Even though it doesn’t appear in the Book of Order — I looked — perhaps there’s no phrase, for better or worse, that sums up Presbyterianism than “decently and in order.” If something exists in our life together, we Presbyterians have a committee and — if we’re really on our game — an acronym for it. However, there’s an important reason for our fascination with process and structure: We value shared governance.
Presbyterians who agree to serve God and their congregations as ruling elders or deacons sometimes find they had little idea what they’ve gotten themselves into.
Presbyterians who agree to serve God and their congregations as ruling elders or deacons sometimes find they had little idea what they’ve gotten themselves into.
Since the advent of virtual worship, the question on the minds of session members across the country is how to welcome online viewers as full-fledged members. For the Rev. Monica Thompson Smith, stated supply pastor of First Presbyterian Church of Luling, Texas, a small church whose dwindling numbers have slowly been reversing thanks to Zoom worship, the answer is easy: Welcome virtual members the same as you would any other member.
It’s that time of year again: time to take a quick breath to recall Advent and Christmas celebrations; time to look ahead to what the new year will bring. It’s also time to consider your local congregation’s missional priorities and the financial pledges you have received so that a budget can be finalized.
New resources from the Office of Theology and Worship will help those engaged in the work of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)’s Matthew 25 invitation make a stronger connection between the three foci of the vision and the biblical passage — particularly in Matthew 25:31–46, which is known as the “Judgment of the Nations” passage.
“Mama do.”
For at least a year, if my memory can be trusted, that singular refrain punctuated our daughter’s every sentence. “Mama do.”
Once, during a rare visit to our North Carolina home from my family in New York, the precocious toddler’s words even coaxed a laugh from my usually stern father, who wondered aloud how I ever managed to get anything done.
The Office of the General Assembly and the Presbyterian Mission Agency’s Office of Theology and Worship have together prepared a statement on the sacrament of baptism and services of ordination and/or installment during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Like the other committees, teams and commissions created by the 223rd General Assembly, the Special Committee on Financial Sustainability and Per Capita Review completed its report this week in time to meet Friday’s deadline.
