Parking lot meetings. Wealthy members with outsized influence. Inconsistent practices. Confusion about purpose and vision. There are lots of ways for a congregation’s systems to be unhealthy, and I suspect you could add to this list. Whatever the problem or situation, all do one thing: They undermine a church’s vitality.
If you overlook the name of a church, sometimes you miss a vital story in the life of their congregation. Such is the case for Valley United Presbyterian Church.
In late October 1517, an obscure Augustinian monk teaching at a minor German university offered a set of propositions, inviting an academic debate. Many Presbyterians can picture Martin Luther nailing his 95 Theses on the door of the Castle Church in Wittenberg, but we are hard-pressed to say what the theses were about, and why they sparked a movement that both reformed and divided the church.
The Revs. Jeya and Daniel So, lead pastors of the Anchor City Church, a new worshiping community in the Presbytery of San Diego, will lead Tuesday evening worship and give the Wednesday morning plenary address for “Living, Dying, Rising,” the 2017 national gathering for 1001 New Worshiping Communities.
The Rev. Rosa Blanca Miranda will join Racial Ethnic & Women’s Ministries of the Presbyterian Mission Agency on May 17 as the associate for Hispanic/Latino-a Intercultural Congregational Support. For the past several years she has served as pastor of El Buen Pastor Presbyterian Church, a 1001 New Worshiping Community, in Winston Salem, North Carolina.
Cuando Puerto Rico se convirtió en un territorio de los Estados Unidos después de la guerra hispano-americana, los misioneros en la isla recibieron áreas misioneras. Al pueblo presbiteriano se les asignó el lado occidental de la isla, que es donde vive la mayoría de las personas presbiterianas.
When Puerto Rico became a U.S. territory after the Spanish-American war, missionaries on the island were granted mission fields. Presbyterians were assigned the western side of the island—which is where the majority of Presbyterians live.
Midway through The Fellowship Community’s 2017 national gathering—held February 21–23 at the First Presbyterian Church, Lakeland, Florida—incoming TFC Board president, the Rev. Dr. Jerry Andrews, led off the board’s presentation on “The State of The Fellowship Community” (TFC).
The speakers on the opening day of The Fellowship Community National Gathering charged over 200 church leaders to more intentionally “live on mission” in order to make missional disciples.
