Archives for February 2009

It has been “totaled” and is in need of a complete overhaul. Until this happens, the week will continue to frustrate us, divide the denomination, and injure its participants. It will continue to weaken our connectionalism, drive us farther apart, and set us back each time we meet.The way we currently have structured the week prevents us from discerning God’s will together. Instead of eliminating obstacles to good decision-making, it creates barriers. There is a much higher probability of good decisions being made at our session meetings and our presbytery meetings than there is at the G. A. meetingThe amount of business handled each week is unrealistic. No one can be adequately informed about all the items that come up for a vote. We know that commissioners do not read all of their materials before they come, and we laugh about it, as if that wasn’t a problem. We shrug our shoulders as if there wasn’t anything we could do. We resign ourselves to the fact that decisions are made by … [Read more...]

We applaud the advances being made and offer encouragement for those in the struggle for change and growth. However, I am a realist and feel it is the responsibility of leadership to help folks face reality. I ask, who is thinking about the pastors and future pastors as the decline continues?The fall newsletter for The Association of Presbyterian Interim Ministry Specialists came across my desk. It reported that Marcia Myers, director of the Vocation’s Office, spoke at their fall retreat (Oct. 2008) and offered these statistics:•           1,994 clergy and 56 lay professionals are seeking relocation; of these, 310 are seeking their first call. There are 666 positions in the Call Referral System of which 166 are available for persons seeking their first call•           37% of our present congregations are family-sized (50 or fewer in worship)•           41% are pastoral-size (50-150) in worship•           22% have more than 150 in worship.It surprised me that only 22% of our churches … [Read more...]

This how-to guide helps you get started.Is your church ready to connect to the net generation? As Presbyterian congregations seek to reach and invite people in their 20s and younger, we must understand who they are. This generation, often referred to as “the net generation,” views technology as common as sliced bread and lives in a world with interactive community-building web 2.0 tools like blogs, podcasts, Twitter, Facebook, and other social networks. For this generation, the standard church Web site may appear more like a digital brochure with limited one-way conversation. Sources on Internet technology describe Web 2.0 or social media as the “next generation of web-based services that allow interactive community that connects people in two-way conversations.” Interestingly, these shifts in technology are impacting the way people communicate and even the way younger adults may find a church home.Web 2.0 tools create virtual communities. These media offer places where people can … [Read more...]

Where can you find teenagers on their knees, at their own initiative? It is a tradition of the graduating class at the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)’s Presbyterian Pan American School in Kingsville, Texas.“The Presbyterian Pan American School is a college preparatory school, grounded in the joy and discipline of Christian love, serving young people from the Americas and beyond. Our purpose is to prepare these young people for lives of Christian leadership,” said a recent mission statement.PPAS is affiliated by covenant agreement with the Synod of the Sun and the National Presbyterian Church of Mexico. Most students come from Mexico. Usually there are several from Korea, Africa, Central America, and occasionally U.S.A. The students from outside enter the U.S. with proper credentials allowing them to come and go from home to school during their tenure.Each student pays a substantial part of the cost of operating the school. Almost all receive financial assistance. Each student works six … [Read more...]

We were assured that when all the educational techniques failed to instill skill and wisdom, life would box our ears, administering stern lessons guaranteed to catch our attention and redirect our paths.Really? When it comes to the great issues of humanity spanning time and space, we resemble a puppy endlessly chasing its tail rather than a finely tuned canine companion, properly chastened and devoted to its master. As one professor once said to a biblical studies class, “God could do so much more for us, if we didn’t make the same mistakes so many times.” So, we must conclude that, for both individuals and people groups, experience has pedagogical limits.What imposes those limits? Consider the following. First, our understanding of experience takes different forms, such as:•           the raw data collected after an important event,•           emotional effects caused by an incident,•           immediate, profound change in a person’s life,•           a gradual realignment over time … [Read more...]

On January 20, Americans celebrated the historic inauguration of Barack Obama, our first African-American president. But at this time of year many of us mark a much sadder occasion, the 1973 Roe v. Wade Supreme Court decision that struck down abortion restrictions in all fifty states. What a contrast in these events. Christmas celebrates birth, life, and hope. The inauguration of Barack Obama is an enormous symbol of transcending racial barriers and recognizing all citizens as equal regardless of their color or background. But Roe v. Wade opened an era of death, despair, and division. We hear people claim that America is a “Christian” or “Judeo-Christian” nation. But concerning the sanctity of human life, as a people we have gone in a much different direction, back to the ancient religions of Baal and Molech, both of which relied upon the sacrifice of children to win divine favor. The happiness and prosperity of the people was built upon the homicide of those who could not defend … [Read more...]