A time to grieve
The other day I attended a meeting of my presbytery. There is, as I have discovered, no rubric in Robert’s Rules of..
More Stories from this Author
Moderator’s column – A renaissance for the Gospel
“For I am not ashamed of the gospel; it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who has faith, to..
Stated Clerk’s Column – The future and a good night’s sleep
Abraham Lincoln said “The best thing about the future is that it comes only one day at a time.” I wonder if..
Preaching to Rupture the Routine (presented by Amanda Benckhuysen and Rob Hoch)
Preparing for Lent: Exegetical Insight and Preaching Ideas for 2013 (Year C)
A Live 90-minute Outlook Webinar featuring Amanda Benckhuysen and Robert Hoch
Tuesday Feb. 5 — 2 p.m. eastern time (11 a.m. pacific time)
Sabbath-Keeping for Church Leaders and Other Busy People (presented by MaryAnn McKibben Dana)
A 90-Minute Presbyterian Outlook webinar
featuring MaryAnn McKibben Dana
Tuesday, April 30 at 2:00 pm ET
How to Write for Children (presented by Kathy Bostrom)
A 90-minute Presbyterian Outlook webinar featuring Kathy Bostrom
August 20, 2013 at 2 p.m. EDT (11 a.m. PDT)
Mining her 15 years as a published author, Kathy will share a few nuggets about writing for children and traveling down the rocky road to publication.
Philanthropy & Church: Survey Says (presented by Bill Enright)
A Presbyterian Outlook 90-minute webinar presented by William Enright
Tuesday, October 22, 2013 at 2pm ET
Dr. William Enright will share the most current research data & analysis from the 2013 Congregational Economic Impact Study (CEIS), exploring the resilience of congregations during tough economic times. Participants will learn about the decisions and practices that have helped faith communities throughout the nation thrive.
News in Sum: The PC(USA) in 2013
The Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) has the feel of a denomination in transition — with congregations leaving and others..
January 6, 2014: Digital issue for subscribers
The digital issue of the Presbyterian Outlook's January 6, 2014 issue is now available! It is viewable on almost all computers, tablets, and..
Whitepaper – Apologia Progressiva: Honest Responses to our Critics
By Paul Rack, Stated Clerk, Presbytery of Elizabeth, PC(USA)
A Presbyterian Outlook White Paper for you to download, print and distribute
Critics of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) are multiplying like Tribbles. Many of their criticisms have about them a ring of truth. But are they accurate?
Editorial – Faithfully departed
Whether it comes as a stream of ooohs and aaahs in response to projected photos at the Academy Awards or in the..
Film in review – “Saving Mr. Banks”
Film in review – “Inside Llewyn Davis”
“Fare thee well my own true love And farewell for a while. I’m going away, but I’ll be back If I go..
Lessons learned by a young priest (commentary)
(RNS) In the perfection of hindsight, I see that I was clueless when I knelt before the Episcopal bishop of Indianapolis on..
The A to Z of Christmas
Overlooked in nativity drama, Joseph is the quiet hero
(RNS) Imagine being Joseph, the husband of Mary and stepdad to baby Jesus. Your fiancée is pregnant and not by you. Her..
“The Center” connects congregations to mission in Baltimore
It began with phone calls into the Baltimore Presbytery office from churches and organizations across the country that wanted to do mission..
At Christmas, a rare collaboration to restore an ancient church
BETHLEHEM, West Bank (RNS) Two weeks before Christmas, one of the most powerful storms to hit the Middle East in a century..
Bookmark – Feasting on the Gospels — Matthew, Volume 1: Chapters 1-13
Frank Schaefer defrocked by United Methodist officials
(RNS) The Rev. Frank Schaefer was defrocked by United Methodist officials in Pennsylvania on Thursday (Dec. 19), after he refused to conform..
Book review – The Global Diffusion of Evangelicalism: The Age of Billy Graham and John Stott
by Brian Stanley G. P. Putnam’s Sons, New York. 818 pages. It is impossible these days to write a..
Respect for clergy drops, but among Republicans, not so much
(RNS) Clergy used to rank near the top in polls asking Americans to rate the honesty and ethics of people in various..
Try starting here
The other day I was at the local YMCA when I ran into one of the other regular Friday morning swimmers. We..
Displaced by violence: the people of South Sudan need our help
Mothers, children, families need our prayers and support in a violent time Presbyterian Disaster Assistance and Presbyterian World Mission are compelled to help more than..
Ministers’ Housing Allowances: What’s Ahead and What Should You Do?
Tuesday, Jan 21, 2014
2 p.m. E.T. (11 a.m. P.T.)
The recent court ruling that ministers’ housing allowances are unconstitutional has stunned ministers, priests, church treasurers and session/vestry/board members. While it's not clear whether that ruling will hold up under appeal or be implemented in more than one geographic area, the ruling has provoked plenty of concern about the potential tax impact for ministers and cost implications for congregations if housing allowances for ministers were to be disallowed. What do clergy and congregations need to be doing now as we await the next steps from the courts?