Deep into a conversation on courage and curiosity with the Rev. Dr. Lee Hinson-Hasty of the Presbyterian Foundation during Wednesday’s edition of “Leading Theologically,” the Rev. Dr. Asa J. Lee, president of Pittsburgh Theological Seminary, noted this truth about the plight of preachers everywhere: “People don’t like it,” Lee said, “when we preach the gospel that requires us to do things that we don’t want to do.”
A shared ministry pilot project involving both the Board of Pensions and Pittsburgh Presbytery was among the cutting-edge items of discussion Wednesday when the Rev. Dr. Frank Clark Spencer, President of the Board of Pensions of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), spoke to the Rev. Dr. Lee Hinson-Hasty of the Presbyterian Foundation during the Leading Theologically podcast. Listen to their wide-ranging half-hour conversation here or here.
Pastoral residencies — post-seminary experiences designed to enhance and broaden ministry capabilities of fledgling pastors — received a fond gaze back last week from some of the people who best know the programs, which are scattered around the country.
Did you know that more charitable giving happens in December than in any other time of the year? More than one-third of all charitable giving is done in the last quarter of the year. The majority of that giving happens in the month of December.
Here’s the Rev. Dr. Beth McCaw’s current metaphor on where many church leaders find themselves these days: the pandemic has catapulted them into the air — maybe involuntarily — and they’re still airborne.
Most people pass by First Presbyterian Church in Manitowoc, Wisconsin, noting its beautiful historic sanctuary.
It sat on a one-way street, and the 1950s addition to the much larger sanctuary barely merited a backwards glance.
But when the city of Manitowoc changed the street to a two-way, Rev. Matt Sauer, the church’s pastor, began to see that 1950s addition as a blank canvas — and an opportunity.
“Tell the story of Center Church honestly: the good, the bad and the ugly.”
This guiding principle framed the Rev. Tom Moore’s workshop at Stewardship Kaleidoscope 2022. Moore told participants the story of Center Presbyterian Church in McMurray, Pennsylvania, showing the importance of honesty and transparency when it comes to the church and its finances.
