‘We’re Not There Yet’
A draft report from Justice Ministries on the topic of human sexuality needed more work, the Life and Mission Agency decided at its March meeting. […]
Magazine
Preaching Grace
“The witness of the New Testament is not a soloist, it’s a choir” and “all voices are important if we are to understand the fullness of Jesus,” says Thomas Long.
Supply & Demand
From 1994 to 2015, there were 642 new entrants into ministry within the Presbyterian Church in Canada. Currently, 369, or 58 per cent, are still active on the rolls of presbyteries.
Pastor Theologians
Being a minister is stressful. In part the stress arises from what M. Craig Barnes, president of Princeton Theological Seminary, describes as “confusion about what it means to be a pastor.”
Recognition Service for Staff
On March 8 at St. Mark’s, Toronto, Guy Smagghe (executive director, Presbyterian World Service & Development), Rev. Ian Ross-McDonald (general secretary, LMA), and Jennifer de […]
Born Again
Some question if the Christian church in the West is dying out in this century. In the Canadian context, across denominations, the church appears to be shrinking in almost every way—in our small Presbytery of Kamloops alone, two out of 10 congregations closed in 2015.
The Encouragement Tour
“I would say the vast majority of ministers are sincere; they are unhappy; they are discouraged. They’re often stuck in feeling they’re limited in terms of what they can do in their ministry. So, it’s hopelessness that permeates more and more of their life.”
The View from Space
There will be a few thousand ways in which we see our world differently, but let me focus on a big one.
It Takes Faith
Joining the Healing and Reconciliation Committee couldn’t have come at a worse time for me. I was just starting the legal process for my residential school claim against the church.
PWS&D Signs Funding Agreement
Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development Canada and Presbyterian World Service & Development officially signed an agreement on March 10 that will inject over $4 million […]
Mentoring Ministers
With a keystroke on his laptop, Dale Woods welcomes a seventh minister into the meeting. “Let’s start with a check-in,” he says. “Steve, how are things in Vancouver?”
What We’re Really Talking About
“This is about more than sex. This is about: What is God? What is God’s character? What is sin? It affects our doctrine of God. It affects our doctrine of sin. It affects our doctrine of scripture.”
Eastertide
Easter comes and goes too quickly. After Lent’s long weeks and all the services of Holy Week, Easter feels as short as an Ottawa springtime. What if we could take more time and think of Easter not as a Sunday but as a season?
Speaking Truth in Love: Start with Respect
Respect is a biblical issue, as well as a moral one.
Speaking Truth in Love: Karla Wubbenhorst
This issue goes to the deepest, most personal question we can ask ourselves as Christian believers: Do I trust God to know wherein the good of my life is to be found, or shall I insist on self-definition?
Speaking Truth in Love: Wes Denyer
Some people are simply not created heterosexual. Through no volitional choice of their own, they are born gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender. I believe God loves them just as much as God loves any other person.
Speaking Truth in Love: Hugh Donnelly
If there’s one theme that seems to have emerged from reflecting on today’s topic, it’s this idea of surprise: as soon as when we think we have a handle on the divine, God pushes the boundaries we set and surprises us with something new.
Speaking Truth in Love: Kevin Livingston
As people of faith, our perspective on human sexuality is grounded in the teaching of Holy Scripture, starting with the theological account of humankind’s creation back in Genesis.
Speaking Truth in Love: Question and Answer Session
At the conclusion of the Speaking Truth in Love event held by the Hamilton presbytery, all five speakers responded to questions from those in attendance.
Give it to God
What do you do when you are wrestling with a big problem and you feel overwhelmed with anger and frustration either from your inability to resolve the issue or because others can’t see it the way you see it so very clearly?