Prophetically reimagining the church

Moments of survival and resistance

A vigil for Michael Brown brings a young woman home to the church.

by Mihee Kim-Kort

We met for coffee one afternoon. 

Taylor Beck was a slight girl with wide eyes who furrowed her brows at everything I said during our conversation. She had grown up in a nearby town and studied at a community college before coming to the university where I work as a college minister. Her nontraditional path lent Beck a look of determination that suggested she would make the most of her short time here. After hearing about her art history major and keen interest in women’s studies, I asked what had brought her recently to a Presbyterian church.

Shortly after Beck had moved to Bloomington, Indiana, 18-year-old Michael Brown was shot dead by police officer Darren Wilson on a street in Ferguson, Missouri. Feeling a profound unrest, she looked for a vigil nearby to join with others in mourning this loss. 

The gospel according to pop culture

Millennials take pop culture seriously, and the church should too.

By Grier Booker Richards

Asked what he’s looking for in a congregation, a college student in Greensboro, North Carolina, said: “My ideal church or worshiping community would be one that understands that, for me, worship extends beyond Sunday mornings. It’s in Wednesday-night discussions and Saturday-afternoon concerts. It’s at the dinner table, when we’re planting sustainable gardens, when I go to the movies with my friends, or even when I’m just watching TV. It’s in food drives and community yard sales. My relationship with God …

LAKE FOREST, ILL.