Twenty-five years ago, I was just starting ordained ministry in Minneapolis. I was the poster child of an eager young pastor, heading on the Crosstown freeway for my first hospital visit to see a 90-year old woman named Agnes, whom I had never met.  She had earned her three-day stay at the hospital by coming…

Father of all hope and promise, we come to you as a people who are weary of lives that can be difficult enough without the added worries and seemingly endless precautions and restrictions caused by this pandemic. We see a world divided in so many ways filled with anger, mistrust, and misinformation and see little…

A Word to Friends in Ministry                                               April 30, 2021 revTFC Dan Baumgartner     Come to my help, O God; Lord, hurry to my rescue.  Those words drifted up into the sky with a hushed holiness, almost a reverence.  The Session of our small church in Santa Rosa, CA was holding its monthly…

In this month’s episode of Life in Fellowship, TFC Board Chair Mike McClenahan talks with Jim Witherow, TFC Board treasurer, about accountable community and his experience with his Mission Affinity Group (MAG) in the Dallas/Fort Worth area. Watch the conversation on YouTube:

SO GRATEFUL TO GOD FOR OUR MAG by Rich McDermott, recently retired from FPC of Arlington, Texas.   When I arrived in Arlington, Texas six years ago in the spring of 2015, I knew very few people in my congregation and few pastors in our large presbytery.  I had never lived or worked in Texas.  As…

God of grace and love, we have entered this Easter season with great anticipation of the wonderful gift of freedom that is ours through the Death and glorious Resurrection of your Son, our Lord Jesus Christ—even freedom from sin and death itself.   We pray for ourselves and so many held captive by the sinfulness…

Some people think that the divide between the church and the world is greater than ever. Whether true or not, three pastors in small-town Shenango Presbytery in Pennsylvania have seized the opportunity to serve their communities through local politics and have found this to be a valuable part of the ministry to which they are...

Take a listen to our new podcast, Life in Fellowship. In this month’s episode of Life in Fellowship, TFC Board Chair Mike McClenahan talks with Nick Warnes, founder and executive director of Cyclical, about faithful innovation. Or watch the conversation on YouTube:

What’s a pastor good for, anyway?  When all else fails, when sermons bomb and creativity falters and pandemics hinder worship and patience with people wanes…we pray.  This is possibly our very highest calling, but it still begs the follow-up question: what is prayer all about? Whatever Reformed,…

by Tracey Davenport Great God, who made women and men in your own image, who shows no partiality, who gathers more people than we can count, people of every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, and calls us to worship: We praise you for the women and men you have called to lead…

by Dan Baumgartner Just so you won’t have to wonder as you read this first paragraph, I’m 62 years old. Barely. Okay, with that out of the way…John Stott is gone. Dallas Willard is gone. Eugene Peterson is gone. Some of the main people I have read, quoted, learned from, and admired over the years…

Think back to the most powerful sermon or sermons you’ve ever listened to. What is it that you remember from them? Most likely, it was a story that illustrated a theological concept, or perhaps it was an analogy that captured your attention and brought the sermon to life in significant ways. For me, there was…

by Tracey Davenport Hello God! I’m a big fan. Yet, you call us not to be fans, but followers of Jesus. Can I really leave behind my nets to follow Him? You are a God who calls people like us to obedience. If we follow Jesus, we will keep his commandments. Help us to follow…

by Dan Baumgartner I am a pastor. What does this mean? Eight months into the Covid-19 era with no concrete end in sight, and possibly never a return to our previous normal, here is my answer: I’m not always sure right now. Don’t get me wrong. I’m not in despair. I’m leading session meetings by…

Submitted by Laura Spangler, pastor of Lloyd Presbyterian Church After the Capitol riots and the brave chaplaincy ministry of our sister, Rev. Margaret Kibben, our church, Lloyd Presbyterian Church in Winston Salem, NC, was led by the Holy Spirit to call for a public prayer gathering on January 19, 2021, Inauguration Eve. We reached out…

Take a listen to Life in Fellowship as Pastors Mike McClenahan and David Won discuss how prayer sustains his church during these uncertain and unprecedented times. Watch the conversation on YouTube:

Take a listen to our new podcast, Life in Fellowship. Pastors Mike McClenahan and Ray Garcia discuss church life in the era of COVID-19 and high racial tensions. Or watch the conversation on YouTube:

by Tracey Davenport Everlasting God, we mark the beginning of a new year, a longed-for fresh start after a year of disease, death, and division. This year is full of fresh possibilities because you are faithful and because you have come in Christ Jesus to bring us life and light, joy and peace, love and…

by Dan Baumgartner Pay attention. People in the churches I’ve served are surely either starting to do it, or sick and tired of me saying it. Or both. Pay attention. Pay attention to God’s voice. Pay attention to what the Holy Spirit is doing around us all the time. Listen for the voice, watch for…