Reports and study guides
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The Independent Committee of Inquiry (ICI) Final Report
From Presbyterian Mission Agency—Independent Committee of Inquiry (Congo)
Most children of missionaries value their experiences in distant lands. However, in the 1990s several found the courage to report to Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) that years earlier they had been sexually abused while attending boarding schools in Congo.
Many spoke of serious life-long consequences: self-hate, low self-esteem, a sense of powerlessness, struggles with depression, alcoholism/drug addiction, eating disorders or forming long-term relationships.
One woman said, “I gave up my idea of God as a strong, loving deity who stayed by me in times of good and bad … I gave up my relationship with my parents and all ...
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To Repent, to Restore, to Rebuild, and to Reconcile
From Presbyterian Mission Agency—Advisory Committee on Social Witness Policy
A Study Paper on Lessons Learned and Directions Toward Peace in Iraq
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On Building Peace in Iraq
From Presbyterian Mission Agency—Advisory Committee on Social Witness Policy
On Building Peace in Iraq
—From the Presbytery of Baltimore
What can we learn from the invasion and occupation, and what responsibilities do we have? Approved by the 218th General Assembly (2008).
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Report on Human Rights in Colombia
From Presbyterian Mission Agency—Advisory Committee on Social Witness Policy
How do we stand with our partners in a country beset by long patterns of human rights violations?
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Presbyterian Panel Survey November 2007 - Women in the Church - Summary
From Presbyterian Mission Agency—Research Services
Summary
These pages summarize major findings from the eighth survey completed by the 2006-2008 Panel, sampled in the fall of 2005.
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Christian Obedience in a Nuclear Age
From Presbyterian Mission Agency—Advisory Committee on Social Witness Policy
The statement originated in actions of the 195th General Assembly (1983), the 197th General Assembly (1985), and the 199th General Assembly (1987), in response to overtures from a number of presbyteries.
The Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) has a long-standing tradition of Christian obedience in response to the loving action of God, which obedience is revealed in Scripture, taught in the Reformed tradition and explicated in many past pronouncements of General Assemblies.
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Racial Ethnic and Immigrant Church Growth Strategy
From Presbyterian Mission Agency
In 1996 The Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) knew very little about welcoming Racial Ethnic communities into its midst. The church had experienced great success expanding itsmembership in the fifties as the country expanded into suburban neighborhoods and newly mintedcommunities, but in the nineties the country experienced a different kind of expansion as it welcomed a host of new immigrants to its shores. In this expansion the church was slower in itsresponse.
A year earlier in 1995 the General Assembly had asked two Presbyterian groups, one Hispanic and the other Native American, to develop strategies to help the church learn ...
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What do Presbyterians really believe?
From Presbyterian Mission Agency—Research Services
We can find out what individual Presbyterians are supposed to believe by reading the confessions, but how do we learn what they actually believe? Responses to Presbyterian Panel surveys give us details on personal beliefs as well information on religious backgrounds, church participation and demographic characteristics from a recent national survey of members, elders and ministers.
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Presbyterian Panel Survey November 2007 - Women in the Church - Full Report
From Presbyterian Mission Agency—Advocacy Committee for Women's Concerns
Women in the Church 2007 Presbyterian Panel Survey, full report.
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2008 Survey of Presbyterian Pastors
From Presbyterian Mission Agency—Research Services
The 2008 Survey of Presbyterian Pastors reveals that most pastors consider their present compensation package to be fair and reasonable given the circumstances of the congregation. One in six live in a manse. Two in three report making changes to improve their health in the previous year. Learn more about PC(USA) pastors in this report