September 2011

Those known affectionately as the Seven Dwarfs[1] saw the initial purpose of their Letter to the PCUSA (dated February 2, 2011) as getting a national conversation going. They certainly accomplished that! Reactions to their initiative have ranged from “Who do they think they are?” to “Oh, good, somebody will provide the ultimate solution to our problem!” My blogs last week attempted to address those two extreme reactions: resistance to self-appointed leadership and idol-worship. This week, I would like to unpack four changes of attitude I think are necessary for the evangelical wing of the Presbyterian Church to get its act […]

Those following the progress of the Fellowship of Presbyterians stand on tippy-toes awaiting something about to happen. People were waiting for the Minneapolis meeting to unfold. People are waiting to see how a theological statement comes together and a polity maze is navigated. Now people are waiting for the Orlando meeting in January. Some, not all, Presbyterians feel themselves to be “on hold.” Perhaps they are waiting for the next Session meeting at their church, or a pastoral letter from their teaching elder. Maybe it’s just Labor Day Weekend, the end of summer . . . in any case, some

One of the biggest challenges of a new movement within the Presbyterian Church is the leadership challenge. How are the people of God to be led through the adaptive changes necessary to shape the Fellowship of Presbyterians (FOP) and the New Reformed Body (NRB)? What makes this area particularly difficult among evangelicals is that they carry a gene resistant to national leadership, something akin to a cat’s aversion to a leash. What I share in this post is the result of observations made over decades while serving four churches in various capacities, including senior pastor, and two evangelically-minded boards, one