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Local leaders praise new gun violence prevention minister in Presbyterian church

Medical supplies are organized on the wall above beds for patients in the trauma bay of the emergency department at Erlanger Medical Center in Chattanooga. Hospitals across the country are rationing supplies in anticipation of a coronavirus surge. Staff file photo by Erin O. Smith.
Medical supplies are organized on the wall above beds for patients in the trauma bay of the emergency department at Erlanger Medical Center in Chattanooga. Hospitals across the country are rationing supplies in anticipation of a coronavirus surge. Staff file photo by Erin O. Smith. Medical supplies are organized on the wall above beds for patients in the trauma bay of the emergency department at Erlanger Medical Center in Chattanooga. Hospitals across the country are rationing supplies in anticipation of a coronavirus surge. Staff file photo by Erin O. Smith.

By Wyatt Massey 5 min read

The largest Presbyterian denomination in the United States ordained last month a minister for gun violence prevention, a move local church leaders are praising.

The Rev. Deanna Hollas will be part of Gun Violence Prevention Ministries in the Presbyterian Peace Fellowship to work as an advocate and liaison for churches across the country. Reducing gun violence is one of several social issues on which the Presbyterian Church USA focuses.

The Rev. Candace Worth, pastor at New Hope Presbyterian Church on Shallowford Road, said the denomination putting greater resources and effort behind reducing gun violence is an important step. The new minister will work connecting church leaders across the country, and will have the opportunity to share successful techniques between churches, Worth said.

“There are a lot of aspects of peacemaking and so to have someone who’s specifically focused on trying to resource to the whole denomination how to handle gun violence and how to do prevention in your local church and try to advocate for things in your local church is important, because it’s become so prevalent,” Worth said. “It’s not just a once-in-a-blue-moon kind of thing anymore.”

Worth noted that the gun violence prevention minister was ordained in Dallas, the home of the gunman in El Paso, who killed 22 people at a Walmart there on Aug. 3. While gun violence has killed members of faith communities in their houses of worship in the United States and abroad, Worth said her church’s response to reduce violence will not involve arming church members.