The Reverend Gradye Parsons, Stated Clerk of the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), announced this week the beginning of a weekly video clip for church leaders.
Parsons hopes the approximately 5-minute clips, under the banner “Tilling the Soil,” will provide information and inspiration for the wider PC(USA), especially elders and ministers of the Word and Sacrament.
“It is a time of great change in the church,” said Parsons. “How we navigate that change depends a lot on how we discern together the direction of God’s Spirit and identify and nurture church leaders. I hope the thoughts I offer each week will contribute to and help prod a collective discussion about all of that.”
Topics will cover a broad spectrum, such as the role and work of elders and visioning for the future. Parsons will also invite an occasional discussion on a current book of interest to the life of the church.
In his first message, Parsons notes that it’s “elder picking” time in most congregations. He encourages both those who would serve as elders and those who nominate them to refer to G-6.0304 in the Book of Order: “It is the duty of elders, individually and jointly, to strengthen and nurture the faith and life of the congregation committed to their charge.”
Parsons says that shifting elders’ attention from such things as leaky roofs to that of helping nurture the faith of congregations will make a notable difference in the life of congregations and the PC(USA) as a whole.
“Tilling the Soil” clips are available now. Parsons hopes viewers will take advantage of the opportunity to offer comments and share their own stories.