President of the PC(USA)’s Board of Pensions talks about recent efforts to break down barriers to flourishing ministry

by Mike Ferguson
1/12/2023

[caption id="attachment_179382" align="alignright" width="215"] The Rev. Dr. Frank Clark Spencer[/caption] A shared ministry pilot project involving both the Board of Pensions and Pittsburgh Presbytery was among the cutting-edge items of discussion Wednesday when the Rev. Dr. Frank Clark Spencer, President...

‘Leading Theologically,’ a PC(USA) broadcast, explores the joys of serving a pastoral residency

by Mike Ferguson
12/13/2022

Pastoral residencies — post-seminary experiences designed to enhance and broaden ministry capabilities of fledgling pastors — received a fond gaze back last week from some of the people who best know the programs, which are scattered around the country. On...

Understand your risk tolerance before investing

by Nancy Crowe
12/13/2022

To make your own or your church’s financial resources work for you, first understand the why, what and when of any potential investment, said Anita Clemons, Senior Vice President of Investment Management for the Presbyterian Foundation. [caption id="attachment_6803" align="alignright" width="124"]...

Make Year-End Gifts Now

by Erin Dunigan
12/7/2022

Did you know that more charitable giving happens in December than in any other time of the year? Over one-third of all charitable giving is done in the last quarter of the year. The majority of that giving happens in...

Building transparency into your church budget

by Nancy Crowe
11/29/2022

Transparency keeps money from controlling the church, said Robert Hay, Senior Ministry Relations Officer with the Presbyterian Foundation. Hay’s presentation, “Understanding Budgets and Reports,” was part of the Foundation’s Day of Learning Nov. 8. Here are a few highlights to...

Sharing love through Mr. Rogers in Wisconsin

by Erin Dunigan
11/10/2022

Most people pass by First Presbyterian Church in Manitowoc, Wisconsin, noting its beautiful historic sanctuary. It sat on a one-way street, and the 1950s addition to the much larger sanctuary barely merited a backwards glance. But when the city of...

Auburn Seminary’s Dr. Keisha E. McKenzie talks up effective engagement during the Presbyterian Foundation’s ‘Leading Theologically’

by Mike Ferguson
11/9/2022

Dr. Keisha E. McKenzie told the Rev. Dr. Lee Hinson-Hasty during his Leading Theologically broadcast last month she’s drawn to biblical characters with vision, including the prophet Jeremiah and John of Patmos, especially the latter with his “vision of a...

Get your church prepared to fight cyber crime

by Jonathan Haupt
10/28/2022

Globally, cybercrime costs its victims more than $1.5 trillion annually- and churches are among the institutions being targeted. Robert Hawkey, director of IT Strategy and Transformation for the Board of Pensions of the Presbyterian Church, presented on cybersecurity considerations for...

Concentrate on mission to fund ministry

by Rev. Jody Mask
10/19/2022

The view from the 15th-floor hotel conference room of Savannah’s Historic Landmark District was impressive. Tall church steeples reaching to the sky testified to the generosity of congregations over the centuries. But in a contemporary church world where dedication to...

Caring for offerings and honoring the giver keys to good stewardship

by Rev. Jody Mask
11/15/2022

Reflecting the ecumenical spirit of Stewardship Kaleidoscope, Mark Stauffer, past Council president and treasurer of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America, and Rev. Joseph Moore, Ministry Relations Officer of the Presbyterian Foundation, co-presented a workshop called “Stewardship After the Gift.”...