Perspectives offers an exploration of issues facing the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) and its witness in society through

• reflective and provocative analysis of our life together as a denomination, and
  
• the lenses of Scripture, Reformed theology, cultures, and a constitutional and confessional framework.

IN THIS ISSUE:

The 2004 annual statistics of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) are featured in this issue. You will find three sets of data. The first provides numbers in several categories (congregations, ministers, elders, baptisms, and so forth) and compares the 2004 data to 2003. The second provides a summary of finances from 2001 to 2004. The third set offers miscellaneous information, including the ten largest presbyteries in numbers of church members, and the racial composition of PC(USA) congregations.
More information on the statistics is available by writing Kris Valerius.

UPDATED (June 22) What do the 2004 annual statistics tell us? In “A Wake-up Call to the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.),” Clifton Kirkpatrick, Stated Clerk of the General Assembly, offers an analysis of the numbers. He writes, “We as Presbyterians will only become a growing church if we begin on our knees, praying for forgiveness for our timidity in evangelism and seeking God’s renewal, so that we lose our image as God’s ‘frozen chosen’ and become, instead, joyful evangelists who actively share the good news of the gospel and invite others into the fellowship of our churches.” Cliff goes on to share six imperatives for the PC(USA) that he thinks arise as a result of the 2004 annual statistics.

One of the areas in which the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) is experiencing growth is through new immigrant groups. In his article, “New Immigrant Groups Are Helping to Grow (PC(USA) Membership!”, Angel Suárez-Valera shares his reflection on the fourth annual immigrant ministries leadership training event. As you will see in the article, participants at the event dealt with a multitude of issues, including legal counsel for immigrants, the availability of land for churches, resource materials for models of church growth, and a data bank for immigrant ministries. Angel is the associate for immigrant group ministries for the PC(USA). Born in Venezuela, he has served as pastor, the stated clerk for the Synod of Puerto Rico, and professor of philosophy and religion. Angel’s article originally appeared in The Racial Ethnic Torch, a publication of the Justice and Compassion area of the National Ministries Division.

What does multicultural ministry mean? What does it really look like in a congregation? As you will see in “Who Owns the Kitchen? Casseroles, Kimchee, and Enchiladas,” multicultural ministry is both blessing and challenge. Author Barbara Anderson serves as co-pastor of Pasadena Presbyterian Church (PPC) in Pasadena, California. She calls PPC a “quilted congregation.” She writes, “Pasadena Presbyterian Church (PPC) used to be one of the bastions of the white establishment in Pasadena…. Now, the congregation is so diverse that we have a multicultural Thanksgiving dinner on the Sunday just before Thanksgiving. Church members from all three language groups share the kitchen for two full days of cooking. They make traditional American turkey and dressing; kimchee, Asian noodles, and sushi; and tamales, enchiladas, rice, and beans.” Barbara is moderator-elect of San Gabriel Presbytery. Her sermons were recently included in Preaching with Her on Life in Fullness, a collection of sermons from women preachers around the world, published by the World Alliance of Reformed Churches. The Korean Ministry at Pasadena Presbyterian Church is led by the Reverend Hyun Sung, the Spanish Ministry by the Reverend Luis Madrigal.

We finish this issue with a look back at another time in history. The Reverend Dr. James H. Smylie, professor emeritus of American Church History at Union Theological Seminary in Richmond, Virginia, has an interesting look at church growth and decline through the years. Smylie is a past editor of the Journal of Presbyterian History and has taught and written extensively on American Presbyterian history. You are sure to find this piece intriguing as you read what experts have said about growth trends in mainline denominations.

We always appreciate hearing from you. Simply click here to drop us a line.

Sharon K. Youngs, Editor

Items marked with are in Adobe Acrobat PDF format. For best results, right-click the link (or click and hold for Macintosh), select "save target as" and save the document to your desktop for viewing and printing.