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Welcome to Perspectives,
the online magazine published by the Office of the General Assembly.
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 2006 statistics of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) are being released in this issue of Perspectives. Along with the actual numbers are articles that approach the statistics from several angles.
Here’s a brief look:
 In “The Rest of the Story,” Kris Valerius points out some specific numbers that we sometimes miss because of our rush to the bottom line. Kris knows the numbers well, since she is the manager of the Office of the General Assembly statistics.
Clark Cowden writes from a missional perspective, pointing out that the statistics focus more on maintenance than mission. He suggests several questions we need to be asking in place of the ones we ask now. Clark is evangelist presbyter for San Joaquin Presbytery.
Eric Hoey is the new director of evangelism and church growth for the General Assembly Council of the PC(USA). He writes, “ I firmly believe that if every Presbyterian were able to have the skill and the confidence to share his or her faith to only one person in the next ten years, we could stop the decline of our denomination and start a new wave of bearing fruit in the name of Christ.”
Ethan Powell has much to say as a young adult in the PC(USA): “The ‘problem’ of membership, as I see it, really isn’t a problem. It’s a matter of perspective. As far as I can tell, our mindset as a church is still basically functioning as though it is still the year 1955.” When he’s not in a coffee shop, Ethan is teaching middle school and serving as an elder and an elected member of the General Assembly Council.
In his article, “More for My Cup, Garçon,” Jerrod Lowry chooses to share how the 2006 statistics “make me feel as an African-American young adult, who in the past year was ordained and installed as a minister of the Word and Sacrament in a small, rural church in North Carolina.” He serves as pastor of St. Paul Presbyterian Church in Louisburg, North Carolina.
Seattle Presbytery is growing in membership, baptisms, and financial giving. In “Two Times Two Equals Two,” Dennis Hughes, pastor of Northminster Presbyterian Church and stated clerk of the presbytery, writes about the creative, collaborative work being done in the area of merging congregations.
As president of Columbia Theological Seminary, Laura Mendenhall pays attention to the statistics. She also urges us to keep in mind the longer picture. She writes, “The diminishing numbers in the PC(USA) are not the biggest challenge God has faced. To imagine so betrays our narcissism, exposes our unwillingness to trust God’s faithfulness, and allows our energy and imagination to be diverted from God’s mission.”
Do
you have suggestions for future issues or other comments to share? Drop
us a line.
Sharon
K. Youngs, Editor
.
All Rights Reserved.
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