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Mid council leaders lean into renewed vision as gathering concludes

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CHICAGO – On the final day of the Mid Council Leaders Gathering, top leaders of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) offered a sense of vision; data on race and gender in the denomination; and, on World Communion Sunday, a sense of what God seeks in a divided time. Presbyterian Mission Agency. Diane Givens Moffett, president and executive director of the Presbyterian Mission Agency, spoke first Oct. 7, thanking these presbytery and synod leaders for “being agents of healing. Thank you for your hands and feet that respond to disasters and floods and rain,” helping people in need all over the world. “Thank you for speaking up and speaking out” against racism and violence. Moffett described mission as the way people of faith present Christ to the world, “love with skin on it.” She called on Presbyterians to “put flesh and blood” on the 25thchapter of Matthew’s Gospel. “We want to be a church of action.” That’s a challenge. “The political climate right now is at an all-time … [Read more...]

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Presbyterian mid council leaders offer ideas to make General Assembly better

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CHICAGO – When word reached the Mid Council Leaders Gathering that the Senate had confirmed Brett Kavanaugh to serve on the U.S. Supreme Court, these Presbyterians stopped to pray. J. Herbert Nelson, stated clerk of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), acknowledged, “Today will be a hard day for many, while others will be rejoicing.” He spoke of a divided nation and the need for enduring faith. “We need you, Jesus,” Nelson prayed. He asked for hope, for the sense that even in difficult times, “the Lord is speaking.” When news of the controversial Senate vote on Kavanaugh was delivered, these synod and presbytery leaders – who are meeting Oct. 5-7 at a hotel in Chicago – were in the midst of providing feedback on the 2018 General Assembly. Generally, evaluations from commissioners were overwhelmingly positive, said Tom Hay, director of assembly operations. During the assembly, Presbyterians marched through downtown St. Louis to deliver funds from an offering that would … [Read more...]

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Mid Council Leaders Gathering covers per capita, Board of Pensions

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CHICAGO – J. Herbert Nelson, stated clerk of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), challenged Presbyterians to engage the complicated realities of the current world. “We have an opportunity to shake up this world, but we have to be believe it, and we have to be willing to pay for it,” Nelson said. Nelson’s talking about per capita — the per-member fee that pays for most of the expense of the Office of the General Assembly and administrative costs for the Presbyterian Mission Agency.  There was pushback earlier this year to his proposal to significantly raise per capita by 39 percent from 2018 to 2019 and by 7 percent from 2019 to 2020. Facing criticism from mid council leaders, some of whom argued that small congregations particularly couldn’t afford such a financial hit, Nelson revised his request, and the 2018 General Assembly approved a per capita rate of $8.95 per member in both 2019 and 2020 – an increase of just over 15 percent from the 2018 per capita rate of $7.73 per … [Read more...]

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“God is working through these things” — Mid council leaders consider national news during meeting

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CHICAGO - Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) leaders prayed for the city of Chicago Oct. 5, just before a verdict was returned in the murder trial of a white police officer charged with killing a white teenager, Laquan McDonald. A jury found Jason Van Dyke guilty of second-degree murder for shooting McDonald 16 times in 2014. This case has been closely watched around the nation, resulting in a U.S. Department of Justice investigation that found excessive force was used and described systemic mistreatment of black and Hispanic people common in some of the poorest neighborhoods of Chicago. With the Chicago verdict and the national tumult this week surrounding the nomination of Brett Kavanaugh to serve on the U.S. Supreme Court, “it’s one of those God moments,” J. Herbert Nelson, stated clerk of the PC(USA), said in an interview. “All these things are converging. There is the dichotomy of hope and loss and pain” and a sense that “God is working through these things, right now.” This … [Read more...]

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Mid council leaders look back to General Assembly and ahead to church trends

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CHICAGO – Once a year, mid council leaders in the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) gather for several days of conversation and training — talking about what’s working and what’s not in the denomination as they look ahead. This year, about 280 presbytery and synod executives and stated clerks are gathered at a hotel near O’Hare Airport in Chicago, in a gathering organized by the Office of the General Assembly and Board of Pensions.  Part of their time will be spent looking back at the 2018 General Assembly — considering what happened there that will affect mid councils, including a discussion of proposed constitutional amendments presbyteries will be asked to consider. Doug Portz, a senior church consultant for the Board of Pensions, said the two agencies have developed a collegial culture that includes give and take, and is  “always focusing on the why” and on “what churches need from us.” As one example: This gathering is being simultaneously translated into Korean and … [Read more...]

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