Struthers Presbyterian Church, located just south of Youngstown, Ohio voted to secede from the Presbyterian Church USA and Eastminster Presbytery on January 10th. The vote, taken after the 11 a.m. service Sunday, was categorized as “97 percent in favor of disaffiliation” by Forrest A. Norman, the Struthers’ congregation’s Cleveland lawyer. Norman described the church, at... Continue Reading

Meeting in Canton, Ohio on Saturday, January 9, the Muskingum Valley Presbytery of the PCUSA voted by a 2-1 margin to dissolve the relationship of the Rev. Dennis Allison and First Presbyterian Church in Mansfield, Ohio, despite objections from the congregation and its leadership. An Administrative Commission had been appointed by the Presbytery in December... Continue Reading

The 38th PCA General Assembly will be held in Nashville, Tenn., June 29-July 2, 2010. Registration is now open. Commissioner registration is available online here. Registration packets are being mailed to all PCA teaching elders and churches. For additional information about the 38th General Assembly, go here. [Editor’s note: The original URLs (links) referenced in... Continue Reading

In front of the old farmhouse in Yawkey that is now the home of Stop the Revolving Door Ministries, recovered pill addict Jeff Carter explains his plans for a place where men with substance abuse can build the spiritual foundation for a new life. The program, “a work in progress,” is sponsored by the Perrow... Continue Reading

HARVEY, ND – The congregation of the First Lutheran Church of Harvey, ND, has cast the first of two votes to split from the EvangelicalLutheranChurch in America. Two-thirds of the congregation voted in favor of the split last month. The congregation must wait 90 days before the second and final vote. The proposed split follows... Continue Reading

The U.S. Supreme Court justices are rolling back the sleeves of their robes to wrestle with yet another church and state case this term. The justices should be prepared for some heavy lifting. The court already has heard argument in a case involving a cross set up on federal land in the Mojave Desert, and... Continue Reading

One week after the local newspaper in Croton Falls, NY reported on a survey by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention ranked New York at the bottom of the misery index, some strong, if not conclusive, evidence to the contrary emerged in this hamlet in northern Westchester County. The Revs. Richard Hasselbach and Barbara... Continue Reading

What’s a living nativity scene without a little real-life drama to go along with it — that’s what local church officials and members are saying in hindsight. The Eagle River Presbyterian Church in Avon, Colorado was gearing up for its Wednesday night live nativity scene, an annual tradition, when two of the scene’s players went... Continue Reading

Church membership is no longer a given. Many churches are weighing whether to redefine or even do away with church membership as a way to refocus the congregation’s values. Ken Neevel, Western Theological Seminary’s vice president of advancement and communication, says he’s seeing a shift, especially in independent churches. “Especially with the emphasis in recent... Continue Reading

Everybody likes something cuddly. That’s why nine-year-old Kate Strickland, of Franconia, likes to put a stuffed animal in each of the Operation Christmas Child shoe box gift packages she helps fill. “They go to children that are in war or poverty situations,” said Anita Strickland, Kate’s mother and coordinator for the packing station at Covenant... Continue Reading