The sight of Benedict XVI and Archbishop Williams praying for unity at the shrine of Edward the Confessor could be a defining moment: the 11th century monarch is the patron saint of kings, difficult marriages and separated spouses. Pope Benedict’s arrival in Britain breaks new ground on many levels, with a state welcome from the... Continue Reading

This Saturday’s three-hour Qur’an burning is scheduled to begin at 6 p.m. ET on the property of Dove World Outreach Center in Gainesville, FL despite having been denied a permit by city officials last month. As thousands of Muslims worldwide gathered over the weekend to protest one Florida group’s plans to burn copies of Islam’s... Continue Reading

More traditional Protestant churches, especially the moderate to liberal churches, are struggling more with membership. Pekin Road Baptist Church and the former Ridgeville Community Church are greater Dayton (OH) local examples of a negative national trend in the American mortgage industry. Since December 2007, the number of foreclosure proceedings brought against churches has tripled compared... Continue Reading

Old Stone’s congregation traces its roots to 15 residents who, in 1820, gathered in a log structure on the Square to establish the First Presbyterian Society. The Old Stone Church on Public Square in Cleveland, Ohio will mark its 190th anniversary on Sept. 12 with a 10 a.m. worship service, followed by an outdoor festival... Continue Reading

“…specifically asked if he was in compliance with G-6.0106b, which requires ordained officers to be faithful in marriage between one man and one woman, or chaste in singleness, ……told the session that he was in compliance…” In a recent decision, the GAPJC affirmed the St. Paul Presbyterian Church (San Angelo, Texas) session’s examination and approval... Continue Reading

“Worship is like going to a mall,” Millard said. “There are all kinds of stores. Some people like specialty shops. Some like department stores. When you have variety, people can go where they like.” It’s the conundrum of mainline Protestant denominations with declining memberships and shrinking budgets are desperate to solve: How to stem the... Continue Reading

Church music director Carva White faced the music after launching an unholy plan to burn down his house of worship for an insurance payout. White played hymns for the Sunflower Missionary Baptist Church in Leavenworth, Kan. He recruited the head pastor to help him torch the building, con insurers into paying for repairs, then try... Continue Reading

Below you will find a Letter to the Editor and a local press story about the same event on which we reported last week. Two distinctly different views of the same decision. Letter to the Editor, The Layman Online: PJC rebuke a faint slap on the wrist Noel Anderson Let’s be clear: Jane Spahr won... Continue Reading

“…obliviousness to results, deploying pastors without regard to their fruitfulness, pastors shrinking churches…and churches having a grand old time…without inviting, seeking, and saving those outside the church, do not make for faithfulness.” It’s well known that all but a handful of Christian denominations are declining in membership and many have been since the mid-1960s. At... Continue Reading

It’s easy for a church to get in a rut. A pastor may reuse sermons he wrote 20 years ago. Congregation members may reach a level of contentment with their spiritual lives. But slowly, the Rev. J. Randy Hall, pastor of Fairmont Presbyterian Church (PCUSA) in Lexington, NC believes the community church has faded a... Continue Reading