Dear friends of the Presbyterian Outlook,
With deep gratitude and resounding joy, I am privileged share with you that the board of the Presbyterian Outlook Foundation, Inc. has elected the Rev. Dr. Teri McDowell Ott to be the next editor and publisher of the Outlook. Led by the Holy Spirit, Teri and the search committee worked prayerfully and thoughtfully through the discernment process and the board is delighted with the outcome! From a rich pool of candidates, Teri rose to the top. She brings with her a wealth of experience and abilities well-suited for the role of editor/publisher and that perfectly align with the Outlook’s mission, especially in this season of change in both the church and the world. Teri is a prolific writer, having published feature articles and commentary in the Outlook and Christian Century. In addition to her published works, you can find thoughtful insights about life and faith in her personal blog, “Something to Say,” and in her forthcoming book, “Necessary Risks: Challenges Privileged People Need to Face.” In addition to her skills as a writer, Teri is also an accomplished pastor and administrator. An ordained teaching elder in the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), she has served in small churches and campus ministry. She leaves her call as the dean of the chapel at Monmouth College, a Presbyterian-related college in Monmouth, Illinois, to join our staff.
As she joins the Outlook, Teri brings with her a passion for Scripture and the written word, a fierce and courageous love for the church and an eagerness to think theologically and creatively about how we can live loving and faithful lives in community with one another. As a “writing pastor,” her words invite us to explore all that we can be as we seek to serve God faithfully with joy and imagination. From pop culture to Reformed theology, Teri has a rare ability to be in relationship and conversation with people across a broad range of demographics, a talent much needed in these extraordinary times. Her exuberance, curiosity and humor are infectious! We are overjoyed that she has accepted this call and look forward with much anticipation to the next chapter in the Outlook’s ministry under her leadership.
Teri will begin her duties on June 1. Until that time, the Outlook will continue to be steered by Jay Blossom and our outstanding staff. Many thanks to Roger Gench who also served as interim editor during this time of transition. We are grateful to Roger, Jay and all the staff for their devotion and excellence in producing amazing content and resources!
Please join our board and me in welcoming Teri to the Outlook! As always, I hope you will once again accept my thanks for your support of our ministry and its essential service to our beloved church.
Gratefully,
Sharon P. Blount, president of the board
The Presbyterian Outlook Foundation Board, Inc.
Dear Outlook readers,
I’m honored to be joining the remarkably talented Outlook staff and humbled by the board’s call to serve as editor. Throughout my ministry, I have turned to the Outlook to keep me connected, resourced and informed. The Outlook’s mission to encourage the open exchange of ideas, to network and support the diverse ministries of our church and to equip Presbyterians for transformative work in their neighborhoods and beyond deeply resonates with my own sense of call. I am eager to get to know you, hear your stories and follow Christ with you into whatever comes next.
This past year has been full of tragic loss, social unrest and ugly divisiveness. But it has also challenged us to reckon with racial injustice, work harder to stay connected in community and innovate like we never have before. Even in a pandemic, when everything feels so hard, God’s abundance cannot be denied. The church is full of stories and storytellers, artists and activists, entrepreneurs and inventors, cooks and carpenters, scholars and theologians and kids who can do anything with a cell phone. Our potential excites me. I know what the church has done for me. God knows what we can do for others. Christ will show us the way.
I can’t wait to get started.
Peace in Christ,
Teri McDowell Ott
