Certainly, 2020 has been different, Smith said. The pandemic affected more people for a longer period of time. And it’s not over yet. “Here’s what we know about trauma: the hard part comes later on,” Treat said. “If this season has been traumatic, the worst part is going to come out in the next couple... Continue Reading

Discernment in how to achieve numerical growth is necessary.  And ACNA’s approach so far reminds me of a town so eager to grow that it invites a large bar and outdoor music venue and hastily locates it in the middle of a residential neighborhood, impelling the residents to move away.  The new misplaced venue may... Continue Reading

If you lack purpose, it’s difficult to find common goals and the bonding that takes place in achieving those goals together. If you lack clarity of structure, roles and processes, then your team doesn’t know what to expect and therefore can’t trust decisions. If you lack leadership development, your team may not feel valued and... Continue Reading

The New Testament documents leave us in no doubt that liturgical creeds, prayers and hymns formed an integral part of the Christian church’s worship from the very beginning. One must therefore ask the question, if the Apostles and early Christians placed such importance and saw such value in liturgy, why have some modern traditions discarded... Continue Reading

As Father, God is like our loving earthly fathers; yet, unlike our fathers, God is our Father in heaven. He’s the Creator, the God of the universe, eternal, infinitely powerful, loving, wise, just, beautiful, and holy.   “Our Father who art in heaven…” — Matthew 6:9 The opening sentence of the Lord’s Prayer is more or less... Continue Reading

“Aaron’s actions are antithetical to everything that we believe and teach as a church,” the congregation’s statement reads. “In the strongest possible terms, we condemn the actions of Aaron Long as well as his stated reasons for carrying out this wicked plan. The shootings were a total repudiation of our faith and practice, and such... Continue Reading

 Syntax doesn’t always settle-in on the first reading. I read Romans 46 times in a row (not in one day!) before I ever looked at a commentary. Why? I wanted the syntax ingrained in my consciousness before I looked elsewhere. Once I read the commentaries, it became obvious to me which ones had taken the... Continue Reading

If your organization sends the signal that its best days are in the past, even if inadvertently, don’t be surprised that your most creative team members grow frustrated, disillusioned, and eventually just leave. Furthermore, unmitigated nostalgia—the kind that is never interrogated—will suggest that the challenges and opportunities of the present are reflections of declension, of... Continue Reading

The Rev. Steve Richardson, pastor of Faith Presbyterian Church, of the Associate Presbyterian Church [ARP], in Tillsonburg, Ontario, Canada, was previously fined $850 on January 3, 2021 for breaking an emergency powers order concerning the Covid-19 Public Health Act. Subsequent to that fine, Richardson and his congregation continued to meet for worship services with more... Continue Reading

The Confessional Presbyterian Journal is currently in its 16th year of publication, with the 17th volume slated to come out later this year. The Seminary is committed to perpetuate the Journal with content derived from a spectrum of confessional Reformed and Presbyterian denominations.   The Confessional Presbyterian Journal and Greenville Presbyterian Theological Seminary are pleased to announce a... Continue Reading