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A theology of leadership during crisis?

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Guest commentary by Matthew J. Skolnik It appears to me that as the church wrestles with how to respond to COVID-19, that it is helpful for individuals and communities to develop and/or review our personal theologies of leadership during difficult times. Developing and having a personal theology of leadership is helpful because those who internalize their prayerful study have a foundation to direct their actions. Some of us may need to pick up our previous work, while reflecting and adapting it. Others among us may never have taken the opportunity to develop a general, robust and healthy theology of leadership. Wherever you find yourself in this discussion, I encourage you to take a next step. The church always needs stronger and healthier leaders. Who knows? Maybe what you learn through the coronavirus outbreak will have a profound impact on your overall trajectory of leadership. The current context of COVID-19 Leaders of all types of institutions and organizations are … [Read more...]

Tagged With: COVID19

PC(U.S.A.)’s Theology and Worship office issues pastoral statement on the coronavirus

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LOUISVILLE (PNS) — Many people worldwide have questions about Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19), first detected in China and now in more than 60 locations internationally, including the United States. Within the U.S., the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s website currently shows confirmed and presumptive positive cases of COVID-19 in 12 states: Washington, Oregon, California, Arizona, Wisconsin, Illinois, New York, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Florida and Georgia. In a March 2 World Health Organization statement about COVID-19, Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO’s director general, said the number of cases continues to decline in China, with 206 cases reported the day prior, the lowest level since Jan. 22. The epidemics in the Republic of Korea, Italy, Iran and Japan are of greatest concern, he said. “We have never before seen a respiratory pathogen that is capable of community transmission, but which can also be contained with the right measures,” … [Read more...]

Hardwick resigns as director of PC(USA) Theology, Formation and Evangelism ministry

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LOUISVILLE (PNS) — The Rev. Charles (Chip) Hardwick today announced his resignation as the director of the Theology, Formation and Evangelism ministry in the Presbyterian Mission Agency (PMA) of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.). Hardwick’s final day at the Presbyterian Center is December 12 and, as of this writing, he has not accepted another call. “I’m still discerning where God might be calling me,” he said. “There are some irons in the fire and I’m hoping to get back closer to congregational ministry, but I don’t know yet what’s coming. I’m counting on our God who provides to provide the next right thing at the right time.” “As he approaches every aspect of his life, Chip has led Theology, Formation and Evangelism with imagination, enthusiasm and a deep love of Jesus Christ,” said David Crittenden, acting executive director of the Presbyterian Mission Agency. “He has created a solid foundation with his team of talented and committed colleagues. Although he will be deeply … [Read more...]

Toward a theology of refuge

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Story and photos by Derek Macleod None is too many “None is too many.” That was the chilling (though, in the 1930s, not especially controversial) comment made by a Canadian immigration official when asked how many Jewish refugees Canada would receive. Afraid of losing its Anglo-Christian identity and hegemony, the Canadian government turned away thousands of Jews seeking to escape the horrors of Nazi Germany. Though impossible to count, it is certain that many seeking refuge were denied and later found only cruelty and death in concentration camps during the Holocaust. Far from a history lesson about another country, this comment could as easily be heard in the United States today on any number of talk radio programs or in political speeches. If asked how the U.S. should respond to the Syrian refugee crisis, the largest forced migration of people since WWII, some respond: None is too many. Having only received 70 thousand refugees from around the world this year, the … [Read more...]

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Not just theology: Catholic seminarians go to summer school to learn management skills

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RADNOR, Pa. (RNS) “How many of you have ever studied a parish budget?” the Rev. David Couturier asked the 11 Catholic priests-in-training seated before him. After a few beats, just one hand went up, tentatively. “That’s not unusual,” Couturier told them. “Just unfortunate.” It’s also why these seminarians were at a Villanova University conference center in the leafy Philadelphia suburbs, part of a first-of-its-kind program that aims to provide some real-world grounding to the theological studies that dominate their course work. It’s a bit of “operative theology” to complement the “abstract theology,” as Couturier put it. Couturier, a Capuchin Franciscan and a popular consultant on church management issues, was one of several guest lecturers this summer. He spoke about parish planning — “The budget is your best theological statement,” he said. “It will tell you where the priorities of the parish are” — while the Rev. Michael White, who has written widely about building up … [Read more...]

Credibility and leadership

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There are a small handful of outstanding Christian leaders I have come to know in recent years. One of them is Dale Meyer, current president of Concordia Seminary. I found Dr. Meyer to be both extremely competent but the very opposite of egotistical. He was approachable. He melted right into the crowd with the rest of us at chapel. Yet when I went to his office complaining that I was still waiting for a student ID/library card after six months (most students had gotten theirs after four months), they had one for me in less than a week. I could tell someone had given the order.   I haven’t always been enthusiastic about some decisions at Concordia. But, to use Stephen Covey’s terminology, Dr. Meyer had earned such a high "Emotional Bank Account" of credibility with me that I was able to defer willingly to his judgment, even when Concordia was compelled to make cuts that were costly to me. When Concordia went through the financial crisis that hit almost all colleges and seminaries, … [Read more...]

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