Are there ways that the discomforts of the pandemic – the ways that congregations and mid-councils are being forced to learn new things – might lead to some better ways of being the church in the future? Maybe through this, Presbyterians will “discover the things we worshipped and shouldn’t have been,” said Bruce Reyes-Chow, pastor of First Presbyterian Church of Palo Alto, California, and one of the leaders of a Nov. 20 discussion during the online Moderators Conference forum Nov. 19-21 for training and sharing of ideas for presbytery and synod moderators in the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.). Here are some of the ideas the participants tossed around: Reimagine; don’t replicate. For congregations worshipping remotely, don’t worry about recreating everything that happened in person. Instead, “reimagine what we can do in a virtual space,” Reyes-Chow said. Recognize that online worship means some people can show up who otherwise would not be able to attend. From the Zoom … [Read more...]
Presbyterian mid council leaders discuss issues facing the church today
In an online conversation Nov. 5, mid council leaders spoke of the challenges the COVID-19 pandemic and racism are presenting to Presbyterian churches — and of the innovation and creativity they see emerging in the response. Here are some questions more than 300 presbytery and synod leaders discussed during the annual Mid Council Leaders Gathering, held virtually via Zoom. What are the greatest negative impacts of COVID-19 on churches? “Folks are kind of figuring out how to do it as they go along, Sunday to Sunday,” said Donnie Woods, general presbyter for Charleston Atlantic Presbytery. Some of the stressors: figuring out technology, providing pastoral care at a distance, dealing with parishioners who are “yearning to be together in the old way in the sanctuary.” For pastors, “fatigue is a big thing,” said Susan McGhee, executive presbyter of the Presbytery of Ohio Valley. Some congregations have started to meet in person, some with congregational singing, “even though we … [Read more...]
Mid council leaders lean into renewed vision as gathering concludes
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...]
Presbyterian mid council leaders offer ideas to make General Assembly better
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...]
Mid Council Leaders Gathering covers per capita, Board of Pensions
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...]
“God is working through these things” — Mid council leaders consider national news during meeting
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...]