Congregational Vitality Archives

Reading the Bible over the course of a year

Posted September 10th, 2019

Westminster John Knox Press has published two newly revised resources by James E. Davidson for designing a yearlong Bible reading program

Light of Hope Presbyterian answers Matthew 25 call

Posted August 30th, 2019

The Rev. Edwin Gonzalez Gertz says Light of Hope Presbyterian Church in Marietta, Georgia, didn’t hesitate to become a Matthew 25 church. It provided them the language to articulate who they are.

Short films designed to elicit discussion and strengthen preaching and teaching

Posted August 13th, 2019

Scott Galloway’s father, grandfather and great-grandfather were all Presbyterian pastors. Galloway has followed all three of his preacher forebears — not into the pulpit, but as a storyteller and filmmaker who’s created a product that pastors, church educators and others can use to stimulate discussion and make the weekly readings from the Revised Common Lectionary more relatable to Sunday worshipers.

Lilly Endowment Inc. makes new grants to save historic churches

Posted August 12th, 2019

Lilly Endowment Inc. has furthered its commitment to supporting congregations and preserving significant portions of America’s religious and cultural landscape by awarding nearly $15 million in grants to Partners for Sacred Places and the National Trust for Historic Preservation, to extend the National Fund for Sacred Places (The National Fund).

Love heals at Thistle Farms

Posted July 25th, 2019

Becca Stevens, one of the keynote speakers for the 1001 New Worshiping Communities and Vital Congregations national gathering coming up October 14-16 in Kansas City, Mo., remembers how she felt when she started a residential community for women who have survived tracking, prostitution and addiction.

Coming soon: a toolkit for your church’s mission committee

Posted July 16th, 2019

World Mission staff has created a variety of online resources to equip Presbyterians to prepare for, engage in and reflect on God’s mission.

Is yours a ‘healthy’ congregation?

Posted June 20th, 2019

Theologian Emil Brunner famously stated, “The church exists by mission, just as fire exists by burning.” This didn’t quite sink in until I heard Darrell Guder, former dean and missiologist at Princeton Theological Seminary, put it more clearly for me: “The church does not exist primarily for the benefit of its own members. Instead, it exists for the benefit of those outside its walls.”

Former presbytery executive amazed at Miami church’s turnaround

Posted June 14th, 2019

“Let everything that breathes praise the Lord! Praise the Lord!” Psalm 150:6 The Scripture so eloquently phrased in Psalm 150 graced the bulletin cover as we celebrated the 38th Anniversary of New Life Presbyterian Church (Iglesia Presbiteriana Nueva Vida) in Miami on the last Sunday in April. The church, located on Coral Way, is served by the Rev. Heidi Arencibia. I was honored to be the guest speaker for the service celebrating “Thirty-eight years of life by the grace of God!” (1981-2019).

The power of fearless dialogue

Posted June 11th, 2019

The Rev. Dr. Gregory Ellison, one of the keynoters for the 1001 New Worshiping Communities and Vital Congregations national gathering October, remembers how he felt in the midst of a media firestorm six years ago.

The Holy Spirit’s role in ordination

Posted June 6th, 2019

On many Pentecost Sundays, which can be a movable feast like Easter Sunday, the life of a congregation sometimes intersects with the long weekend of Memorial Day holiday, the unofficial beginning of the summer season. As well as many graduations taking place around this time, a growing number of churches now hold services for ordination and installation before the summer begins.