Prep 4 Min
About this blog
The Rev. Timothy Cargal, Ph.D., serves as Assistant Stated Clerk for Preparation for Ministry in Mid Council Ministries of the Office of the General Assembly.
“... the Land that I Will Show You” is the blog of the Office of Preparation for Ministry of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.). This blog is designed to serve as a resource for those discerning and preparing for a call to the ministry of Word and Sacrament as ordained teaching elders of the church. It will also provide a place for reflecting on and dialoging about the changing context of pastoral ministry in the early 21st century.
For quick announcements about changes or developments in the preparation process, dates related to exams or other key events, discussion boards, surveys, etc., you can follow us on Facebook at “Preparing for Presbyterian Ministry.”
Recent posts
- Clarification of Evaluation Standards for the Standard Ordination Exams
- BCE Preparation Resource Released
- PCC Responds to September 2016 BCE
- PCC Letter on BCE Preparation
- Bible Content Exam Results
Categories
- Ordination Process (34)
- Ordination Exams (30)
- Ministry Context (16)
- Ordained Ministry (8)
- Bible study (2)
- View all categories →
Archives
Posts with category: Ministry Context
November 30, 2012Changes Coming to CLC
“Church Leadership Connection” (CLC) is an Internet-based matching and referral system widely used by Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) congregations seeking pastoral leadership and by teaching elders and those seeking first calls to be ordained as teaching elders in the church. Having been in place for more than a decade, the CLC system will be receiving some significant updates in the coming year.
My colleagues in the Office of Vocation who manage CLC have highlighted the following changes in a report to the General Assembly earlier this year:
- Encourage openness to God’s call by changing or removing some of the parameters on …
- Posted at 1:47 p.m.
- Permalink
September 14, 2012
Of Carts and Horses
One of the great questions now before the church concerns how it relates to its changing cultural context, and the types of leaders and forms of leadership needed to bring to reality a new relationship between church and culture. In this post I want to look at one particular aspect of that question—the relationship between leaders and institutional change—and whether we are in some ways "putting the cart before the horse."
I recently finished reading Diana Butler Bass's book, Christianity after Religion (San Francisco: Harper One, 2012). One of the key analytical structures utilized in the book is the study …
- Posted at 4:21 p.m.
- Permalink
July 13, 2012
220th GA Wrap-Up
The 220th General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) completed its work on Saturday morning, July 7. It will likely be remembered both for the things that happened at the Assembly and for actions the commissioners did not take. A full-wrap is available on the church website (click here), and all the details are on PC-Biz. As previously promised, here is an update on the business items highlighted in my previous blog.
Ordination Examinations: By unanimous consent the Assembly approved the suggestion from the Office of the General Assembly to incorporate a study of the standard …
- Posted at 2:56 p.m.
- Permalink
May 16, 2012
The Church Isn't Recession-Proof
A primary interest of this blog is the changing social context of ministry in the 21st century. A facet of that social context that has been “front and center” for the past several years has been the economy. As we think about the realities of moving into professional church leadership ministries, it is important to remember that while the need for ministry only increases during periods of economic hardship and displacement the church as an institution is subject to the same economic pressures as the rest of society. The church, after all, is the community of God’s people, and …
- Posted at 11:14 a.m.
- Permalink
January 10, 2012
It's Not Just a Presbyterian Thing
Two pieces have come across my computer screen in recent days that particularly caught my attention. Both relate to topics I have addressed before in this blog, but they also help to broaden the scope of vision. They remind us that issues within the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) reflect a sea change affecting the whole of the church in American society.
One of the pieces is a story from the Columbus Dispatch about someone ordained to ministry by an association of independent Christian community churches (click here to read the story). The person focused on in the story is currently …
- Posted at 11:58 a.m.
- Permalink