For decades, Black Mountain Presbyterian Church in the southern end of North Carolina's Blue Ridge Mountains has been addressing need in its community.

Saturday’s conclusion of the W. Don McClure Lecture at Pittsburgh Theological Seminary’s World Mission Initiative included a thoughtful panel speaking on “Leading Through Disruption.”

The Rev. Eugene Cho says that during the pandemic he’s frequently heard this lamentation from pastors and other church leaders: “This, Lord, is not what I signed up for.”

Recent decisions by governors in Texas, Florida and Arizona to bus asylum seekers to Democratic-run cities like Washington, D.C.; Chicago; and New York have drawn fierce criticism across the country. The Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) is among several Christian denominations and social justice organizations calling the move purely political and manipulating individuals seeking a new life.

What is clear is that without serious citizen intervention, there is a very grim future ahead for Europe.

Church leadership in this age is not just about technical changes or making adjustments, says the Rev. Dr. Michael Bos. It’s about changing your culture and values, which means there will be dissent, criticism and debate.

As Kathy Broyard of the Florida Presbyterian Disaster Assistance Network (FLAPDAN) travels through Fort Myers, one of the areas hardest hit by Hurricane Ian, she is moved by the magnitude of the destruction.

First Presbyterian Church near Ely, Iowa, installed a solar array on Monday. The 26 panels will benefit the church for the next generation and beyond for the standard purpose of converting sunlight into electricity. 

Pastors preaching about money tackle both the good news of the gospel and the brass tacks of money management. There are ways to approach the oft-dreaded stewardship sermon with a little C.I.A. help. No, not that CIA.

For clergy and others called on to proclaim God’s word and organize meaningful worship during Advent and into Christmas Day — which falls on a Sunday this year — it may feel like Emmanuel can’t come soon enough.