New Church Rising

Abstract I had the privilege of participating as a Campbell Scholar at Columbia Theological Seminary in Atlanta with a group of theologians from Kenya, Egypt, Argentina, Jamaica and the US. The theme for our eight weeks together was “The Mission of the Church in an Age of Uprooted People”. This intensive time of dialogue and study helped clarify how the church as a whole has been uprooted from God's desired unity, and provided the space to reflect on the future of the global church from a congregational perspective. The result is this paper in which I explore the present state of Presbyterianism, Protestant denominationalism, and the church as a whole, while also envisioning new paths forward in our global, multicultural age.