After years of struggling to keep up its 1928 building, the congregation of First Christian Church of Oakland decided to make it a center for nonprofits working for peace. Photos courtesy of Oakland Peace Center
Concerned about violence in their city, members of a declining church in Oakland shifted focus, redefined its ministry and invited nonprofit service agencies to work together as the Oakland Peace Center.
With singers from PCUSA congregations across Rochester, Urban Presbyterians Together holds a joint choir concert in October 2015 at Downtown United Presbyterian Church. Photos courtesy of Riverside Neighbors
A decade ago, two Rochester, New York, pastors wondered: What would happen if the city’s PCUSA congregations moved into an uncertain future together, instead of separately and alone? The answer: Life, death and resurrection.
Members of Church of the Pilgrims pray over a blanket for a former pastor, shortly after he was diagnosed with cancer. Photo courtesy of Ashley Goff
Beset by grief at the imminent death of a beloved former pastor, a minister and her congregation let liturgy lead them amid death and dying.
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The challenge facing much of the church in the U.S. is the challenge of pluralism, says a sociologist who studies race and religion. Can the church equip itself to engage with an increasingly diverse society?
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Reframing the pastoral sabbatical as a journey for the entire congregation can diminish resentment and help make regular periods of renewal a part of the Christian life, writes the director of the Lilly Endowment Clergy Renewal Programs.
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It’s not the renowned writer himself that’s the problem, writes a pastor who grew up in and serves rural communities. But his writing projects an idealized vision of rural life that ignores current realities.
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The systems that will sustain congregations will need the mindsets of adventurers, investors and catalysts working together, writes the executive director of Leadership Education at Duke Divinity.
The Rev. Jes Kast leads worship at A Taste of Heaven at West End Collegiate Church. Photos by Whitney Kidder
On Manhattan’s Upper West Side, a church-run soup kitchen has become ‘A Taste of Heaven,’ with its own innovative worship service and a celebratory meal. It’s what outreach can be when the church listens to those it is trying to reach.
Crucifer Marva Davenport is one of many St. Cyprian's members who tutor in the church's after-school literacy program. Photo courtesy of St. Cyprian's Episcopal Church
A priest and his congregation reached out to the community to help save their popular after-school literacy program.
The Rev. Emily Hull McGee, pastor of First Baptist Church on Fifth, stands with her son Liam in the breezeway between two of the church buildings. The building on the left is slated for removal; it's part of an ambitious plan to tear down, rebuild and renovate the church's buildings in downtown Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Photos by Alex Maness
The 146-year-old Baptist congregation hopes a smaller footprint will allow the church to redefine its mission and identity while saving its historic sanctuary.