Presbyterian Publishing Corporation accepts PC(USA)’s Matthew 25 invitation

Books published for both adults and children center on Matthew 25’s three focus areas

by Presbyterian Publishing Corporation | Special to Presbyterian News Service

The Presbyterian Publishing Corporation has accepted the PC(USA)’s Matthew 25 invitation. (Photo by Rich Copley)

LOUISVILLE — As of Feb. 5, the Presbyterian Publishing Corporation has named itself a Matthew 25 agency, joining the rest of the Church in the important work of building congregational vitality, dismantling structural racism and eradicating systemic poverty.

The staff and Board of Directors of the Presbyterian Publishing Corporation “recognize Christ’s urgent call to be a church of action, where God’s love, justice and mercy shine forth and are contagious,” the PPC said. “And we rejoice at how our re-energized faith can unite all Presbyterians for a common and holy purpose: our common identity to do mission.”

In fact, many of the publications PPC has produced for the church, academy, and the world are centered on one of three goals of the Matthew 25 invitation. This includes publications such as “Neighborhood Church: Transforming Your Church into a Powerhouse for Mission,” “Good White Racist? Confronting Your Role in Racial Injustice,” “Building the Good Life for All: Transforming Income Inequality in Our Communities,” and many more.

“PPC, under both its Westminster John Knox Press imprint and its Flyaway Books children’s imprint, has as one of its goals to publish resources for the church and academy that help fuel conversations around racial equality, economic injustice, and other social issues that have long been important to Presbyterians,” says David Dobson, Presbyterian Publishing Corporation’s president and publisher. “Helping pastors and lay leaders develop ways to grow and maintain congregational vitality is at the heart of much of our work as well, especially through our publishing of the denomination’s curriculum. We’re glad to formalize these connections to the work of the mission agency through this designation.”

Matthew 25:31–46 calls all of us to actively engage in the world around us, so our faith comes alive and we wake up to new possibilities. Convicted by this passage, both the 222nd and 223rd General Assemblies (2016 and 2018) exhorted the PC(USA) to act boldly and compassionately to serve people who are hungry, oppressed, imprisoned and/or poor.

Learn more about the Matthew 25 invitation in the PC(USA) here.