F.A.Q.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Presbyterian Global Fellowship?
PGF is a fellowship seeking to reclaim the missional purpose of the church. By God's grace and in the power of the Holy Spirit, our mission as a fellowship is to transform our congregations into radical agents of Christ's mission in the world. We are committed to:
- promoting a vision for missional renewal among our congregations, emerging from our Apostolic, Biblical and Reformed foundations;
- Christ-centered evangelistic mission being initiated from the entire global Christian community; and
- Connecting congregations with congregations worldwide to enrich Christ’s mission through the sharing of best practices and ideas.
Does Presbyterian Global Fellowship have a set of core beliefs?
This question is addressed on our Theological Vision page.
Why “global”? What do you mean?
The congregations who initially formed PGF are a part of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), a denomination that has been mired in institutional battles that have turned our eyes inward upon ourselves. A part of being “global” means turning our eyes outward, seeking those places where God is at work in the world and joining God in that work. We want to listen to the church in all places and relate to the global church in a way that brings mutual encouragement, support and partnership in God’s mission. Right now “global” is about a vision and responding to our call to The Great Ends of the Church. And it is about deepening and expanding missional partnerships that we already have through the various churches who are involved in the Presbyterian Global Fellowship.
What does it mean to be “missional”?
To be missional means that we recognize that “it is not the church that has a mission, but the God of mission who has a Church” [T. Dearborn]. It means that as churches we need to recognize that Christ has called us to participate with him in extending God’s Kingdom. It means that when Jesus commissioned his disciples in John 20:21 [“As the Father has sent me, so I am sending you.”], Matthew 28:18-20, Acts 1:8 and elsewhere, his words constitute our marching orders. To be missional means adapting and reformulating everything we do in worship, discipleship, community, and service, so as to be engaged with the world around us. Also check out the "Get Missional" page of this website.
Why would a congregation become a part of Presbyterian Global Fellowship?
Congregations in the Reformed tradition who would like to publicly identify and join with others who are Christ-centered and seeking to live out the missional purpose of the church will want to participate. As the fellowship grows, there will be many opportunities to share a missional vision; share ideas, resources, and partnerships; to pray for one another, and to join together at conferences and other times of fellowship.
In what ways will we obligate our congregation by joining Presbyterian Global Fellowship?
Three things are important to mention. First, being a part of this fellowship means that congregations are confessing the Lordship of Jesus Christ over all of life and will strive to allow the Bible to shape their life as a congregation.
Second, this fellowship’s success will also depend upon the free sharing of ideas, concepts, Biblical insights and programmatic strategies for building congregational life and mission. We ask each congregation to be willing to contribute their best practices—ideas that work—for others to adapt and use in their own settings. We are in the process of building a sophisticated website to assist in this process (check out http://www.missionalweb.org/).
Finally, congregations who have existing relationships with Presbyterians in other parts of the world are encouraged to bring those relationships into this new global fellowship, expanding opportunities for other congregations to build meaningful relationships around the world.
What kind of structure will Presbyterian Global Fellowship have?
The congregation is the focal point of energy and creativity in today’s church. This fellowship is not initially trying to create new structures, but rather to facilitate the connection of congregations worldwide in new ways that encourage mutual sharing of resources, needs and opportunities. Presbyterian Global Fellowship’s emphasis is on congregations as the primary missional unit, rather than denominations or other structures.
How does a congregation become involved in this fellowship?
Download our Affiliation Packet to learn all about it.
Are the PC(USA) congregations in this fellowship preparing to pull out of the PC(USA)?
Presbyterian Global Fellowship is not an effort to start a new denomination or to be a complete alternative to a denomination. We are convinced that the church cannot restructure its way to health. We must refocus on God’s mission, allowing future structures of the church to emerge as necessary in that mission. In addition, PGF seeks to include member congregations from a variety of denominations within the broader Reformed tradition, so it's really on a "different plane" than denominational entities.
Is Presbyterian Global Fellowship a response to the sexuality debates in the PC(USA)?
For three decades, sexuality has dominated the PC(USA)’s best thinking and drained many of its greatest resources. Our preoccupation with this issue has prevented us from embracing new and exciting ministry opportunities and distracted us from confronting other urgent social and spiritual issues. Presbyterian Global Fellowship seeks to break this cycle by maintaining heterosexual marriage as God’s design for human sexual expression, thus freeing us to engage again the central focus of the New Testament Church: its missional calling.
Presbyterian Global Fellowship is also a reaction to PC(USA) structures that have failed to adapt to the emerging realities of our world. This is not a problem unique to the PC(USA). Fifty years ago, denominational offices were the primary source of resources for ministry in the local congregation: hymnals, curriculum, leadership training, mission and more. The funding of the development of those resources made sense. Today it is congregations that are developing the most exciting resources for ministry, and technology makes it possible to share those resources quickly and easily. Presbyterian Global Fellowship is, in part, a response to this new reality and our hope is to foster the development of vibrant networks for the sharing of resources for ministry.
You are encouraging congregations to designate their giving. What does this mean and how would we do it?
Presbyterian Global Fellowship believes that the PC(USA), along with other shrinking mainline denominations, is hampered by outmoded assumptions about how money moves in mission. The assumption has been that financial support is “owed” to denominational structures even without the performance and accountability one expects from other institutions. In the long run the official PC(USA) agencies will be renewed by their need to make their case, and by being responsive in competing for congregational mission giving alongside other causes. We see our emphasis on designation as a healthy step toward the renewal of our church. Congregations in the PC(USA) will want to read PGF's mission funding FAQ.
Does this fellowship infringe on the polity of the PC(USA)?
No. Presbyterian Global Fellowship does not infringe on the polity of the PCUSA.
How does this fellowship relate to groups like Presbyterians For Renewal, The Outreach Foundation, or Presbyterian Frontier Fellowship?
Presbyterian Global Fellowship will seek wisdom, support and other resources from these and other existing organizations. We also encourage, endorse and pray for their work as mission-oriented groups within the PC(USA).