Publisher: Presbyterian Church U.S.A
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New Church Development
This booklet is one in a series produced by the Evangelism and Church Development Program Area of the National Ministries Division of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.). It is designed to introduce the visions, values, convictions and concerns under girding the development of new worshiping congregations in the 21st century.
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Core Values: Creating the Culture of a New Congregation
From the Introduction: A new church begins with a dream. Whether it begins with a presbytery commission or a group of residents, somewhere the dream is born. As the dream matures and starts to take shape, a pastor is called and charged with the responsibility of developing a handful of people into that dream church.
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The Church And Its Unity
In “True Confession: A Presbyterian Dissenter Thinks about the Church,†Barbara Wheeler speaks honestly about issues that divide the church, yet calls for the maintenance of God-given unity. Mark Achtemeier acknowledges that frustration with continuous controversy sometimes leads to the desire for separation, yet he sets forth “Seven Theses on the Unity of the Church.â€
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Committed Conversation
Three essays: “Church Fears”, “Body Language” and “A Grammar of Committed Conversation.” These offer an analysis of the current divisions in the church and an ecclesially faithful way to talk about these divisions.
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Biblical Authority For The Life Of The Church
This important paper, number 3 in the Office of Theology and Worship’s “Church Issues Series,” was produced by the United Reformed Church in the United Kingdom. It is valuable to Presbyterians because it illuminates unity/diversity matters by providing fresh perspectives on the crucial question of the Bible’s authority in the church and by providing scriptural
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The Crucified One Is Lord
How shall Christians confess their faith in the midst of people whose beliefs are different? What is the shape of the faith that Christians confess? What should be the church’s stance toward other faith traditions? The Office of Theology and Worship wishes to contribute to the church’s consideration of the issue by making available to
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Bearing With One Another
The author goes to the sources, exploring impulses to unity within the reformed tradition. Dr. Sorge’s reading of Calvin, set within the context of Ephesians 4, shows that concern for theological integrity and commitment to the church’s unity are not at odds. To the contrary, it is theological integrity that is the ground for preserving
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Bearing The Marks Of The Church
Who or what is the church? By what stars shall we navigate as we seek to be the church here and now? The three essays gathered in “Bearing the Marks of the Church” use Nicene marks of the church – one, holy, catholic, apostolic – as navigation points as we seek to be the church now
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Identity, Polity, Praxis
In this essay Paul Hooker Hooker calls us to hear and respond to the questions we face in this time of intense transition — starting with one of the most basic questions: “who are we called to be?†Hooker points to resources we have at hand to help us formulate strong answers to that question.
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Presbyterian Social Witness Policy Compilation
Contains Presbyterian policies 1946-1999 Compiled by the Advisory Committee on Social Witness Policy. Excerpt from the Introductory Letter: “The Presbyterian Social Witness Policy Compilation is a compendium of social witness adopted by the General Assemblies of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) and its predecessor denominations. The Social Policy Compilation presents each policy statement, resolution, or commissioner’s resolution
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Catalog Of Theological Statements Of The Presbyterian Church General Assemblies 1935-1996
This resource indexes 172 statements by topic and year, providing abstracts of 119 of them, an index of key words, and a chronological listing of titles. The catalog is helpful for locating the church’s theological position on a wide variety of topics. Available through PDS.
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Reconciling The Broken Silence
Except from the Introduction: Reconciling the Broken Silence … is an invitation for congregations to engage in dialogue with gay, lesbian, and bisexual Presbyterians. This resource has been prepared for those congregations in the PC(USA) who seek to engage in honest and open dialogue with gay men and lesbians at a table that does not condemn