e89: A Conversation with Co-Moderator Candidates Sean Chow and Frances Lin

Episode 89 of The Amalgamation Podcast — A Conversation with Co-Moderator Candidates Sean Chow and Frances Lin

This episode is part of a four-part Amalgamation Podcast series profiling the teams standing for co-moderator of the 227th General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (USA).

All four candidate interview episodes, along with background info and links, drop on Saturday, June 27, so be sure to subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, Podbean, or wherever you listen to podcasts.

For immediate access to all four interviews and future episodes, become a paid subscriber.

In each episode, we discuss the future of the church, faith leaders and direction action, Christian Nationalism, ICE and Immigration, Christian Zionism, Artificial Intelligence, the debates about marriage, and more. You will also learn about the nerdiest parts of their lives, what they are watching, reading, or listening to, and each gets a chance to ask me one big question.

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In this episode, I sit down with Sean Chow, Executive Director of the Presbytery of San Diego, and Francis Lin, Presbytery Leader in the Presbytery of Riverside — two mid-council leaders who want the church to lead with stories of resilience rather than anxiety about decline.

Sean and Francis come at their shared candidacy from different angles — a church planter who describes himself as a "nice introvert hiding under the radar," and a presbytery executive who will cheerfully tell you her primary calling is to bring the party in. Together they talk about the real anxiety running through denominational staff during restructuring, what a 20-person desert church in Westmoreland taught them about vital ministry, and why they believe theology has to outrank ideology every time. The conversation moves from communion at the U.S.-Mexico border to personal experiences of racial discrimination during COVID, from the consolidation of General Assembly bodies.

Thanks for spending time with The Amalgamation, and I hope you enjoy my conversation with Co-Moderator Candidates: Frances Lin and Sean Chow.

Co-Moderator Candidacy Website: www.gods-abundance.com

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The Amalgamation Podcast, paired with The Amalgamation Newsletter, focuses on social justice, pop culture, digital community, left-leaning faith, and more. With humor, kindness, and conviction, each episode shares passions and projects and invites the listener to join Bruce and his guests to co-conspire for good.

The Amalgamation Podcast is hosted by Bruce Reyes-Chow, produced by Emmie Hix, edited by Dessiree McFarland, with music by Merissa Magdael-Lauron.

Show ideas and inquiries can be sent to The Team.

Thanks for listening!