to do) or convert to part-time status. I am a member of BNA’s Board of Directors, and intend to continue in that capacity, but I don’t expect that to present scheduling difficulties.
I feel incredibly blessed that one of my communities — BNA — has given me the experience, the skills, and the time to serve my other community — the Presbyterian Church.
And if anyone feels like they might need some essential information and expert analysis, you can’t do better than going to www.bna.com to see what we offer.