Sometimes in the Christian life it’s crucial (a word, aptly enough, rooted in the cross) to take a few steps back and ask again the foundational question of our faith:
Most letters to the editor arrive in response to a particular article. The following one came without prompt from Walter Smith of Lynchburg, Va.
Ever gone to a presbytery meeting and wondered before you got out of the car who you might encounter? Here is a cheat sheet that will help prepare you to identify who is attending by checking the kinds of cars in the parking lot.
The Multichannel Church has a rare opportunity to see reality — unconstrained by stereotypes and simplistic marketing categories.
What is the ideal relationship between pastors and the elders, deacons, and trustees and other lay leaders of their congregations?
What crazy person would accept the call to be president of a Presbyterian seminary in this present, precarious environment?
You’ve mastered Greek parsing, decoded Hebrew, passed your ordination exams and now are dreaming in the confusing acronymic language that is seeking a first call: With the approval of my CPM, I’m self-referring my PIF to the PNC after reading their CIF on the CLC … .
You don't need to remember Danny & the Juniors, the Beatles, Pearl Jam or even Red Hot Chili Peppers to know that churches are plying their trade in a rapidly and vastly changing world.
Leader: Ten years we were brought to our knees as a nation in shock,
fear, anger, grief. For perhaps the first time, we woke up to God’s truth that
we are as vulnerable as the rest of humanity.
If, as Charles Finney claimed, the devils of hell rejoice when the Presbyterian General Assembly is in session, do they rejoice doubly when other Presbyterians gather near the site of the previous assembly? The upcoming, two-day, Minneapolis gathering called by Fellowship PC(USA) has generated about 2,000 registrations, mostly from Presbyterians disheartened by recent constitutional changes that signal to them a turn toward hell. As they gather the devils have reason to hope and much to fear.
It requires a certain amount of chutzpah — and certainly faith — for my congregation to begin a strategic planning process to figure out who and what it wants to be and do in three to five years.
Asked what the most important commandment is, Jesus replies that loving God is the most important commandment and that loving our neighbor is the second.
When the press release from Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary announced last Dec. 11 that Roger Nicole had been called home to heaven a day after his 95th birthday, I breathed a sigh of sadness.
And it’s happening just in time for the Multichannel Church, as you move beyond Sunday and diversify your ministries in response to..
Each year every Presbyterian church has to elect
new deacons, elders and trustees.
As editor of a magazine that speaks to the whole church, I feel compelled to write to Presbyterian friends in particular groupings of conviction — while allowing the rest to eavesdrop. In the last two editions, I addressed those celebrating and those grieving the adoption of Amendment 10-A. In this final correspondence, I write to those caught somewhere in the middle.
Once again, Presbyterians could have discussed how race operates among us and how it could operate. The most recent opportunity came through a solid, dynamic theological statement — the first from the Southern Hemisphere considered for inclusion in our Book of Confessions.
ALBION, N.Y. — As church ladies plant flowers, I’m standing in front of the First United Methodist Church thinking about that warm September day decades ago when I was married here.
I’ve been wondering about the church. Not my local congregation, or even Presbyterians as a whole (although the PCUSA does play a role in this discussion), but the whole ball of wax — the church, in all of its varied configurations.
On Tuesday, May 10, a vote in the presbytery of the Twin Cities area
tipped the balance in a 30-year debate about ordination standards in the
Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), presumably allowing gays and lesbians to
become pastors, elders and deacons in gay-affirming congregations.
As editor of a magazine that speaks to the whole church, I feel compelled to write to Presbyterian friends in particular groupings of conviction — while allowing others to eavesdrop. Last time I addressed those celebrating the adoption of Amendment 10-A. This time, I write to those grieving the amendment’s adoption. In the next edition, I will address those who stand somewhere in the middle.
Ask any Protestant how the Roman Catholic Church is structured, and you will hear, “The pope rules the cardinals, the cardinals rule the bishops, the bishops rule the priests, and the priests rule the congregations.” Too simple, but mostly true. In most cases.
For ministers, elders and other church leaders seeking to create a Multichannel Church, perhaps the hardest challenge will be developing trust and letting go of control.
As editor of a magazine that speaks to the whole church, I feel compelled to talk with Presbyterian friends in particular groupings of conviction – while allowing the rest to overhear the conversation. I begin with those celebrating the adoption of Amendment 10-A. In the next issue, I’ll write to those grieving its adoption. Finally, I’ll address those who stand in the middle.
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