November Lecture Series

Our November series will be hosted by Rev. Dr. Erin Raffety, who is the Research Fellow in Pastoral Care & Machine Intelligence with the Center of Theological Inquiry and the Empirical Research Consultant for The Imagining Church Project at Princeton Theological Seminary. She is ordained as a Teaching Elder in the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) and is a cultural anthropologist who has published widely on congregational ministry, youth ministry, and disability. Her current research with The Imagining Church Project is a national qualitative study of how shared identity in Christ in 23 diverse congregations contributes to continual adaptation and thriving.

 

With the waning of religious affiliation, the rise of the Nones, and the current challenges of the global pandemic and racial unrest in the United States, it is widely touted that Church ministry finds itself in a state of perpetual transition. In this first session, we’ll look closely at some demographic myths and realities with respect to Church transition in the U.S. and consider prayerfully the ministry of transformation that Jesus may be calling us into.

 

In this session, we’ll explore some specific challenges facing our ministry at The Brick Presbyterian Church by reexamining God’s purpose for the Church and studying some pertinent examples of transformation from Biblical and contemporary contexts.