By Rev. Rufus Burton, Pastor, First Presbyterian Church, Martinsburg, W.Va.
Ministerial authority is the authority to preach the Word and administer the Sacraments. This essay by Rufus Burton examines preaching ministry and authority.
By the Rev. Rufus Burton, Pastor, First Presbyterian Church, Martinsburg, W.Va.
A presentation by the Rev. Rufus Burton to the Faculty Initiative Conference of Re-Forming Ministry, dated February 16, 2009.
The Rev. Jim Gunn, Edwin B. Lindsay Chaplain to Students, University of Dubuque
A five-part essay about the Faculty Initiative Cluster within the Reforming Ministry Project from the Rev. Jim Gunn.
By Joseph D. Small, Director, Theology, Worship and Education, Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)
An essay by Joseph Small about the Presbyterian Church’s formal understanding of ministry and how it provides insight into the presumptive nature of authority in the church, and the authority of the church in the world. This essay originally appeared in Ordination and Authority, Theology and Worship Church Issues Series, No. 8.
By Joseph D. Small, Coordinator, Theology, Worship and Education, Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)
An essay delivered to the National Workshop on Christian Unity on what is the "church." This article originally appeared in Ecumenical Trends, vol. 37, no. 8 – September, 2008.
An essay by Joseph Small about steps toward unity within the church. This article originally appeared in Ecumenical Trends, vol. 37, no. 6, June 2008.
By Joseph D. Small, Coordinator, Theology, Worship and Education, Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)
A republished article about Catholicism and Reformed churches, originally written Joseph Ratzinger.
Joseph D. Small, Coordinator, Theology, Worship and Education, Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)
Since the 1970’s, Presbyterians have been arguing about who can be ordained (educators? gay and lesbian persons?) as well as about the character of the “quasi-ordination” of commissioned lay pastors. This paper discusses past and present issues concerning ordination.
Joseph D. Small, Coordinator, Theology, Worship and Education, Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)
This paper examines the church's earlier terminology and structures, for use of the re-formation of the church.
by Beau Weston
Have we structured our life together in a way that serves our best aspirations? Do the current institutional arrangements of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) help us flourish? Of the many things we carry with us from previous generations of Presbyterians, do they all continue to work well - or is it time for some of them to be reworked, reshaped ... or even replaced?
In Rebuilding the Presbyterian Establishment, Elder Beau Weston raises just such questions and builds on earlier analyses.