A shelf with green, purple, white, red, and black Converse.

Voices

Why this pastor wears Converse sneakers to lead worship

Hands of woman taking notes of online lecture webinar in notebook. Student, author, writer writing on paper page of journal or diary, holding pen, preparing text, making memo for article. Close up

Outlook Features

Writing your lament and loss, discovering God’s grace

Outlook Features

Still born

Faithful conversations

Tending to ever-present needs: A conversation about teaching and learning grief

Outlook Features

Why we grieve losses that haven’t happened yet

Voices

What do we do with the Bible’s most troubling texts?

Outlook Features

Toward a theology of refuge

Story and photos by Derek Macleod None is too many “None is too many.” That was the chilling (though, in the 1930s,..

Voices

Are you invisible?

Guest Outpost blog by Alex Becker I am invisible. It’s not something I regularly tell people, largely because if I told..

Editorials

Just say yes

This issue was supposed to be our annual stewardship issue, the 32 or so pages devoted to the nuts and bolts of..

Voices

Growing into God’s call

Over the last 10 years, educators and armchair psychologists have focused on the mindset required for success. Carol Dweck, in her..

Voices

The gift of Sabbath

Like many pastors, I have a difficult time taking time off and truly disconnecting. I take all of my vacation time..

Editorials

Moving from alarmed to alert

Still on Eastern time, I awoke in Portland, Oregon, hours before most of the city’s inhabitants. I took advantage of a few..

Insights columns

Remember your ordination vows: Don’t give up on peacemaking

At this critical moment in the life of our denomination, especially following the 222nd meeting of the General Assembly, it..

Insights columns

Coming to America

by Adela Hasic In the early 90s, as the Bosnian civil war erupted, my entire life was flipped upside down. At 6..

Benedictory

Hidden

by Gary Neal Hansen I’ve been baking my family’s bread for quite a while now. It is mostly self-serving: home-baked bread is..

Voices

Justice and peace will kiss each other

Guest commentary by David Moe If I were asked to choose one of my favorite Bible verses, I would choose Psalm 85:10b,..

Voices

The room where it happens

Our church was having one of many conversations about Christian education. Parents were gathered in the Fellowship Hall, eating sandwiches and..

Outlook Features

#BlackLivesMatter resource list

Recognizing that some people of faith want to learn more about racism, white privilege and systemic injustice, some Presbyterians and others..

Outlook Features

Taking the challenge to change: Mission trips that last a lifetime

by John Reiter “I thought refried beans only came from a can,” the volunteer chuckled, while scribbling down the recipe for homemade..

Benedictory

Why I love Pentecost

YES, I KNOW IT WAS NEARLY 3 MONTHS AGO, BUT... hands down, my favorite liturgical holy day is Pentecost. Though I rarely..

Voices

Not another brick in the wall: Reinvigorating Christian education

Guest Outpost blog by Alex Becker One of the wonderful things I inherited from my dad is a love of Pink..

Outlook Features

Navigating challenges in adult education

by Rebecca Kirkpatrick When I began serving my first congregation almost 15 years ago, its adult education programming on Sunday morning looked..

Multichannel Church Report

The need for newness

Beware the “graying” of the church – says the common wisdom. I have been among those sounding the alarm as the average..

Insights columns

Weaving education throughout ministry

by Kristin Willett Our congregation has been exploring what it means to weave Christian education throughout everything we do. In reality, everything..

Insights columns

Becoming a community of learners: Reimaging Christian education

by C. Christopher Smith Christian education serves a wonderful purpose in the life of our churches. When done well, it gives us space for..

Voices

Why I Still Go

For all their quirks and quibbles, all their foibles, squabbles, even downright donnybrooks, I find my people there. Recalcitrant, to be sure,..

Voices

Changing default values: My experience of the Belhar Confession at GA

Guest commentary by Maryjane Finne Computer applications often provide default values to aid with data entry. Sometimes, however, adopting the default causes..