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Michael Kruse is chair of the General Assembly Mission Council

This blog is for General Assembly Mission Council leadership. Others are welcome to observe, but comments and discussion are limited to GAMC members and individuals designated by Mike Kruse.

We hope that by raising our awareness of the GAMC ministry context we will provide even more effective governance as GAMC elected members.

Linked articles and commentary on this blog do not necessarily reflect the positions of the GAMC or the PC(USA). They are presented here as information and for the purposes of fostering discussion.

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Posts with category: Church Growth

April 29, 2011

News Links for April 29

I hope your Easter weekend was filled with God’s presence. Here are some topics in the news of late:

Wikicclesia

Vice-Moderator Landon Whitsitt has new book a out new models of being the church.

Church as Wikipedia

Rethinking Church Mission

An Episcopal congregation in Oxford, North Carolina, has abandoned the “pastor-as-CEO” model and has discovered a new model where parishioners take responsibility for significant portions of congregational life leaving the pastor to do the work he was called to do.

Laity and retired clergy lead together in small congregations

Church Business

Saul Kaplan argues in the Harvard Business Journal that …

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April 15, 2011

Context Links for April 15

Here are this week’s links to articles of interest. I should note that if you ever come across articles that you think might be of interest, feel free to send me a link. I can’t guarantee that every article will be included but suggestions are welcome.

Emerging Congregational Model

One example of new models being tried by Presbyterians to reach new generations is Mt. Tabor Presbyterian Church in Portland, Oregon. The PNS gives us a window into the work of this church

A congregational coffee shop

Hell

Emergent pastor Rob Bell recently published a book called Love Wins: A Book …

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April 8, 2011

News Links for the Week of April 4

Church Draw

Lovet Weems notes that Sunday School was the primary entry point for church life. Then it was the worship service. Now it is service and mission work.

Mission as the Emerging Entry Point for New People

 

Biblical Illiteracy

A group of theologians have taken to cyberspace to address biblical illiteracy.

Theologians Launch Blog to Tackle Biblical Illiteracy

 

Presbyterian Congregational Trends

In case you missed it, while we were meeting in Louisville last week, Cynthia Woolever and Deborah Bruce released a report on Trends unfolding in Presbyterian Congregations.

Looking inside Presbyterian congregations

 

Church Trends

Eileen Lindner …

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March 25, 2011

March 25 Links

Here are the links for this week. We will skip next week due to GAMC meetings and pick up with posts the following week.

The Future of Mainline Seminaries
Mainline seminaries are struggling. What is their future and what role should they play in the life of denominations? Frederick W. Schmidt, Jr., Director of Spiritual Formation and Associate Professor of Christian Spirituality at Southern Methodist University, Perkins School of Theology in Dallas, Texas, offers his take.

Is It Time to Write the Eulogy?: The Future of Seminary Education

(Related: SFTS closes Southern California campus)

Social Media and Community
The …

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