13 congregations were officially dismissed to join ECO: A Covenant Order of Evangelical Presbyterians over this past weekend. “We extend the warmest of welcomes to all the congregations who joined ECO this weekend,” stated ECO President, Rev. Dr. Dana Allin. “We look forward to the partnership of these founding congregations to shine the beacon...

The Board of Directors approved the appointment of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. and its division, Risk Placement Services (RPS), to work with our Churches and their designated agents in risk management networking and procuring the best coverage possible. We are grateful to our National Insurance Program Committee that oversaw the RFP for services:...

This week I want to address two issues some people are encountering; ECO’s recognition as a Reformed body and some confusion over the term “subscriptionism” regarding the essential tenets for The Fellowship and ECO.

As spring is emerging in its various forms across the country, we want to update you on ECO. The months since the Orlando conference have been filled with questions and answers, planning and preparation: many developments you will start to see more clearly in the very near future. These same months have also been filled with our observance of Lent and the joyful celebration of Easter. These themes of death and resurrection, and spiritual discernment, restoration, hope and new life, are permeating our lives. We continue to be excited to see what God is bringing about in our midst.

Dear Friends in Christ,

As we start the weekend where many people will be “springing forward” into Daylight Savings Time, I want to catch you up on what is springing forward with both The Fellowship and ECO.

Every week, interest and activity around The Fellowship and ECO are increasing. Hundreds of individuals and many sessions have already signed the Covenant and joined The Fellowship.  We have received nearly 100 requests for applications for ECO from individual pastors and from Sessions.

Learn more about ECO! Following is an outline of 11 major characteristics of the ECO vision and polity. A printable PDF of this information is available here. We pray this is helpful for you in your discerning and learning process. 1. Defined core theology and behavioral expectations One of the main concerns for many individuals…

Dear Friends in The Fellowship of Presbyterians, In the second week after representatives from 765 congregations attended the Covenanting Conference in Orlando, there is momentum, joyful expectation, and much work to do.

John Ortberg, Pastor of Menlo Park Presbyterian, in Menlo Park, CA, shares a vision for ministry and introduces The Evangelical Covenant Order of Presbyterians (ECO). This talk took place on January 19, 2012, at the Covenanting Conference for The Fellowship of Presbyterians, in Orlando, FL. You can also download the video directly through the Vimeo link below.

John Ortberg: A Vision for Ministry & Introducing ECO from Fellowship of Presbyterians on Vimeo.

Making a covenant is a highly personal decision. It acknowledges that something beyond us is more important than ourselves. It is only in the keeping of such personal commitments, however, that meaningful communities are formed and life in the church flourishes. When one part of the Body rejoices, we all rejoice and when one part…

Dear Friends of The Fellowship of Presbyterians,

We are deep in Advent around the church, and most congregations are getting the candles ready for Christmas Eve. The Fellowship of Presbyterians is also getting ready for the Covenanting Conference January 18-20 in Orlando. Nearly 1,700 people are already registered. With the Conference just one month away, I wanted to reflect on several things....

The board of The Fellowship of Presbyterians is meeting this week in Chicago, and we continue to be invigorated as we dream and pray together about a new kind of ministry community. We will soon post drafts of our theology and polity documents and invite your feedback. But before we turn to the structural pieces,…

Many people have been asking about the current status of the “Four Tiers” proposal presented in August at the Minneapolis Gathering — our way of explaining options for congregations to consider, given their particular contexts, while we work together to be the Church of Jesus Christ in a new way. These four “tiers” ranged from…

The primary goal of The Fellowship of Presbyterians is to create a supportive environment for congregations to thrive with a clear theological identity and the freedom to pursue their mandate to become nurturing communities of mission, worship, and witness. To do this well, we are committed to offering churches various ways of engaging with The…

September 26, 2011 LOUISVILLE, KY  Leaders of the Fellowship of Presbyterians celebrate with The Reverend Dr. Jim Singleton his pending appointment to the faculty of Gordon Conwell Theological Seminary beginning with the 2012-2013 academic year.

“Dear Friends and Brethren: The aspect of divine providence, and the extraordinary situation of the world, at the present moment, indicate, that a solemn admonition by the ministers of religion and other church officers in General Assembly convened, has become our indispensable duty . . . A solemn crisis has arrived, in which we are…

By Richard Gibbons, Senior Pastor of First Presbyterian Church, Greenville, SC For many of us attending the Fellowship Gathering in Minneapolis later this month, the questions uppermost in our minds will quite naturally relate to the purpose, focus, and direction of the PC(USA). Such questions are of course not new. They have been asked multiple…

By Ken Bailey, Author and Lecturer in Middle Eastern New Testament Studies, New Wilmington, PA Once a small mouse was playing around the feet of a family of elephants.  The mouse suddenly decided to run down the hill away from the elephants.  The elephants did not follow the mouse. The Presbyterian Church (USA) in 2011…

By Jerry Deck, Executive Director of Presbyterian Global Fellowship Confession. Penitence. Contrition. Repentance.  These words, if we’re honest, are not ones that come easily for many of us.  Perhaps that’s why the Scriptures are continually repeating these words in one form or fashion.  God is abundantly aware both of our proclivity for sin and our…

Some people have begun imagining what it might look like if we developed more formal and ongoing relationships of congregations that wanted to gather around how they could be more missional in their communities.  What would it look like if we could create some missional presbyteries?