John A. Buehrens

John Buehrens, of Needham, Mass., served as president of the Unitarian Universalist Association from 1993 to 2001. He is now minister of First Parish in Needham and a member of the adjunct faculty at Harvard Divinity School, from which he graduated in 1973. He serves as national cochair of Freedom to Marry as well as chair of the UUA International Advisory Panel and of the UUA 50th Anniversary Task Force.

He is the author of Understanding the Bible: An Introduction for Skeptics, Seekers, and Religious Liberals and coauthor (with Forrest Church) of A Chosen Faith: An Introduction to Unitarian Universalism and (with Rebecca Parker) of A House for Hope: The Promise of Progressive Religion for the Twenty-First Century.

The recipient of three honorary doctorates, he has served ministries in New Jersey, New York, Texas, and Tennessee, and been active in interfaith cooperation for justice and peace. He has been married since 1972 to the Rev. Gwen Langdoc Buehrens, a priest in the Episcopal Church. They have two married daughters.