When pastoral calls falter, “fit” is often blamed. But the deeper issue is clarity. What if “fit” could be defined, tested and faithfully discerned before a call is extended, asks Gary Noonan?
Jesus spoke constantly about the Kingdom of God, yet many Christians struggle to define it. Sara Pantazes offers four questions to clarify how Kingdom citizenship shapes our lives today.
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.
Well-meaning words can unintentionally deepen isolation in grief. Mathew Frease explores why platitudes fail and how presence and listening offer something more faithful.
Arianne Braithwaite Lehn invites the Holy Spirit to meet us in grief, reminding us that love, loss, and healing are all held in God’s grace.
A once-quiet question is resurfacing across the denomination. According to Christian Boyd, it could shape how the church calls and equips leaders in the years ahead.
Lent invites honest self-examination — not just of personal sin, but communal harm. Katrina Pekich-Bundy explores what "America’s Next Top Model" reveals about complicity, silence and repentance.
Michele Minter recounts an old, but timely, soundtrack for our divisive times.
Churches destroyed. Pastors detained. Communities displaced. The crisis facing Christians in Burma demands more than concern — it calls for sustained U.S. action.
Grief isn’t something to fix or silence. It’s a story that needs to be heard. Honoring our grief is part of the path toward healing and resurrection hope, writes Teri McDowell Ott.
In deep grief, broad offers of help can feel overwhelming, writes Deb Bergmann. Simple, ordinary companionship can help.
Heartache and wonder can coexist, writes Christopher Elwood.
What does it feel like when a ministry you love comes to an end? Karie Charlton reflects on grief, relief and the quiet work of trusting God in seasons of transition.
Josh Robinson’s choice to wear Converse sneakers in worship reveals how approachability, embodiment and ancient tradition can work together in pastoral care.
Julie Hester offers writing prompts for you to try during this season of Lent.
Aaron Pratt Shephard writes that even when a child’s life seems to end before it begins, faith in Christ’s resurrection offers hope that every life will yet be born into eternal fullness.
Mindy McGarrah Sharp and Leanna Fuller discuss why grief is more visible today — and how congregations can learn to listen, lament and support one another without rushing past the pain.
Even joyful transitions can stir grief. During Lent, Christians learn how to face the losses we know are coming and walk toward the cross with hope, writes Vern Farnum.
Brandon R. Grafius offers a Lenten reflection on Joshua, Psalm 137 and Uzzah — and why troubling passages may deepen faith rather than diminish it.
In a culture shaped by algorithms and polarization, March Madness creates something rare: a temporary “we,” writes Brittany Porch.
Stated clerk and pastor Christian Boyd argues that reducing the "Book of Confessions" risks unmooring Presbyterian formation from its theological foundations.
Doug McMahon reflects on how a bone marrow transplant teaches us that we humans are bound together, each needing the other, even at a cellular level.
They are dying. And they are faithful. Brenda Monroe Moten shares what she tells elderly Christians in troubled times.
A community vigil reveals how small acts of presence can resist fear and restore our shared humanity, writes Maggie Alsup.
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.
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