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office of vital congregations

A place of great danger

Describing the Israelites’ passage through the wilderness in Exodus and Numbers as a metaphor for challenges the church faces today, Dr. William P. Brownn took 160 people participating in the 2020 Vital Congregations Virtual Gathering on a journey into a place of great danger and extremes — a place where they can encounter God.

Visits that sing

On day one of the 2020 Virtual Vital Congregations Gathering on Tuesday, four panelists from Trinity Presbytery described how beginning the two-year VC initiative in January — and its Seven Marks of a Vital Congregation  — helped prepare them as church leaders for the pandemic.

Pastors hopeful for church’s future

After the first day of the Vital Congregations virtual facilitator training last week, the Rev. Neil Ricketts spoke with elders at the church he serves.

‘That’s what we need to root out’

One moment emerged above all the others Wednesday during a “Vital Conversations” webinar hosted by the Presbyterian Mission Agency’s Office of Vital Congregations.

Guided by the LAMB

Congregations striving to maintain their outward incarnational focus, one of the seven marks of congregational vitality, can thrive for at least two reasons: they’re ministering to others while at the same time being ministered to.

A poignant photograph illustrates dealing with deep grief

During the Vital Congregations lament worship service Wednesday, nearly 50 participants were asked if they were willing to weep if they saw a sibling in pain — or if they were just content to be a lens.

‘If we will not face it, we certainly can’t fix it’

The killings of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor, recent attacks and ridicule of people of Asian descent during the pandemic and many other horrifying examples all point out why the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) must be a Matthew 25 church, even as the coronavirus still keeps many Christians from worshiping and doing ministry in person.