There is a yearning among many members of the Presbyterian Church for a life of faith that is newer, fresher, and more vibrant. "Growing in the Life of Christian Faith" is a resource that examines both the contemporary desire for a more lively life of faith and the way in which that desire might be appropriately be fulfilled. The booklet suggests that our hope lies in the recovery of the Reformed tradition's commitment to disciplined life in community and points the way toward such a recovery. This resource is bound together with a study guide.
We send work teams because an invitation has been extended to us to come and help with the witness to recovery in a particular part of the world or the United States.
Presbyterian Disaster Assistance only sets up recovery sites where churches have decided toinvite others in to help as they seek to rebuild after disasters. Thus it is the local church partner,council, or faith based organization that has done the assessment, determined the nature of thework, and made all of the arrangements to provide for the arrival of volunteers.
By Leanne Van Dyk
In Theology and Worship Occasional Paper No. 15, Leanne Van Dyk develops a lively metaphor for thinking theologically. Growing Up Theologically spins out the process of organic growth as an imaginative way of understanding ourselves as people who can and do reflect on Christian faith and life, and who can mature in our theological thinking.
Church Issues series, Number 8
As Presbyterians we find ourselves in a place of enduring contention as to who should be ordained without a clear conception of why we should be ordaining anyone. And if we are unsure of the nature of ordained ministry, we certainly will be unclear as to how the ordained exercise authority. Because we live in the midst of considerable confusion and contention around ordination, the Office of Theology and Worship is proud to present “Ordination and Authority,” two essays by Joseph D. Small, in hopes they will serve to push us to clarity around ordination.
By Lukas Vischer
Occasional Paper #20 gathers together some of Calvin’s statements about unity and provides an interpretive framework for understanding Calvin, the Reformed tradition and our own situation. The Office of Theology and Worship believes that "Pia Conspiratio" is a significant contribution to the church's current struggles over the nature of the church and the character of ecclesial unity.
This study guide, prepared by the Office of Theology and Worship, is written at the request of the 217th General Assembly, Item 04-05:
" ... commended for use by sessions and congregations for study of the Authoritative Interpretation of 1993, commending it to congregations as the historic policy of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)."
The 213th General Assembly (2001) directed the Office of Theology and Worship to conduct a Churchwide dialogue on End-of-Life Issues. As part of the Office of Theology and Worship's continuing work to implement this directive, we are making available in digital format In Life and In Death We Belong To God: Euthanasia, Assisted Suicide, and End-of-Life Issues, first published in print format in 1995.
"In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth." Theology has to do with God the creator; science deals with the heavens and the earth that God has created. On the face of it, it would seem that those who speak about God and creation, the theologians, and those who speak about structures and makeup of the heavens and the earth, the scientists, especially scientists who believe in God, ought to have much in common.
Models of Ministry features the recipients of the Florence Iversen Kraft Award, presented first in 2000 and at each General Assembly since. The award goes to a congregation that has demonstrated outstanding leadership in ministry with those who suffer from serious mental illness and their families.
This policy approved by the 218th General Assembly (2008) uses the biblical theme of exile to describe the challenges experienced by persons living with a serious mental illness.