Pastoral Care

Isaac Wardell on Rethinking Calling and Vocation

Not everyone feels called to their job or experiences it as way to use their gifts to accomplish great things for God. There is a more satisfying way to think about how God calls each of us.

April 18, 2018 | 4 min read
Isaac Wardell on Bringing Work into Worship

Daily work, paid and unpaid, consumes our lives, energy, and minds—even when we are in church. Here are ways to plan worship so people see themselves and their work as instruments of God.

April 18, 2018 | 5 min read

After the Benediction: Putting Faith to Work the Other Six Days

This presentation focused on the multiple avenues through which the supports and relationships available within congregation can meet real needs in the lives of people with disabilities and their families throughout the week.

April 11, 2018 | 43 min listen
Beyond Stigma to Hospitality: Creating a Gracious Space for People with Mental Illness

Worship and fellowship are sometimes difficult for people with mental illness because few people understand their experience and their needs in worship.

March 13, 2018 | 40 min listen

Jaewoo Kim on Making Room for Multicultural Worship

To worship in line with the Lord’s Prayer—on earth as it is in heaven—requires making room in worship for stories, songs, and gifts from many cultures. Doing so depends in part on how churches form their views about refugees and immigrants.

February 28, 2018 | 5 min read
David Bailey and Erin Rose on White Supremacy

Churches often shy away from conversations about white supremacy or which lives matter. A Presbyterian elder and a worship leader explain how to pastorally move toward effective reconciliation ministry.

February 26, 2018 | 6 min read
David Bailey and Erin Rose on Charlottesville, Violence, and Preaching

Seeing violence and racism up close is ugly. Two Presbyterians discuss how to help congregations prepare for and respond to divisive events.

February 26, 2018 | 6 min read

Welcoming the Stranger: Justice, Compassion, and Truth in Christian Worship and Life

All over the world, Christian churches are struggling to obey the Bible’s clear commands to welcome the stranger, to displace the fear that leads to exclusion, and to both extend and receive mutual hospitality as gifts of God’s Spirit.

February 16, 2018 | 103 min listen
What Inside Songwriters Can Teach Outside Churches about Worship

A songwriting class in a North Carolina prison taught eight women to write biblical songs that touch congregations inside and outside prison walls.

February 14, 2018 | 10 min read
Methodist Pastor-Musicians on Gaps in Worship Music

Teaching an intensive songwriting class in a North Carolina prison for women made Susannah Long and Michael Conner reflect on gaps in what churches sing about.

February 14, 2018 | 5 min read