What is your vision for the Church in the 21st century? – by Neal D. Presa

View Responses by:
Lisa Larges
Garnett Foster
Andrew Kukla
Christian Iosso

My hope for the Church in the 21st century is:

-To not speak of “the” Church but of churches and Christianities in multiple contexts expressing dynamic worship with a missional imagination that is on fire for the Gospel of Jesus Christ;

-Tethering flexibility in our beliefs – where we are nurtured by the wideness of a faith that is Reformed, ecumenical and catholic, drawing from the richness of our tradition and the wider Christian traditions while nimble enough to engage with emerging perspectives

-An ecclesiology marked by vocational maximalism and structural minimalism – that is, churches continually seeking to be faithful to their vocation to be witnesses of Christ’s transformative justice and reconciling love in the world, with sufficient ordering of church life and government that is not cumbersome or stifling of creativity but which harnesses gifts and facilitates conversations between and within churches

-Partnerships and collaborations with various stakeholders at all levels in all sectors of our communities, society and culture, who share a common vision for a better and just world

-Bread, Cup, Water, Table, Font, Pulpit, Cross, Book: the cruciform shape of our faith in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ is expressed in humble, loving, grace-filled, gracious service to one another and to all people

The Rev. Dr. Neal D. Presa serves as Pastor of Middlesex Presbyterian Church, Middlesex, NJ and  Convener of the Caribbean and North American Area Council, World Communion of Reformed Churches.  He is a husband, father, liturgical theologian and ecumenist.

View Responses by:
Lisa Larges
Garnett Foster
Andrew Kukla
Christian Iosso