Institutional trust continues to decline in surveys, but religious organizations still rank high. (By Kate Shellnutt, Christianity Today). While Americans’ confidence in various institutions dips, the church remains in relatively high regard—especially among Christians and Republicans. According to Pew Research Center, Americans view the impact of religious institutions more positively than colleges, labor unions, banks,…
If our churches have to be a little more uncomfortable to us insiders in order to reach even one lost soul for Christ, that’s a sacrifice we should all be willing to make. By Ed Stetzer, The Exchange. As we all know, it’s election season. This isn’t ever a rosy time for America, filled with…
Figuring out who we are as times change By Ayana Teter, Presbyterians Today. Recently, I was invited to share my thoughts on the “big-picture” view of my church. I had the honor of sharing in a panel with a group of Presbyterian pastors from the Middle East. As Christians they were the minority in their…
They are more open than you think. By Eric Metaxas, Christian Post. Your unchurched friends are not unreachable. How do I know? They’ve said so themselves. We’ve all heard the statistics about the growth of the religiously unaffiliated in America — the sociologists call them the “nones” — those who don’t belong to any church…
There seemed little reason to be meeting in a space as large as the Portland Convention Center as the exhibit hall was nearly empty as were the bleachers and most of the chairs in the section for observers of the 222nd General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (USA). Press row was a mere 11 chairs,…
When considering the future, could our vision be much too small? By Daniel Darling, Christianity Today. It was a slick PowerPoint—presented by a (self-described) cutting-edge ministry practitioner—that sent me over the edge. Carefully presenting cherry-picked research, this ministry leader offered a doomsday scenario for the American church: heresy is rising. Millennials are fleeing. Culture is…
by Henry G. Brinton, Senior Pastor, Fairfax Presbyterian Church Donald Trump went to a service at a Presbyterian Church in Iowa last Sunday and said that his faith meant “a lot” to him. I’m glad that he considers himself to be a Presbyterian — not because he is a good one, but because he needs the…
By Peter Lee, The Exchange. I was asked to preach at a church where I chose as my text 1 Pet. 4:12-13. Afterwards, many approached me with words of appreciation for the message. One person, however, made a comment that I have pondered since. The comment was, “Your message was difficult to apply since my…
The Moderator of the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (USA) has issued a Call to the Church that presents an unprecedented opportunity to re-think how the PCUSA is organized, how it operates, how it treats those seeking to realign with other Presbyterian denominations and how it bears authentic witness in the world today. The…
Leadership, by its most basic definition, includes the ability to see beyond what those following cannot yet see. Vision, foresight, planning and protecting your organization from avoidable pitfalls are part of being a leader. Good leaders generally want to make decisions that result in organizational health and growth — and avoid catastrophe. All of which makes…