The Presbyterian Outlook

News and Articles from the The Presbyterian Outlook

Top Search/Contact Area

Presbyterian mid council leaders offer ideas to make General Assembly better

by

CHICAGO – When word reached the Mid Council Leaders Gathering that the Senate had confirmed Brett Kavanaugh to serve on the U.S. Supreme Court, these Presbyterians stopped to pray. J. Herbert Nelson, stated clerk of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), acknowledged, “Today will be a hard day for many, while others will be rejoicing.” He spoke of a divided nation and the need for enduring faith. “We need you, Jesus,” Nelson prayed. He asked for hope, for the sense that even in difficult times, “the Lord is speaking.” When news of the controversial Senate vote on Kavanaugh was delivered, these synod and presbytery leaders – who are meeting Oct. 5-7 at a hotel in Chicago – were in the midst of providing feedback on the 2018 General Assembly. Generally, evaluations from commissioners were overwhelmingly positive, said Tom Hay, director of assembly operations. During the assembly, Presbyterians marched through downtown St. Louis to deliver funds from an offering that would … [Read more...]

Tagged With: Mid council leader gathering

Mid Council Leaders Gathering covers per capita, Board of Pensions

by

CHICAGO – J. Herbert Nelson, stated clerk of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), challenged Presbyterians to engage the complicated realities of the current world. “We have an opportunity to shake up this world, but we have to be believe it, and we have to be willing to pay for it,” Nelson said. Nelson’s talking about per capita — the per-member fee that pays for most of the expense of the Office of the General Assembly and administrative costs for the Presbyterian Mission Agency.  There was pushback earlier this year to his proposal to significantly raise per capita by 39 percent from 2018 to 2019 and by 7 percent from 2019 to 2020. Facing criticism from mid council leaders, some of whom argued that small congregations particularly couldn’t afford such a financial hit, Nelson revised his request, and the 2018 General Assembly approved a per capita rate of $8.95 per member in both 2019 and 2020 – an increase of just over 15 percent from the 2018 per capita rate of $7.73 per … [Read more...]

Tagged With: Mid council leader gathering • per capita

“God is working through these things” — Mid council leaders consider national news during meeting

by

CHICAGO - Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) leaders prayed for the city of Chicago Oct. 5, just before a verdict was returned in the murder trial of a white police officer charged with killing a white teenager, Laquan McDonald. A jury found Jason Van Dyke guilty of second-degree murder for shooting McDonald 16 times in 2014. This case has been closely watched around the nation, resulting in a U.S. Department of Justice investigation that found excessive force was used and described systemic mistreatment of black and Hispanic people common in some of the poorest neighborhoods of Chicago. With the Chicago verdict and the national tumult this week surrounding the nomination of Brett Kavanaugh to serve on the U.S. Supreme Court, “it’s one of those God moments,” J. Herbert Nelson, stated clerk of the PC(USA), said in an interview. “All these things are converging. There is the dichotomy of hope and loss and pain” and a sense that “God is working through these things, right now.” This … [Read more...]

Tagged With: Mid council leader gathering

Mid council leaders look back to General Assembly and ahead to church trends

by

CHICAGO – Once a year, mid council leaders in the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) gather for several days of conversation and training — talking about what’s working and what’s not in the denomination as they look ahead. This year, about 280 presbytery and synod executives and stated clerks are gathered at a hotel near O’Hare Airport in Chicago, in a gathering organized by the Office of the General Assembly and Board of Pensions.  Part of their time will be spent looking back at the 2018 General Assembly — considering what happened there that will affect mid councils, including a discussion of proposed constitutional amendments presbyteries will be asked to consider. Doug Portz, a senior church consultant for the Board of Pensions, said the two agencies have developed a collegial culture that includes give and take, and is  “always focusing on the why” and on “what churches need from us.” As one example: This gathering is being simultaneously translated into Korean and … [Read more...]

Tagged With: Mid council leader gathering

Board of Pensions releases data showing benefits trends, gender disparities

by

The Board of Pensions has released an updated report on salary and benefit trends in the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) – a report that shows continuing evidence of gender disparities. It also states that in 2017 both the number of ordinations and the percentage of those receiving benefits increased for the first time in a decade — a statistic that’s of interest in part because some predict the PC(USA) may be bumping up against a potentially serious shortage of ministers. The report, “Living by the Gospel,” is available online and will be discussed at the Mid Council Leaders Gathering, being held in Chicago Oct. 5-7.  The 2018 General Assembly instructed the Board of Pensions to update the document annually and to distribute it to mid councils, Committees on Ministry, Committees on Preparation for Ministry and pastor nominating committees. The new data shows the number of newly-ordained ministers participating in the benefits plan increased from 203 in 2016 to 218 in 2017. And … [Read more...]

From social responsibility principles to church policy: Presbyterian Mission Agency Board considers issues great and small

by

LOUISVILLE – The Presbyterian Mission Agency Board voted Sept. 29 to endorse a set of social responsibility principles that can be used to work for human rights in global supply chains. That vote makes the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) the first Christian denomination to formally endorse the Worker-Driven Social Responsibility (WSR) Principles, said Shannan Vance-Ocampo, a mid council executive who serves as chair of the board’s Outreach to the World program committee. Vance-Ocampo described it as a “historic vote” for the board. The decision to support the WSR principles (G.102 Endorsement of Worker-driven Social Responsibility Principles) is “a big deal for the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.),” she said, “but most importantly, this vote is extremely important for our partners … who depend on our advocacy and our appropriate use of our power and privilege as a denomination.” The action was taken at the encouragement of leaders from the Coalition for Immokalee Workers and … [Read more...]

Tagged With: PMA board

CONTACT US: