Is your church going through a period of transition? Christian Shearer offers his favorite metaphor for congregational discernment: the labyrinth.
Scott Hagley suggests small congregations as places for cultivating communities of abundance and care, as common places for social healing and spiritual renewal.
"I held the conviction that if anything could unite us amidst our differences, it had to be Jesus," writes Doug Basler.
College ministry completely changes every four years. Perhaps there's a lesson here for the larger church to learn, writes Maggie Alsup.
Andrew Taylor-Troutman offers a glimpse into worship: how faith is passed on not with words but with actions, how we are held as we hold, how we might elevate our spirits as we tenderly reach for others.
Bobbi Kaye Jones writes the letter that she wishes someone had written to her.
Christ-centered, intentionally intergenerational, creative, hospitable and celebratory, this church isn’t easy, but it’s magnificent, writes Jenny McDevitt.
"The missing never ends, nor does that love that reached from my dad to me to my daughter and back," Mary Bird Lanzavecchia.
Whether you desire a new building or a new interpretation of Scripture, progress cannot be made if leaders are conflict-averse, writes Teri McDowell Ott.
Is your church mostly blue, largely red or solidly purple? Whatever the case, pastoral theologian Eileen Campbell-Reed wants you to prioritize and ritualize your congregation’s grief to help you find your way in this new era of ministry.
Moving forward in the spirit of agape love can help allay dissonance and build the Beloved Community, Lesley Anne Earles and Debra J. Mumford write.
Is the church stuck in a lifeboat? Presbytery leader Sue Krummel thinks we should be asking "Why?" instead of seeking appeasement.
"Nothing is wrong with smallness if that smallness is chock-full of faithfulness," writes Whitney Wilkinson Arreche.
"It feels like resurrection." Small church member Beth Bradshaw reflects on the ups and downs of attending a church in a small town.
In each issue of the Outlook, we include a discussion guide to further reflect on the issue. We recommend using this guide in your Bible study, small group or book club. It's our invitation into a faithful conversation.
The school in Mayesville, South Carolina, once had a prominent space in the community’s heart. A group of alumni are working hard to renew its mission.
Andrew Taylor-Troutman invites readers to transcend an ominous image.
R. Shea Watts reflects on modern iconographer Kelly Latimore’s “Christ in the Rubble” image. In Epiphany, where do we find God’s revelation in a world full of violence?
We asked you to write about small, beautiful moments in 250 words or less. Here are some of our favorite submissions.
The whole church is in decline, but more than 80% of Black Presbyterian churches are without installed pastors. Warren Lesane Jr., Shavon Starling-Louis, Stephen Scott and Teri McDowell Ott discuss vital Black leadership.
And it is as limitless as the holy imagination that we vow to practice when we are ordained, writes Allison Unroe.
If American Christians considered our complicity in the genocides of Jewish and Palestinian people, what would we realize about ourselves? SueAnn Shiah reflects.
2023's rising stars in religion are loud, proud and defiant.
"Church vitality is more about spirit than size, and small churches across the country often serve as hubs of connection for small towns and rural areas." — Teri McDowell Ott
Budgets and worship numbers matter — but they are not everything, Phil Blackburn believes.
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