Mission Yearbook: Rev. Tony Larson explores ministry beyond the walls of a church

Some of the most meaningful ministry the Rev. Tony Larson engages in is well outside the walls of the church he serves, Trinity Presbyterian Church in Surfside Beach, South Carolina.

Image

The Rev. Tony Larson

Larson, Co-Moderator of the 226th General Assembly (2024), recently delivered the second part of the Woods Lecture Series in Blades Chapel at the University of Dubuque Theological Seminary. View Larson’s talk, “The Church’s Witness in the World,” delivered as part of a worship service, here. The Co-Moderator’s remarks begin at the 21:05 mark.

He told about “how I ended up on the front page of the local newspaper” in the early years in ministry with the first church he served, Springs Community Presbyterian Church in East Hampton, New York.

Larson discovered he could rent a fishing boat every Thursday from a couple named Buck and Bernice, who operated a boat and fishing gear rental business at the nearby marina. After he’d fish, Larson would join others at the marina to catch up on the local news. Eventually, he became a pastor to people who weren’t about to attend any church, Buck and Bernice included.

Larson grew close to Buck and Bernice. “By the alchemy of faith, I was becoming their pastor,” he said. One day, Buck brought over a bottle of whiskey rather than the cold beers he usually served. “This will be the last drink we have —at least for a while,” Buck told Larson. “Bernice is pregnant, and so we won’t be drinking for a while.” Hugs were exchanged, and then Buck asked, “Would it be possible for you to baptize our baby?”

“As your friend, I’d be hard-pressed to turn down that request,” Larson told the expectant parents. But as a Presbyterian pastor, he’d have to ask them to make promises on behalf of their child — promises to God and to those gathered for the baptism. Come to church one Sunday and check it, Larson suggested.

Two weeks later, Buck and Bernice surprised everyone by walking through the church doors. A few months later, they made professions of faith and joined the church.

They named their baby Bailey. A few weeks after her birth, Larson stopped by to prepare the family for baptism. When you give her a bath, remind her of her baptism, he suggested. When someone tells her what she can and cannot do, remind her of her baptism, and her belovedness. Springs Community Presbyterian Church will help you and Bailey, he said, and Buck and Bernice told him, “That is exactly what we wanted.

“They wanted Bailey to know she was God’s beloved child,” Larson said.

No matter how many theological arguments Larson made, the parents were convinced one bowl of water would not be enough for their big event. They got permission to hold the baptism at low tide near the marina, where the church gathered.

Despite the baptism occurring in July, Larson showed up in his robe. “We began to draw onlookers,” he said. Buck and Bernice confessed their faith, and the four of them waded out into the water. Larson took a clamshell from his pocket, dipped it into the water, and baptized the baby in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. “Bailey, you are held in love that will never let you go,” he told the child.

The next Wednesday, the newspaper published the story of the unusual baptism on its front page. “There was other news in the world that week, but that news was important for that community,” Larson said. Early on in his ministry, “I had the notion I could take off my [clergy] collar and not be identifiable as a disciple of Jesus Christ. I learned from that relationship with Buck and Bernice that’s not really an option.”

Twenty-three times in the gospel accounts, Christ invites people to “follow me,” Larson noted.

“Make your life look like my life” is the way Larson puts Jesus’ invitation. “The invitation is to follow, and the commandment is to love. It really is as simple as that, and oh so challenging.”

Mike Ferguson, Editor, Presbyterian News Service (Click here to read original PNS Story)

Let us join in prayer for:

Stephen Smith, Business Analyst, Trust Services, The Presbyterian Foundation
Katie Snyder, Project Manager for Digital Fundraising, Annual Giving, Administrative Services Group                              

Let us pray:

Lord of illumination, use us to reflect your light, so that your radiant grace may be shared with the world, and all people may be blessed with your life-giving love, through Jesus Christ, the Light of the world. Amen.

New Look and Webinars for Special Offerings

A New Look for Special Offerings We are excited to reveal our new look for the Churchwide Special Offerings! Read more about our three offerings: One Great Hour of Sharing, World Communion Offering and Christmas Joy Offering on our website.  Check Out Our New Look 2026 Special Offerings Changes Webinars Learn more about the changes to Special Offerings for 2026 through our Q&A webinars! Each webinar is the same presentation recorded for anyone who cannot attend (find previous recordings on our website). We will share the presentation slides from this webinar and give you an opportunity to ask questions about Special Offerings for 2026 during each webinar.  Register for January 15 Webinar at 4pm Eastern Register for January 28 Webinar at 7pm Eastern Register for February 10 Webinar at 4pm Eastern

Copyright © 2026 Special Offerings, All rights reserved.

Mission Yearbook: Summers at camp and conference centers are transformed by college-aged adults

Every summer, more than 100 college-aged adults from across the country call Montreat Conference Center home as they help run its summer programming. This tradition has continued for nearly a century, forming lifelong bonds between staff members and the Montreat community.

Image

Efe Egberi updates the chore chart inside the Balsam Lodge common area. (All photos by Tyler Busch)

This year’s summer staff filled a variety of roles, including A/V, Aud Crew, marketing assistant, rangers, Montreat Store staff, Huckleberry Café staff, clubs’ counselors, and lifeguards. Some were returning, but for others it was also their first time on staff.

Tyler Busch, a recent college graduate, was one of two summer staff interns in the development office. A year ago, Montreat wasn’t even on his radar. Busch grew up in the Episcopal Church in Atlanta and spent summers at the diocese’s camp in North Georgia.

That changed after attending Montreat’s College Conference in January 2025, held despite extensive damage from Helene just three months earlier. At the conference, Busch learned about applying for summer staff and decided it would be a great way to spend his post-grad summer. “Being here and the many doors that have opened has truly been a blessing, but I’m not the only one,” he said.

Image

Ministry team member John Curran plans devotions for youth conference attendees at the Moose Lodge.

John Curran, a student at Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary, served this summer on the ministry team, returning after a powerful experience the year before as a back home group leader for Week 6 of the Montreat Youth Conference. That year, Curran had a moving encounter with a conferee who had recently come out as transgender. “At the end of the week, the conferees wrote affirmations for each other, and that conferee wrote for me how they were really glad to meet someone in the LGBT+ community going to seminary,” Curran said. That moment shaped his understanding of Montreat’s acceptance of everyone and inspired him to return.

Maggie Reetz served as the music instructor, teaching “clubbies” all the nostalgic Montreat dances. She was introduced to Montreat through a friend at Elon University. Having attended a performing arts high school, Reetz loved reconnecting with music in her role as instructor.

Summer staff lived for 10 weeks in one of three designated lodges — Balsam, Lookout or Sylvan — each with a resident advisor. Balsam’s Lodge’s RA, Efe Egberi, learned about Montreat through her professor at Catawba College. Her responsibilities included ensuring residents enjoyed their living space and providing support. It was also a summer of firsts for Egberi. “I’ve never been to the mountains before, nor have I ever gone paddle boarding and rock climbing until now,” she said. She added that seeing a bear up close for the first time was both cool and a little nerve-racking.

“It’s not Montreat without the daily bear-sighting, that’s for sure,” said Busch. That sentiment was shared by summer staff coordinator Jason Nanz, affectionately known as “Ranger Jason,” who oversaw five summer rangers repairing hurricane-damaged trails, leading public hikes and building bridges, among other important tasks.

Summer staff is a welcome sight for the year-round employees, said Nanz, because it “fills in seasonal gaps in our employment, and without them we would not be to run the summer programs.”

While summer staff greatly support operations, each member also brings new energy and love to Montreat. The experience offers opportunities to deepen their relationship with God and gain a greater appreciation of God’s Creation. Here, they leave an impact on all who walk through the hallowed gate, furthering the conference center’s mission “to gather people to experience God’s transforming power and inspire love for the world.”

If you are wondering what your next summer’s plans could be, consider a summer staff job at Montreat or at any of the camp and conference centers of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.).

Originally from Atlanta, Tyler Busch graduated with his bachelor’s degree in public relations from Georgia Southern University this past May. He contributed this article as part of his work on summer staff with the development office at Montreat Conference Center. (Click here to read original PNS Story)

Let us join in prayer for:

Melaina Smith ,  Design Content Specialist, The Presbyterian Foundation
Natalie Smith , Product Manager, General Reader Books, Electronic Resources & Strategic Business Development, Presbyterian Publishing Corporation      

Let us pray:

Generous God, thank you for daily bread to share, for the hunger for justice and righteousness among all people, and for the first-received love that calls forth response in the humble power of Christ. Amen.

Mission Yearbook: Author and pastor proposes better ways of Bible reading

In 17 years of church ministry, the Rev.  Zach Lambert has seen Scripture “read and applied in harmful ways.” With the recent release of his book “Better Ways to Read the Bible: Transforming a Weapon of Harm Into a Tool of Healing,” Lambert discusses how the faith community he leads, Restore Church in Austin, Texas, is working to help bring about one of Jesus’ most important ministry roles: “I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.”

Image

Lambert was a recent guest on “A Matter of Faith: A Presby Podcast,” hosted each week by Simon Doong and the Rev. Lee Catoe. Listen to their 49-minute conversation here.

Lambert said he’s seen the Bible weaponized “in horrific ways, to subjugate women, justify racism and bash LGBTQ people, cover up abuse and even try to silence anyone who speaks up about those injustices. I became convinced early on [in ministry] that this is the opposite of what Jesus wants.”

At Restore Church, finding better ways to read the Bible began in community, “and I think that’s the most important thing,” he said. “When you’re reading the Bible in a diverse and healthy community, you have a lot less chance of hurting people.” Before and during the Civil War, a substantial amount of defenses for chattel slavery were penned by members of the clergy, Lambert noted. “I can only imagine if it had been a group of both white and Black pastors in a room talking about biblical interpretation, the Black pastors would have said, ‘No, it doesn’t mean that. That’s not how you interpret that passage. I know because of my experience as a Black person in America and because of my loved ones who have been tortured into chattel slavery.’”

Lambert and members of Restore Church came up with four healthy lenses for biblical interpretation, which appear in the book:

• Jesus, the Christo-centric lens. “Jesus wants all parts of our life, including our biblical interpretation,” which leads to “abundant life for us and neighbors,” he said.
• Context, the historical-critical analysis of Scripture, including context, culture and genre.
• Flourishing. Lambert includes a chapter on liberation theology.
• Fruitfulness, which Lambert identifies as “the lens we use at our church most frequently to say, ‘Jesus said his followers would be known by their fruit.’ Our biblical interpretation should be leading to more of those in us and in the world.”

“My hope is that the book is pastoral,” he said. “Anytime we do deconstruction or reconstruction, it comes from a trauma-informed pastoral lens, understanding just how deep religious trauma is for a lot of people.”

Image

Comparing faith to a house made of bricks, Lambert likened hearing something that conflicts with what we’ve experienced to taking a brick out of our house of faith and determining whether, “OK, am I going to ignore my experience, put this brick back into the house and pretend like nothing happened? Do I need to replace this with something that more aligns with my experience because it’s more truthful now, or am I throwing this completely away because I can’t engage with it right now?”

That’s why tools including books and podcasts can be helpful in interpreting the Bible, he said. “We get to move away from soundbite culture that doesn’t allow for much nuance or conversation,” Lambert said, “and move into spaces where we’re actually digging deep into some of these things.”

Restore Church thinks of itself as post-evangelical, he said. “We attempt to take what evangelicals are good at” including personal spirituality and accessibility.

There are post-evangelicals in many PC(USA) and other mainline congregations, Lambert said. “How do we make sure we’re ready to care for those people, support those people, and unleash those people into ministry roles? A lot of them are sharp leaders and hard workers. They know how to get things off the ground. How can we mobilize folks who have those cool characteristics for positive purposes?”

“My proposal,” he said, “is we all lean into things we’re uniquely good at and build bridges not based on ecclesiology or polity or church structure, but on shared values.”

Listen to previous episodes of “A Matter of Faith: A Presby Podcast” here.

Mike Ferguson, Editor, Presbyterian News Service (Click here to read original PNS Story)

Let us join in prayer for:

Erin Skinner, Ministry Relations Officer, Development Office, The Presbyterian Foundation
Ashley Smalley-Ray, VP Director of Compliance, Trust Services, The Presbyterian Foundation     

Let us pray:

God of all, it is our greatest joy to give you thanks and praise. Open our hearts to the movement of your Spirit thorugh all the landscapes of our lives. Guide us to be your hands and feet as we faithfully serve in a world of need. Amen.

Mission Yearbook: Students from Presbyterian Pan American School connect at Triennium

Image

Five students from the Presbyterian Pan American School attended Presbyterian Youth Triennium last month. (Photo by Rich Copley)

“If you are Presbyterian, you know about it, 100%. It is a big event, and that got us excited,” said Brenton, a high school senior from Ixtlahuaca, Mexico, who attended Presbyterian Youth Triennium for the first time this year. “We were pretty excited to meet new people from all different places and to get to know how God changed their lives in so many ways,” he said. Brenton was part of a delegation connected to Mission Presbytery through his enrollment at the Presbyterian Pan American School (PPAS), a PC(USA)-related college-preparatory school in the Texas Coastal Bend about 90 miles north of the U.S.-Mexico border.

Founded by Presbyterians in 1911 with the mission to educate young boys from Mexico, today PPAS equips and empowers an international community of some 70 students — from such countries as Mexico, China, South Korea, Rwanda, Taiwan and Colombia — for lives of Christian leadership as global citizens.

This was the first time that PPAS sent students to Triennium as a group.

The five students represented connections to the PC(USA) through the school that stretched to Mexico, Colombia and South Korea. Brenton’s family has long-standing ties to the Presbyterian church and PPAS through his grandfather, who served as a pastor in Mexico. Two other students in the delegation attended elementary school in South Korea but learned of PPAS when their families or friends moved to Mexico for work and joined local churches. From those communities, they heard about both the educational opportunities at PPAS and the Triennium event for Presbyterian youth.

“The experience we’ve had is very impressive. I know that I’ll remember it all my life,” said Brenton.

“It was worth the effort, and I’m enjoying it,” said Yeojoon, an 11th grader who persuaded PPAS principal Dr. Juan Plascencia to let him attend when another student had to cancel at the last minute. According to the students, Plascencia strongly encouraged them to go, hoping they would return to the PPAS community, share their excitement and inspire younger students to attend in three years.

Kevin, a 12th grader also from South Korea, learned about PPAS through a friend named David, whom he met in India when he was only 5. David later moved to Mexico and then enrolled at PPAS. He recommended the school to Kevin, who was a few years younger and looking for a high school experience abroad. The challenge of cultural exchange prompted Kevin to attend Triennium as well.

“Meeting new people from all different states was an exciting event for me,” Kevin said. “I really like exchanging these pins from all our different states.”

Image

The five students from Presbyterian Pan American School who attended Presbyterian Youth Triennium pose at the Kentucky International Convention Center. (Photo by Rich Copley)

Valentina, 17, heard about PPAS from a family friend in Colombia and about Triennium through Plascencia. She appreciated making connections with youth from all over — something she had noticed about being Presbyterian since enrolling at PPAS. “A highlight for me has been knowing more about God and the Presbyterian church,” she said. Her parents had attended “normal church,” but at school she came to appreciate the connectional nature of the Presbyterian church, especially through seeing so many countries and states represented by the youth delegations.

Although the PPAS delegation was new to Triennium — which was held for the first time this year at the Kentucky International Convention Center in Louisville — they were among several other international delegations, including a sizeable group from Puerto Rico and another from Susamacher Presbyterian Church, founded in 1871 in Trinidad. Those delegations contributed to one night’s worship by leading salsa dancing (Puerto Rico) and steel drumming (Trinidad).

“All these people here are like my family,” said Shara, 17, who is originally from northern Mexico but feels close to the group of PPAS students because of the community of care and faith fostered at the school. She saw that same kind of community at Triennium.

“I love this event because there are many activities here to be more connected to God and other persons from different countries,” Shara said. Her favorite part was worship and a long-held Triennium tradition: “I love to exchange pins,” she said, pointing to the most recent one she received. “The person who gave it to me is from Puerto Rico. It’s a really unique pin. I really love it.”

Beth Waltemath, Communications Strategist (Click here to read original PNS Story)

Let us join in prayer for:

Alejandra Sherman, Administrative Assistant, President’s Office, Administrative Services Group
Effie Shipp, Associate for Lending Services, Presbyterian Investment & Loan Program

Let us pray:

Loving Creator, we are grateful for the beautiful world you have created for us. Help us to be mindful as we partake of its resources. We pray that we may be good and faithful stewards in preserving and protecting its beauty and its natural riches. Amen.

Mission Yearbook: Pastor urges others to preach generosity with purpose

Image

The Rev. Dr. Carlos Perkins

During a “Preaching Generosity” webinar he recently led for the Synod of the Covenant, the Rev. Dr. Carlos Perkins practiced what he preaches.

Perkins is an assistant research scientist and the associate director of Engagement for the Lilly Family School of Philanthropy at the Lake Institute on Faith and Giving at Indiana University Indianapolis. He’s also the senior pastor of Bethel Cathedral AME Church, the oldest Black congregation in Indianapolis.

Perkins infused the lessons he imparted in the webinar with experiences he’s had preaching and teaching at the church he serves.

At the Lake Institute, “Our practice when we do workshops and classes is, we believe in the wisdom in the room. We believe you have practices others can learn from,” Perkins said. “This is my invitation to lean in, unmute yourself and be part of the discussion.”

Perkins began the discussion by asking participants about the worst money sermon they’d heard, and a sermon, Bible study or workshop on generosity they found meaningful or memorable.

“Often we share with pastors as you interrogate your theology around money and giving, what are the Scriptures and experiences you have had with money that helped for [forming] your theology?” Perkins said. Generosity is like any other virtue: it must be cultivated, he said.

Perkins noted that Dr. Patricia Snell Herzog and Dr. Heather E. Price, a pair of Indiana University researchers, have identified four types of givers:

• About 16% of givers are planned givers who follow systems or routines of giving and make planned decisions to give more money away.
• About 6% are habitual givers. They give regularly, but through a system. “They set it and forget it,” Perkins said.
• Selective givers, about 17% of donors, make a conscious decision to give, yet also give spontaneously. “They are very selective in how and why they give,” Perkins said.
• The lion’s share of givers — about 42% — are impulsive givers. 

The other 19% of givers are categorized by Herzog and Price as atypical givers.

Image

The Rev. Dr. Chip Hardwick

The Rev. Dr. Chip Hardwick, executive for the Synod of the Covenant, said he found this analysis helpful. “I suspect we preach sermons we would like to hear, rather than a variety of sermons for people in the congregation,” he said. “I suspect we preach about money according to the way we think about giving.”

Perkins said younger givers “are looking for a reason to give. … They don’t subscribe to a theology of duty. They are looking to be cultivated and connected to the mission and vision” of their faith community.

Perkins recommended Father Henri Nouwen’s “A Spirituality of Fundraising,” which says that “fundraising is, first and foremost, a ministry. It’s a way of announcing our vision and inviting other people into our mission.”

Nouwen says that “it’s an invitation to partner with God on a vision that’s exciting and engaging,” Perkins said. “the question is, do you have a vision that is exciting and engaging?”

Perkins touched on the model of a year-round cycle for teaching and preaching about generosity:

• Tell the story, including identifying a mission and vision statement and celebrating the story
• Ask, including a stewardship program, time and talent program, planned giving, capital funding program, special giving opportunities and year-end giving
• Keep the momentum going, including education and reflection, affirmation of donors’ giving and a celebration of accomplishments and mission
• Learn and plan, including evaluation and analysis, endowment planning and capital needs planning.

The church Perkins serves uses a STARS model, for “serving, teaching and reaching souls” for Jesus Christ. “They hear that every Sunday,” Perkins said. “I might highlight how we serve on the first Sunday. On the second Sunday, we highlight teaching and then reaching out on the third Sunday. I am very deliberate about sharing the impact.” He’ll tell the congregation something like, “through your generosity, we were able to impact 200 students” because of “your back-to-school activities giving this year.”

“All that I have has been given to me by God, and it all belongs to God,” Perkins said. The question is this: “How do I become a mature steward in what God has given to me?”

Mike Ferguson, Editor, Presbyterian News Service (Click here to read original PNS Story)

Let us join in prayer for:

Rheannon Sicely, VP, Customer Experience & Change Mgt, Plan Operations, The Board of Pensions
T. Clark Simmons, Senior Church Consultant, Engagement & Church Relations, The Board of Pensions

Let us pray:

Oh God, whose love stretches around the world, bless your disciples who serve your people. Enliven their ministries and show them compassion, that they may better reflect your presence in our changing world, which craves knowledge and truth only you can illuminate. Amen.

Mission Yearbook: Amid plateau in U.S. Christianity, new signs of spiritual renewal emerge

Image

After two decades of steady decline, Christianity in America has hit a plateau, even as younger generations continue to step away from traditional religion. Yet spiritual beliefs remain strong across age groups, suggesting that this moment may hold opportunity for rebirth within the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) and other traditional denominations.

A recent Barna Group survey found that 66% of U.S. adults say they’ve made a personal commitment to Jesus Christ that remains important in their life today, compared with 54% in 2021. Notably, many who expressed this commitment did not identify as Christian. Nearly three in 10 non-Christians claimed a commitment to Christ, perhaps revealing a space for outreach outside traditional membership categories.

For years, data from Pew Research Center and others showed Christianity in decline while the “nones” — theists, agnostics and “nothing in particular” — steadily rose.

More recent studies, however, indicate stability rather than freefall. Pew’s 2023–24 Religious Landscape Study found that 62% of American adults identify as Christian and 29% are nones. Research of Ryan Burge and Tony Jones found that 21% of the nones are nones in name only (NiNO), 66% of whom are drawn to spirituality, over half who say they pray daily, and a third who attend a religious service at least once a year.

Still, there’s a lack of “generational replacement,” signaling further decline ahead, Pew says. 

Statistics from the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) present a similar picture. 

Pew’s Religious Landscape Study found that 79% of all Americans, adults of all ages, say there’s something spiritual beyond the natural world, even if we can’t see it, and 83% believe in God or a universal spirit. Among 18- to-29-year-olds, 76% believe in God or a universal spirit, compared with 89% of those 65 or older, according to Pew.

“Religious and/or spiritual beliefs are an incredibly persistent aspect of life in the United States, and that’s true even among people who distance themselves from the traditional trappings of religious life,” according to Burge and Jones.

The Barna survey found that Millennials and Gen Z are driving an increase in the commitment to Christ. Gen Xers and Boomers changed little in their commitment from 2019 to 2025. In 2019, just over 50% of the two younger generations expressed a commitment to Christ. By 2025, 64% of Gen Z and 68% of Millennials said they had committed to Christ, compared with 65% of Gen Xers and 64% of Boomers. Barna said its latest findings “may be the clearest indication of meaningful spiritual renewal in the United States.”

Many young people are passionate about fairness, equality and standing up for those in need. These are Gospel values. Jesus championed justice, welcoming the outcasts, challenging corrupt leaders, and preaching love that transcends barriers. But trust in religious institutions has eroded, and post-Boomers tend to see churches as businesses, at best, and at worst, hypocritical.

“Organized religion, they charge, too fervently pursues money, power, and partisan politics,” research sociologist Steven Tipton says. “It imposes too many rules and claims too much truth in the name of God.”

Researchers who followed a cohort of adolescents coming of age during the rapid rise of the nones and shifting social values said that “when young people perceive religious institutions as stifling self-actualization, marginalizing sexual minorities, constraining women, or demonstrating hypocrisy, they experience conflict between their religious commitments and deeply held values related to concern for others and the sacredness of the individual.”

While working on his latest book, “Why Religion Went Obsolete: The Demise of Traditional Faith in America,” sociologist Christian Smith was asked whether a religious revival was possible. “Among the more unlikely but not impossible of history’s surprises,” he concludes, “would be if American traditional religions turned their difficult predicament into an opportunity for self-critical soul-searching. What, finally, are they trying to do and why?”

The Board of Pensions is an agency of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.). Through the Benefits Plan of the PC(USA), the Board provides a broad range of benefits and programs to PC(USA) congregations, agencies, and mid councils as well as affiliate employers — including educational institutions, camps and conference centers, retirement and senior housing communities and human services organizations.

The Board of Pensions (Click here to read original PNS Story)

Let us join in prayer for:

Jeanie Shaw, Senior Accounting Clerk Controllers, Administrative Services Group
Julianna Sheridan, Administrator, Investments, The Board of Pensions

Let us pray:

Bountiful God of hope, you sent your son, Jesus, so that all may have life and live it abundantly. Thank you. May freedom and dignity multiply throughout the world, as witness to your love and compassion. Let the people sing. Amen.