(By Jerry Van Marter, Presbyterian News Service). The Presbyterian Church (USA) Research Services office rolled out a new website during the 2017 Big Tent that promises to make access to church statistical information more user-friendly than in the past. The new website – church-trends.pcusa.org – replaces the old “10-Year Trends” website and Comparative Statistics report. “About three…
(By Dana Allin, Synod Executive for ECO). A few weeks ago, along with Jen Haddox and John Terech, I had the privilege of representing ECO at the General Council meeting of the World Communion of Reformed Churches (WCRC) in Leipzig, Germany. The General Council meets every 7 years and consists of delegates from 220 member churches from…
On July 18, the Minnesota State Supreme Court denied the petition from the Presbytery of the Twin Cities Area (PTCA) to review the decision of the Minnesota Court of Appeals in favor of Prairie Community Church of Twin Cities (formerly known as Eden Prairie Presbyterian Church). The Court of Appeals’ April 24 decision upheld the…
The Presbyterian Coalition has announced that it will “cease as a non-profit organization and transfer all assets (about $7500) to The Fellowship Community (TFC) with the request that TFC would consider fielding a team to the 2018 General Assembly with the sole purpose to support, encourage, and assist evangelical GA commissioners.” The decision was announced in…
Buckle up, hold on tight, and pray like crazy (By Eva Stimson, Office of the General Assembly Communications). In the mid-1980s, Trinity Presbyterian Church in Tacoma, Washington, was on life support, and Olympia Presbytery had begun nudging the session to consider pulling the plug. Drugs, crime, and gangs had infested the church’s deteriorating neighborhood. A handful…
In retraction, popular author affirms ‘a biblical view of everything’—including marriage. (By Kate Shellnutt, Christianity Today). A day after a Religion News Service interview portrayed retired pastor and author Eugene Peterson as shifting to endorse same-sex marriage, the evangelical leader retracted his comment and upheld the traditional Christian stance instead. “To clarify, I affirm a…
(By Samuel D. James, First Things). This week, Eugene Peterson became arguably the most consequential evangelical to endorse same-sex relationships and marriage. His short interview with Jonathan Merritt isn’t always clear; there is some hedging and “as far as I’m concerned” moral equivalency. But his testimony leaves little doubt, especially since it feels so very familiar. Peterson’s…
(By Owen Strachan, Patheos). I have read and appreciated Eugene Peterson’s books for years. His take on pastoral ministry, with a focus on the theological nature of the work and a deep engagement with the beauty of spirituality, has marked me. I am not alone in this respect–not by a long shot. Even as I have…
(By Jonathan Merritt, Religion News Service). When a journalist has a chance to interview a paragon of the Christian faith like Eugene Peterson, there’s a lot of pressure to pick the perfect questions. I’d asked him about why he was leaving the public eye and if he was afraid of death. I’d asked him about Donald Trump and the state of…
(By Jana Blazek, Presbyterian Outlook). J. Herbert Nelson, stated clerk of the Presbyterian Church (USA), spoke to participants in a workshop session at Big Tent July 8 about his vision for the denomination and what he sees in its future. Referencing his response to the PCUSA 2016 denominational statistics indicating membership loss of nearly 90,000 members from…