Congregational Vitality

Washington state pastor serves a church he’s never preached in

The Rev. Crawford Brubaker has been to the town he pastors only once, for an interview. It occurred pre-pandemic at nighttime, in the small community of Buckley, Washington, the home of Community Presbyterian Church. At the end of the interview, Brubaker said the pastor nominating committee told him to come back in three weeks to preach so they could “see the goods.”

‘I stir the pot a little to promote creativity’

Congregations looking for ways to be the church together during and even after the pandemic might well find what they’re looking for in the early church practice of house churches.

A design on ministry

Chicago pastor says crucial clergy values are empathy and effectiveness by Mike Ferguson | Presbyterian News Service LOUISVILLE — Asked what’s made her come alive during the pandemic and the… Read more »

Becoming Presbyterian

Nick Pickrell, organizer of The Open Table KC, has never set foot in a seminary.  But after five years co-leading this new worshiping community in Kansas City, he’s going through the process of becoming a commissioned ruling elder. “I wanted to be more connected to the PC(USA) denomination,” he says in the new 1001 Worshiping Communities video, “Becoming Presbyterian.”

Lurkers welcome

The Rev. Nikki Collins has been aware of the concept of empowering servant leadership since her high school days, when a teacher brought in a prominent community leader to speak to Collins and her classmates about what it means to be a servant leader.

A ministry of intellect and street smarts

As a scientist and science lover since he was a child, Fred Hanna has always found the disconnect between science and religion to be odd, if not utterly horrifying. Once in his early 30s he was having a conversation about dinosaurs with a Christian who told him, “Dinosaurs aren’t real. They were made up. Science made them up.”

An outward focus

Before COVID-19 forced him to work from home, the Rev. Dr. Alonzo Johnson, coordinator of the Presbyterian Committee on the Self-Development of People, was walking in downtown Louisville one day when he came across a man holding a “I’m homeless and I’m hungry” sign. Johnson made eye contact and asked how the man was doing. The man clutched Johnson’s arms and told him, with tears streaming down his face, “Thank you for recognizing that I am a human being.”

Practicing lifelong discipleship formation during COVID-19

As more than 50 pastors and other church leaders explored together “Lifelong Discipleship Formation” —  which is one of the Seven Marks of Vital Congregations — it became apparent that during the coronavirus crisis they are discovering new ways to help people live out their Christian faith.