John M. Buchanan was the pastor of Fourth Presbyterian Church in Chicago, Illinois, United States, the second largest congregation in the Presbyterian Church (USA).[1]
He is also the editor and publisher of The Christian Century.[2] He was also a member of the General Assembly Council from 1996 to 1999, and served as the moderator of the 208th General Assembly (1996).[3] He was one of the founding co-moderators of The Covenant Network of Presbyterians in 1997.[4]
In a letter dated May 18, 2010, Buchanan announced that he would retire from his duties as pastor of Fourth Presbyterian effective January 31, 2012.[5] Buchanan remains heavily involved with Presbyterian Church USA in retirement, serving as an interim preacher at churches in the Chicago area.[6]
Among his children are Susan Buchanan, who entered into politics as a supporter of the Sandinistas in the 1980s.[7] Buchanan has written for the Southern Poverty Law Center's HateWatch under the name "Susy Buchanan." She gained notoriety online in a 2019 recorded outburst which went viral as an Oak Park trustee, in which she derided colleagues as "white males."[8]