Christ-centered, intentionally intergenerational, creative, hospitable and celebratory, this church isn’t easy, but it’s magnificent, writes Jenny McDevitt.
"The missing never ends, nor does that love that reached from my dad to me to my daughter and back," Mary Bird Lanzavecchia.
Whether you desire a new building or a new interpretation of Scripture, progress cannot be made if leaders are conflict-averse, writes Teri McDowell Ott.
Is your church mostly blue, largely red or solidly purple? Whatever the case, pastoral theologian Eileen Campbell-Reed wants you to prioritize and ritualize your congregation’s grief to help you find your way in this new era of ministry.
Moving forward in the spirit of agape love can help allay dissonance and build the Beloved Community, Lesley Anne Earles and Debra J. Mumford write.
Is the church stuck in a lifeboat? Presbytery leader Sue Krummel thinks we should be asking "Why?" instead of seeking appeasement.
"Nothing is wrong with smallness if that smallness is chock-full of faithfulness," writes Whitney Wilkinson Arreche.
"It feels like resurrection." Small church member Beth Bradshaw reflects on the ups and downs of attending a church in a small town.
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.
The school in Mayesville, South Carolina, once had a prominent space in the community’s heart. A group of alumni are working hard to renew its mission.
Andrew Taylor-Troutman invites readers to transcend an ominous image.
R. Shea Watts reflects on modern iconographer Kelly Latimore’s “Christ in the Rubble” image. In Epiphany, where do we find God’s revelation in a world full of violence?
We asked you to write about small, beautiful moments in 250 words or less. Here are some of our favorite submissions.
The whole church is in decline, but more than 80% of Black Presbyterian churches are without installed pastors. Warren Lesane Jr., Shavon Starling-Louis, Stephen Scott and Teri McDowell Ott discuss vital Black leadership.
And it is as limitless as the holy imagination that we vow to practice when we are ordained, writes Allison Unroe.
If American Christians considered our complicity in the genocides of Jewish and Palestinian people, what would we realize about ourselves? SueAnn Shiah reflects.
2023's rising stars in religion are loud, proud and defiant.
"Church vitality is more about spirit than size, and small churches across the country often serve as hubs of connection for small towns and rural areas." — Teri McDowell Ott
Budgets and worship numbers matter — but they are not everything, Phil Blackburn believes.
A church can be viable without a pastor, writes Catherine Neelly Burton. Once we embrace this, churches can go about their work of being Christ’s body.
Looking at Psalm 121, Karie Charlton reflects that we are all called to respond to each other and participate in the Universal Heart.
How can we acknowledge pain while still celebrating the call? Carol Howard and Martha Mitchell discuss the very real problem of clergy burnout and the hope-filled responses of clergy care.
The history isn’t always right but ‘The Crown’ is always a good family story. And there are lessons for the soul in the telling.
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.
Asking "Where is Jesus?" can help us find love and light in unexpected places and people, writes Bobby Hulme-Lippert.
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