What if churches today were more like 12-step programs? What if they were truly places of authenticity, raw honesty and inclusion, committed to transformation, making amends and leaning on God? Shavon Starling-Louis says, “I’m a pretty big lover of the church” — of its ability to be a blessing in the broken places of the world, part of the necessary work of repentance and repair. At its best, “you are magnificent, you are glorious,” she said to the church — preaching during closing worship of the NEXT Church national gathering, held online March 5-7. But Starling-Louis, pastor of Meadowlake Presbyterian Church in Huntersville, North Carolina, also has seen the church in action: she’s experienced it in rural places and cities, in a number of states. “So it is with deep love I come to you,” she told the NEXT community. “I’ve been watching, I’ve been listening. … It seems that we’ve got a problem. We’ve got behaviors that we impulsively and automatically and mindlessly … [Read more...]
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Outlook Reporting 11 hours ago
NEXT Church closing worship invites a fearless moral inventory
NEXT Church virtual choir What if churches today were more like 12-step programs? What if they were truly places of authenticity, raw honesty and inclusion, committed to transformation, making amends and leaning on God? Shavon Starling-Louis says, “I’m a pretty big lover of the church” — of its ability to be a blessing in the broken places of the world, part of the necessary work of repentance and repair. Shavon Starling-Louis At its best, “you are magnificent, you are glorious,” she said to the church — preaching during closing worship… continue reading... -
Outlook Reporting 1 day ago
Genealogies of the intangible: Christine Hong addresses Next Church
The past few years have been marked by multiple griefs, Christine Hong acknowledged in her keynote address to the Next Church 2021 National Gathering, being held online March 5-7. Christine Hong is assistant professor at Columbia Theological Seminary White supremacy and COVID-19 are twin pandemics that have made us “soul-sick,” she said. So she started by offering participants a moment to consider what accretions of grief they are currently holding space for — griefs such as people gone too soon, the pain they see others expressing or a loss of… continue reading... -
Outlook Reporting 2 days ago
Lenny Duncan troubles the waters at NEXT Church gathering: Why is my sacrifice needed for you to wake up?
The NEXT Church 2021 conference is being held online March 5-7. All screenshots by Leslie Scanlon. “What broke you over this last year?” Glenn McCray Spoken word artist Glenn McCray of Chop Suey Roots asked that question during opening worship of NEXT Church’s 2021 National Gathering – being held online March 5-7 (with a few technical bumps on the opening day), and built around the theme “Breaking, Blessing, Building.” Some answers to his question from the opening presentations: don’t just think about the COVID-19 pandemic — add in white supremacy,… continue reading...
Parties in Stamford case had tried to expedite process in order to get a ruling on the merits of the case January 1, 1995 Uncategorized93 views The General Assembly Permanent Judicial Commission -- in sidestepping the question of exactly how deeply a session should be required to probe into the private life of a gay elder who has acknowledged being in a committed, life-long relationship but has declined to say whether he is sexually active -- has put the question off but has not put it to rest.- Ministering with the Earth January 1, 1998 Book Reviews88 views By Mary Elizabeth MooreChalice. 1998. 226 pp. Pb. $19.99. ISBN 0-8272-2323-4 Ministering with the Earth is a quiltwork, both the on-the-ground activity and Moore's book about so ministering. Moore, professor of theology and Christian education at Claremont School of Theology, is fond of the metaphor, suitably pastoral and feminist.
- Remembered Voice: Reclaiming the Legacy of 'Neo-Orthodoxy' January 1, 1998 Book Reviews104 views By Douglas John HallWJKP. 1998. 145 pp. Pb. $18. ISBN 0-664-25772-0 It was in this order. I first read Tillich's Dynamics of Faith. Riveting. Next came The Courage to Be. Gripping. Then I went back and read the first volume of the Systematic Theology. Things began to make sense. Next came Biblical Religion and the Search for Ultimate Reality. Positive.
Coordinating Table starts work to craft a unified budget for the PC(USA) November 30, 2020 Outlook Reporting2 comments What does it mean to have a common vision for the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)?
And what’s the process for creating a single, unified denominational budget to support that vision?
Top PC(USA) leaders are beginning to try to figure that out — holding the first meeting Nov. 30 of a new entity known as the Coordinating Table, a group of 15 leaders given the responsibility of crafting a unified budget for the denomination for 2023 and 2024.
In its administrative action from June 2020, the ...
Sailboat Church: Helping Your Church Rethink Its Mission and Practice (bookmark) December 1, 2014 Book Reviews1 comment by Joan S. Gray
WJK Press, Louisville, Ky. 158 pages
In her book, “Spiritual Leadership for Church Officers,” Joan Gray introduced the metaphor of a sailboat church that has its sails fully open to the wind of the Holy Spirit and whose officers were committed to be led by the same Spirit. Gray proceeded to outline some of the implications of such leadership in a Spirit-led church. The alternative, she argues, is a rowboat church that relies primarily on its own efforts and finds itself riddled by disappointment, anxiety and fear of the future.
In this sequel, Gray, who is...
The generational gap that is killing the church January 26, 2021 Outpost Blog1 comment
I am 39 years old. I am on my final year of my 30s, and it may the last time people in the church still refer to me, their pastor, as young.
I also teach high schoolers Monday through Friday, and I get to joke about being old all the time. I listen to a podcast aimed specifically for ‘80s babies. I am barely a millennial, so I sometimes find myself nodding to Gen X stereotypes.
I’ve noticed a meme lately that reads: “I don’t know how to use TikTok, but I can write in cursive, do long division and tell time on clocks with hands… so there’s that!” This is not a meme about ch...
NEXT Church closing worship invites a fearless moral inventory
Tagged With: NEXTChurch
Ministry, learning & loss during COVID-19 — March 15, 2021
Over the course of the past year, churches have changed how they worship, offer Christian education, provide pastoral care and serve their neighborhoods. This issue explores the grief that has weighed heavy and the lessons learned so far. Click here to read the issue in the Uberflip reader Pastoral theology for a pandemic Life in a pandemic reconfigures how we deal with the problem of loss theologically — whether the loss of relationships that lead to being existentially alone, or the loss of a sense of well-being in the world that is God’s. Six lessons about faith formation Rodger Nishioka shares what he learned about Christian education in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. Looking forward to a post-pandemic era Reformed theology helps Christians look ahead to life, faith and ministry after the COVID-19 pandemic. Numbers and names In the aftermath of the Breonna Taylor killing in Louisville, Elizabeth Hinson-Hasty notes the significance of numbers and names in the … [Read more...]
Genealogies of the intangible: Christine Hong addresses Next Church
The past few years have been marked by multiple griefs, Christine Hong acknowledged in her keynote address to the Next Church 2021 National Gathering, being held online March 5-7. White supremacy and COVID-19 are twin pandemics that have made us “soul-sick,” she said. So she started by offering participants a moment to consider what accretions of grief they are currently holding space for — griefs such as people gone too soon, the pain they see others expressing or a loss of hope. “Hold them and acknowledge them. They are part of you, too,” Hong said in her March 6 presentation. Hong is assistant professor of educational ministry at Columbia Theological Seminary in Decatur, Georgia. She has a special interest in anti-colonial and decolonial approaches to religious education and is the author of the recently released book “Decolonial Futures: Intercultural and Interreligious Intelligence for Theological Education.” Recent years have been defined by witnessing violence and … [Read more...]
Lenny Duncan troubles the waters at NEXT Church gathering: Why is my sacrifice needed for you to wake up?
“What broke you over this last year?” Spoken word artist Glenn McCray of Chop Suey Roots asked that question during opening worship of NEXT Church’s 2021 National Gathering – being held online March 5-7 (with a few technical bumps on the opening day), and built around the theme “Breaking, Blessing, Building.” Some answers to his question from the opening presentations: don’t just think about the COVID-19 pandemic — add in white supremacy, Christian nationalism, climate change, the Trump presidency, the killing of George Floyd and so much more. “This alarm has been going off since 1619, and some of you have been hitting the snooze button,” McCray said. During opening worship, Bertram Johnson, a member of the NEXT strategy team and currently serving as interfaith minister at Union Theological Seminary in New York, preached about “vanilla ISIS” and a white nationalism that threatens to destroy “anything that doesn’t align with its capitalist and colonial Jesus.” For people … [Read more...]
Christian health networks call for global equity and solidarity for COVID-19 vaccine access
While applauding the effort made in order to have safe and effective vaccines, the ecumenical health partners are also concerned “with the emerging trend of rich countries hoarding excess doses to vaccinate their entire populations two or more times over, inflating vaccine prices for poor countries and the overall picture of low or no vaccinations in low-income countries. We are equally concerned that even in rich countries, racial/ethnic minorities and low-income persons are being marginalised in access to the vaccines.” The statement warns on the devastating economic consequences of the lack of vaccines in order to end the COVID-19 pandemic. Christian health networks, which are significant providers of healthcare in many parts of the world, commit to “maintaining their contribution to the global COVID-19 response motivated by the teachings of Jesus of promoting health and healing, prioritizing the sick and vulnerable, finding strength in weakness, servant leadership, and … [Read more...]
PASTOR
Unity Presbyterian Church, Danville, Virginia. “At Unity there is a seat at the table for everyone.” View MIF #11887.AB2. Contact: Harriet Thompson, PNC Chair hmtpwt@chatmosscable.com. Unity Presbyterian Church 835 Franklin Turnpike Danville VA 24540 https://www.facebook.com/UnityPCUSA/ … [Read more...]
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