The Strategically Small Church
Brandon J. O’Brien reframes small-church ministry as a gift, urging leaders to move beyond numerical growth metrics toward community-rooted, sustainable measures of faithfulness, writes Jo Wiersema.
Latest Posts
Minnesota Presbyterians mobilize after ICE shooting in Minneapolis
After an ICE agent killed Renee Good in Minneapolis, Presbyterian congregations across the Twin Cities are mobilizing — through interfaith partnerships, legal observer training and public witness.
Lauryn Hill: Faith, fame and a different measure of success
Chris Burton explores how Hill’s music wrestles with faith, integrity and fame — and why refusing to “lose your soul” may be her greatest legacy.
Protecting children from gun violence: Imagining a new world
Presbyterian Peace Fellowship helps congregations implement PC(USA) General Assembly action.
Grief, choice and resurrection in “Stranger Things”
In the “Stranger Things” finale, scars remain, grief lingers, and life goes on. Timothy Wotring explores a hope shaped by choice, community and resurrection faith.
The church that gave itself away
A tiny church faced COVID with an unexpected choice: save itself or give itself away. What happened next reshaped an entire town — and reached across the globe, writes Robert Barrett.
Your light was made to shine
Small churches aren’t inadequate, writes Teri McDowell Ott. When congregations trust their God-given gifts, they rediscover confidence and shine as Christ’s light.
Order of worship — January 25, 2026
You are welcome to use this liturgy in your online worship services and distribute it to your congregation.
Third Sunday after the Epiphany — January 25, 2026
Teri McDowell Ott explores what it means to love, release, and trust God with the futures we cannot control.
Praying around a bullet hole
Teri McDowell Ott offers a prayer of lament after the Minneapolis ICE shooting, naming grief, honoring the life lost and calling the church to witness, healing and hope.
Notes to John
Joan Didion's "Notes to John" is a helpful tool for pastors, chaplains and others initiating difficult conversations with families in crisis, writes Andrew Taylor-Troutman.
Amanda Seyfried sees ‘The Testament of Ann Lee’ as a search for divine safety
The actress's portrayal of the Shaker movement founder has earned her a Golden Globe nomination.
Remembering Richard Smallwood: how his music became modern-day psalm
Daniel Heath remembers Richard Smallwood, whose music taught the church how to pray, lament and hope.
Holding the complexities of U.S. involvement in Latin America
Can we love our country and still tell the truth about its power? Greg Allen-Pickett reflects on U.S. involvement in Latin America — holding gratitude and grief, critique and hope, under the call of Christian discipleship.
The hollow moral core of ‘Marty Supreme’
‘Marty Supreme’ is an excellent film about a despicable confidence man. It perfectly reflects our historical moment, writes Jana Riess.
The vital congregation of tomorrow
Church decline doesn’t mean faith is disappearing. It means congregations must rethink metrics, mission and community impact, writes Mark Elsdon.
Queen Latifah: The theology of dignity
From “U.N.I.T.Y.” to “Ladies First,” Queen Latifah refuses disrespect and insists on dignity. In this episode of “Theology of Hip-Hop," Chris Burton reflects on Black womanhood and the image of God.
Reforming toward hope: Why universalism belongs in the Reformed tradition
Can a Reformed Christian affirm universalism? Drawing on Calvin, Barth and Scripture, Lucus Levy Keppel argues that God’s grace ultimately reconciles all.
Presbyterian Peace Fellowship Condemns U.S. Military Attack on Venezuela
The Presbyterian Peace Fellowship calls upon our fellow Presbyterians to join the World Council of Churches and people of faith and goodwill around the world in condemning the military attack on Venezuela.
The Rev. Jihyun Oh speaks out concerning US military action taken against Venezuela
Oh cites numerous General Assembly policies calling instead for nonmilitary and collaborative international approaches.
“We’re in relationship, therefore we do ministry”: Inside the PC(USA)’s mission shift
The Outlook sits down with Stated Clerk of the General Assembly and Executive Director of the Interim Unified Agency Jihyun Oh to discuss changes at the denomination.
A turning point in the church’s search for a new confession
After two years of work, a PC(USA) committee says a new confession is taking shape amid prayer, debate and hope for renewal.
Two pastors will stand for election as co-moderators of the 227th General Assembly
The Rev. Dr. Kristopher D. Schondelmeyer and the Rev. Marta Pumroy-Cordero were endorsed by their presbyteries in their call to stand as co-moderators of the 227th General Assembly.
Presbyterian Hispanic Latino leaders call for de-escalation after U.S. strike on Venezuela
The National Hispanic Latino Presbyterian Caucus denounces the U.S. strike on Venezuela, citing biblical principles, history and calls for peace.
Second Sunday after the Epiphany — January 18, 2026
Stephanie Sorge explores curiosity, presence and the quiet call to discipleship in John 1 — an invitation not to have the answers, but to come and see where God is already at work.
Page 9 of 885