As the threat of more attacks lingers in Sri Lanka, the Stated Clerk of the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) is calling on all faiths to find peaceful solutions to their problems. As many as 350 people are known to have died in a series of bombings on Easter at three churches and three hotels. Sixty people have been arrested in connection with the attacks. “We offer our consolation to all who have suffered devastating loss as a result of these most recent acts of violence,” said the Reverend Dr. J. Herbert Nelson, II. “We call on those in authority to put aside their apparent internal differences and work together to provide comfort for those harmed by these cruel acts and bring to justice the perpetrators.” In his statement, Nelson said religious leaders need to determine the root causes of the violence. “We must continually seek to discern what it is at the core of all religious ideology, including our own, that turns certainty of rectitude into … [Read more...]
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Book Reviews 10 hours ago
Quietly Courageous: Leading the Church in a Changing World
Gil Rendle Rowman & Littlefield, 304 pages Reviewed by Allen D. Timm A pastor introduced herself to the principal of the high school, who asked if she knew of any opportunities for her students to serve the community. A local imam asked the same of his congregants. The church was hosting an overnight shelter, and they joined the project. The church became a catalyst for change in her community. This story illustrates Gil Rendle’s “Quietly Courageous.” It picks up where “Doing the Math of Mission” leaves off. Rendle builds on… continue reading... -
Outlook Reporting 24 hours ago
Board approves funds for Stony Point Center improvements
The Presbyterian Mission Agency Board continues to struggle with a question that it’s been poking at for years: how much it’s willing to spend to continue the operations of Stony Point Center outside New York City. The board, meeting by conference call April 24 (part of that in closed session) voted to authorize spending up to $630,750, for “critical expenditures” for capital improvements at Stony Point, a conference center about an hour outside New York City that also is home to an interfaith community. The board also gave permission for… continue reading... -
Outlook Reporting 1 day ago
PC(USA) releases 2018 statistical report
The 2018 statistical report for the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) shows a continuing decline for the denomination in both membership and the number of churches, although the rate of decline may be slowing slightly. The PC(USA) lost 62,375 active members from 2017 to 2018, dropping from 1,415,053 members in 2017 to 1,352,678 in 2018 (a decrease of 4.4%). That compares to a membership decline of 67,714 members from 2016 to 2017 (a decrease of 4.5%). The PC(USA) also has fewer churches. The number of churches in the denomination dropped by 143… 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 Uncategorized88 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 Reviews61 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 Reviews59 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.
The work of the church: Boards of the Presbyterian Mission Agency and A Corporation hold meetings in Louisville March 29, 2019 Outlook Reporting1 comment LOUISVILLE – Presbyterian leaders concluded a week of policy-making meetings in Kentucky, with the boards of the Presbyterian Mission Agency and the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), A Corporation – meeting in different rooms at the same hotel – considering everything from financial matters to use of the denomination’s national offices in Louisville. Here’s some of what happened March 29.
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The board of the A Corporation – which is the corporate entity of the Office of the General Assembly (OGA) and the Presbyterian Mission Agency (PMA) – voted to create a new position of m...
Say this, not that July 18, 2018 Outpost Blog1 comment Our words matter. It matters that we speak about God’s call when the nominating committee gets to work. A phone call that asks if we feel called to serve on the Christian education committee feels different then someone begging us to sign up because the committee hardly ever meets and they really need new blood. It matters that we talk about giving generous gifts during stewardship season instead of hearing that the bills are piling up. Most people would rather give with joy than do their duty to contribute to mounting costs. It matters that we pastors call that one precious weekday a Sabbath day ...
Pastoral pipeline: Will there be enough ministers to serve the Presbyterian Church? September 26, 2017 Outlook Features1 comment
The premise is this: With a surge of retirements approaching, and fewer people going to seminary, the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) is facing an impending, potentially severe shortage of pastors.
Lee Hinson-Hasty, senior director of Theological Education Funds Development at the Presbyterian Foundation, has been making that case in recent months — at the 2017 NEXT Church national conference, at Big Tent and elsewhere. Easily three-quarters of the Presbyterian pastors currently se...
Stated Clerk condemns attacks in Sri Lanka
Bookmobile, groceries and relationships help niche bookstore stay afloat
SPOKANE, Wash. (RNS) — A buzzer sounds in Mark Logan’s office every time someone comes through the front doors of Adventist Book Center. Located about 15 minutes from downtown Spokane, the Seventh-day Adventist bookstore is on the grounds of the Upper Columbia Conference headquarters, which is hidden from the road by towering Ponderosa pines. “We’re open to anybody, but we’re not obvious from the street,” Logan, manager of ABC Christian Bookstore, said. “But people know we’re here.” The buzzer trumpets as he speaks. Some customers wander in to peruse Christian gifts while others look through the rows of books. Several head to the grocery section to stock up on vegetarian products. The Seventh-day Adventist Church, which has about 25 bookstores throughout North America, emphasizes a well-balanced vegetarian diet. Logan said the grocery section is a big draw and helps keep the store open, while many Christian bookstores nationally have recently been forced to close. “The … [Read more...]
Quietly Courageous: Leading the Church in a Changing World
Gil Rendle Rowman & Littlefield, 304 pages Reviewed by Allen D. Timm A pastor introduced herself to the principal of the high school, who asked if she knew of any opportunities for her students to serve the community. A local imam asked the same of his congregants. The church was hosting an overnight shelter, and they joined the project. The church became a catalyst for change in her community. This story illustrates Gil Rendle’s “Quietly Courageous.” It picks up where “Doing the Math of Mission” leaves off. Rendle builds on his work for the Texas Methodist Foundation to provide leadership for the church. So what is his contribution? Here is his central point: Churches pay their pastors to serve their own church, not to find ways to lift and serve their community. Rendle says that while providing leadership inside the church to nurture its members, pastors must also serve quietly outside the church. They must build relationships with others who want to change their … [Read more...]
COGA opens spring meeting in Philadelphia
Members of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)’s Committee on the Office of the General Assembly (COGA) have gathered in Philadelphia this week for its spring meeting. Part of the agenda includes meeting jointly with the Presbyterian Historical Society Board of Directors. The two groups gathered Tuesday morning at the offices of the Board of Pensions for cultural proficiency training, led by the Rev. Molly Casteel, manager for equity and representation for the Office of the General Assembly and Vanessa Julye, racism program coordinator for Friends General Conference. During its regular meeting, COGA heard from the Rev. Cindy Kohlmann and Ruling Elder Vilmarie Cintrón-Olivieri, Co-Moderators of the 223rd General Assembly (2018), with an update on their work and travels since the February meeting. Cintron-Olivieri discussed the recent visit with a PC(USA) delegation to the Middle East. The delegation responded to a General Assembly mandate to show solidarity with the people who are … [Read more...]
Board approves funds for Stony Point Center improvements
The Presbyterian Mission Agency Board continues to struggle with a question that it’s been poking at for years: how much it’s willing to spend to continue the operations of Stony Point Center outside New York City. The board, meeting by conference call April 24 (part of that in closed session) voted to authorize spending up to $630,750, for “critical expenditures” for capital improvements at Stony Point, a conference center about an hour outside New York City that also is home to an interfaith community. The board also gave permission for the board’s Coordinating Committee to approve additional spending for a roofing project involving two buildings at Stony Point should bids for doing that work exceed initial estimates, and once money from a fund held at the Presbyterian Foundation for support of one of those buildings has been used. Discussion during the open portion of the meeting, however, showed that some board members still are uncomfortable with how much the … [Read more...]
What to do about ordination? A gay divinity school student ponders her future
DURHAM, N.C. (RNS) — After finally accepting her call to preach, Spencer Cullom took a step of faith and began the yearslong process to become ordained in the United Methodist Church. She believed God called her to become a United Methodist minister. And she hoped that her denomination would drop its restrictions against LGBTQ clergy and allow her to follow that call. But Cullom knew that might not happen. “If the language in the Book of Discipline doesn’t change, I will not go through with this,” the 29-year old Duke Divinity School student vowed in fall 2017 when she sent a letter to a church official declaring her intention to begin the ordination process. A ruddy-faced brunette with long, wavy hair and an easy smile, Cullom is a lesbian, and her denomination’s rule book — called the Book of Discipline — bars “self-avowed practicing homosexuals” from being ordained. It also calls the “practice of homosexuality … incompatible with Christian teaching.” In February, … [Read more...]
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