Timothy B. Cargal, who helps to oversee the development of new pastors for the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), outlines the basic process for becoming a minister of Word and Sacrament.
Aaron Neff, who grew up in a religiously fundamental environment, shares how studying the Bible taught him to stop using it as a weapon against LGBTQIA+ folx.
Word and sacrament are central to the church, but they need to point us outward rather than inward, says Chip Hardwick.
When churches focus solely on growth, they are asking the wrong questions, Graham Standish writes. What if, instead, we focus on experiencing God?
Katy Shevel wrestles with Numbers 12 where Miriam is punished by God for questioning Moses.
During her recent sabbatical, Rachel Young learned some important lessons on what a sabbatical means and how to prepare for one.
Elana Keppel Levy ponders intimacy and the vulnerability that comes with it.
A poem by Scott Barton responding to Lamentations 1:1–6; 3:19–26 and Luke 17:5–10.
How can U.S. churches think beyond capitalistic motivations when they are so entrenched in society? Pittsburgh Theological Seminary Professor Scott Hagley points to the Eucharist as a starting point for our collective imagination.
As Eliza Jaremko sends her eldest daughter off to kindergarten, she reflects that learning never stops — the church is proof of that.
College chaplain Maggie Alsup reflects on how her anxiety followed her throughout her education and the kindness of certain teachers that granted her perspective.
Newly-ordained Molly Smerko reflects on the week shortly after her ordination that included presiding at a wedding, the Lord’s Table and a funeral.
Union Presbyterian Seminary Doctor of Ministry student David Bonnema explores best practices for planting and funding new worshipping communities.
Karie Charlton shares the short prayer that buoyed her spirits as a music teacher at a Catholic school and continues to shape her today.
In response to a string of violent attacks in her hometown, Anne Apple questions God and finds comfort – both communal and divine – in a memorial run.
In light of the recent Supreme Court ruling affirming prayer in public schools, Andrew Taylor Troutman reflects on his high school baseball team’s pregame ritual of saying the Lord’s Prayer.
Pastor and writer Kathleen Long Bostrom reflects on the lessons Bridge to Terabithia contains for her life and the recent call to ban it. Can we build a bridge to understanding, she wonders?
Jay Blossom appreciates theologians like William Willimon and Stanley Hauerwas who argue against state religion and Christian nationalism. And yet, something deeply moved him about Queen Elizabeth II’s funeral on Monday.
In honor of Banned Books Week, Pittsburgh Theological Seminary alum Luke Hillier reflects on Toni Morrison’s Sula, sharing the lessons the book taught him as a 17-year-old and teaches him today.
While wrestling with depression and a lack of clarity in her faith, Rev. Molly Smerko asks a friend, “How did you get unstuck?”. The resulting year of exploring spiritual practices has grounded her in a new way.
Neal D. Presa, a teaching elder of the Presbytery of San Diego and a delegate of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) to the 11th Assembly of the World Council of Churches, shares his thoughts.
Rather than being suspicious of other viewpoints, Aaron Neff has learned to embrace disparity as a potential vehicle for the Holy Spirit.
Dodd-Sterling United Methodist Church and St. Luke's Presbyterian respond to their community's food insecurity while caring for one another.
PC(USA) minister at large Janice Stamper shares an account of the devastation following a major flood in July. She encounters death, loss, destruction, and glimpses of God’s presence too.
Whether it was struggling with reading as a first grader or wrestling with Hebrew as a seminarian, Rebecca Gresham’s education taught her that she can do hard things, even if it requires multiple attempts and some failure. This is a lesson she brings to her ministry: There is always a way forward.
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