Letters from the General Minister

A Time to Mourn

A Letter to Pittsburgh Presbytery from Rev. Dr. Sheldon W. Sorge General Minister June 4, 2020 A week ago, we surpassed the grim total of 100,000 American lives lost to COVID-19, and that number continues to grow daily. A few … →

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A Cry for Racial Justice

A Letter to Pittsburgh Presbytery from Rev. Dr. Sheldon W. Sorge General Minister Monday, June 1, 2020 How long, O Lord, how long? Words fail us, as we grieve the horror of black lives lost savagely, cut short in recent … →

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God at Work Away from the Sanctuary

A Letter to Pittsburgh Presbytery from Rev. Dr. Sheldon W. Sorge General Minister May 28, 2020   Pentecost is usually a grand celebration of God’s revolutionizing Spirit at work in the church. Sanctuaries fairly explode with sights and sounds celebrating … →

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Truthfulness Always

A Letter to Pittsburgh Presbytery from Rev. Dr. Sheldon W. Sorge General Minister May 21, 2020   In my recent weekly letters I have been exploring how the church can fulfill its Great Ends (Book of Order F-1.0304) during this season when COVID-19 … →

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Let My People Go that They May Worship Me!

A Letter to Pittsburgh Presbytery from Rev. Dr. Sheldon W. Sorge General Minister May 14, 2020   In the past two letters I have explored how the church, with its facilities locked down, can be guided by the first two … →

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Public Presence

A Letter to Pittsburgh Presbytery from Rev. Dr. Sheldon W. Sorge General Minister May 7, 2020   In last week’s letter I suggested that the Great Ends of the Church (Book of Order F-1.0304) offer us sure guidance as we navigate our pathway … →

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Sure Guidance for a Traumatized Church

A Letter to Pittsburgh Presbytery from Rev. Dr. Sheldon W. Sorge General Minister April 30, 2020 Let’s be honest. The church has been traumatized by its incapacity to fulfill an essential function, namely, to gather God’s people together for worship, … →

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Jesus Incognito

A Letter to Pittsburgh Presbytery from Rev. Dr. Sheldon W. Sorge General Minister April 23, 2020   One of the most important roles of church leaders is to help their congregations discern where and how God is present and at … →

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Easter in the Valley of the Shadow of Death

A Letter to Pittsburgh Presbytery from Rev. Dr. Sheldon W. Sorge General Minister April 16, 2020 This year Easter arrived amid the deadliest viral outbreak in more than a century. Death is everywhere at hand, and we don’t yet know … →

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Don’t Touch Me!

A Letter to Pittsburgh Presbytery from Rev. Dr. Sheldon W. Sorge General Minister April 9, 2020   As Jesus proceeds from disciple to disciple with basin and towel, he gets stopped by Peter. “Don’t touch me!” Peter in effect protests. … →

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Disagreements in a Time of Crisis

A Letter to Pittsburgh Presbytery from Rev. Dr. Sheldon W. Sorge General Minister April 2, 2020   Helping congregations handle internal disagreements graciously is one of the most critical tasks of church leadership. Faced with disagreements about which foods are … →

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With Measured Steps

A Letter to Pittsburgh Presbytery from Rev. Dr. Sheldon W. Sorge General Minister March 26, 2020   The Board of Pensions’ CREDO program gathers pastors for intensive eight-day seminars during which the thirty participants are led in a comprehensive, granular examination of … →

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Prudence or Panic?

A Letter to Pittsburgh Presbytery from Rev. Dr. Sheldon W. Sorge General Minister March 12, 2020   Last week’s letter addressed the growing impact of the coronavirus epidemic on church gatherings. Registration for June’s General Assembly (GA) was supposed to open … →

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Congregational Health and Physical Contact

A Letter to Pittsburgh Presbytery from Rev. Dr. Sheldon W. Sorge General Minister March 5, 2020 We are in a series looking at markers of congregational health, something we ordinarily term “congregational vitality.” Many measures of health can be adduced … →

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Vital Ministry

A Letter to Pittsburgh Presbytery from Rev. Dr. Sheldon W. Sorge General Minister February 27, 2020   Vitality – it’s something we all want for our own selves, for those we love, for work about which we care, and for institutions … →

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