lead mission engagement advisor

Put on the whole armor of God

Of late, the hosts of Between Two Pulpits, Special Offerings’ Bryce Wiebe and Lauren Rogers, have asked their guest to discuss what the coming Sunday’s sermon might look like if they were taking to the pulpit.

Building faith connections that last a lifetime

In the late 1980s, when I was serving as a youth group leader in my local congregation, my pastor invited me to attend a gathering that I recognize now as the early stages of a new movement for youth in the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.). Even as I was being drawn headlong into the phenomenon that was — and still is — the Presbyterian Youth Triennium, I had no idea how the lens through which I viewed the PC(USA) was about to change.

Energy flows where attention goes

Recently, the Office of the General Assembly released the 2020 annual statistics report showing a decline in membership last year at just over 56,000, which is about the same loss rate as has been reported since 2016. For 2020, the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) counts a total membership of about 1.24 million members, with the total number of congregations at 8,925.

With glad and generous hearts

Over the past year amid a pandemic, protests and politics, I often heard many pastors, elders and mid council staff say that they are having a particularly hard time making ends meet. People aren’t giving the way they used to give.