SNOWBIRD, UTAH — The $40 million Mission Initiative: Joining Hearts & Hands campaign has proved a learning experience for the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) — exciting in some ways, frustrating in others, said Tom Gillespie, a former president of Princeton Theological Seminary and honorary chairman of the campaign.
Bangalore, India — (ENI) Christian and Hindu leaders who took part in their first dialogue meeting in India's southern state of Kerala are hopeful that the gathering will lead to greater understanding, against the background of anti-Christian violence in parts of the country.
SNOWBIRD, UTAH — Laura Mendenhall, president of Columbia Theological Seminary, told the General Assembly Council’s Vocation Committee Oct. 1 that the quality and commitment of the students coming to seminary today gives her hope for the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.).
SNOWBIRD, UTAH – The news is full of the nation’s economic crisis – and for many congregations and Presbyterian families, there is a lot to be concerned about. What will happen to endowments, investments, retirement funds – or to job stability and the price of gasoline, food and heating fuel, with the approaching winter?
SNOWBIRD, UTAH – The General Assembly Council has voted to create a new five-member task force to evaluate the role of the Presbyterian News Service – including whether the News Service should have editorial freedom, and how it should be funded.
SNOWBIRD, UT — In their first gathering since the 218th General Assembly in San Jose, CA, middle governing body leaders of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) received denominational updates and pondered strategies for leading their organizations calmly and courageously during a time of change.
SNOWBIRD, UTAH – While initial reports were that most Presbyterian churches in Texas and Louisiana had escaped serious damage from Hurricane Ike, the damage now appears much more severe than first thought – and donations for the relief work of Presbyterian Disaster Assistance have been slow in coming.
SNOWBIRD, UT — “We are living in a time during which things change so rapidly that we are always behind the eight-ball,” Peter Steinke told the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) 2008 Polity Conference on Church Leadership During Anxious Times.
SNOWBIRD, UTAH – They’ve used a dizzying array of images here to describe the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), of ships tossed on a rough sea, of Frodo seeking the right path in the Lord of the Rings trilogy, of Jason Bourne having amnesia about his own identity in The Bourne Identity.
SNOWBIRD, UTAH – Among Presbyterians, the word “missional” is as popular these days as “awesome” is for teenagers.
SNOWBIRD, UTAH – Linda Valentine, executive director of the General Assembly Council, voiced excitement about ways the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) is trying new means of connecting with Presbyterians and sharing stories about work being done at the grassroots.
SNOWBIRD, UTAH – What role should the Presbyterian News Service play in the life of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)?
October: Pastor Appreciation Month. Just the kind of thing Hallmark would invent to sell more cards.
Now it’s time for the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) to consider the question: Should the controversial requirement that those being ordained practice fidelity if they’re married or chastity if they’re single be dropped from the denomination’s constitution?
The District Court for Tulsa County, Okla., Sept. 9 granted summary judgment in favor of Eastern Oklahoma Presbytery and the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) and denied the motion for summary judgment of Kirk of the Hills Church in Tulsa.
Why would someone want a job that requires working 24/7, offers low compensation when juxtaposed with attorneys (with whom they share a basic skill set), diminishing social stature, weekend duty without overtime, and the requirement that one always be nice? Why would one choose a role model who advocates giving up one’s life, forsaking family and friends, and praying for one’s enemies?
It began with fantasizing that I would make a darn good layperson. I could still be very active in ministry, without having all the responsibilities, heartaches, and pressures of being a pastor, head of staff. After more than 20 years of pastoral ministry, I was tired and discouraged. I must hasten to add that the congregation I was serving was thriving.
As I am make the transition from middle governing body work to service as a pastor in a local congregation, I reflect on my pilgrimage and beyond. How has my service in observing and being a ministry partner to pastors influenced my understanding of the pastoral task? How do presbyteries and congregations nurture the pastors God has called to service in their midst?
Do you have challenges with your church members? Are you frustrated trying to influence those over whom you have little control? Do you have conflicts and are unsure how to deal with them? Do you know how you are coming across to those with whom you interact? My experience in coaching ministers with these issues indicates that they can increase the pastoral Intelligence necessary to tackle these common ministerial challenges.
Editor’s Note: This article is the second part of a two-part series. The first part appeared in the Outlook issue 190-31 (cover date September 22, 2008.)
Healthy, living things grow. Growing things change. That should include human minds. Just try telling that, however, to the men and women who are running for elected office in America. Many of them live in fear that someone will provide convincing evidence that they have actually changed their perspectives on an important subject during the past 20 years.
Church planning processes and planners tend to spend too much devising plans and too little time listening for needs.
APPRECIATION TO MANY
Church Financial Campaign Service honors the ministry of the pastors and congregations with which we have had the privilege of working. Thank you.
Albert G. “Pete” Peery, pastor of First Church in Asheville, N.C., has been named 16th president of the Montreat (N.C.) Conference Center, a mission center of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.). He will assume responsibilities at the conference center on November 1.
Dear Pastor,
The devastation caused by Hurricane Ike in mid-September was massive – nearly on the scale of Katrina, but with a much broader path of destruction. Nearly 100,000 homes were destroyed and lives uprooted in the United States alone. Caribbean nations like Haiti and Cuba not only lost homes, but saw crops wiped out and infrastructure obliterated. The immediate and long-term recovery needs are immense. We need your help – and that of your congregation – to respond.
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