TAP and the Presbyterian Family

 

As many of you know, TAP is committed to serving the broader Presbyterian family.  One implication of this being we are continuing to strengthen relationships with multiple Presbyterian denominations. 

 

TAP continues to serve many PCUSA churches and the majority of TAP Partners continue to be members of PCUSA congregations.  Furthermore, TAP has maintained a cooperative, supportive relationship with Presbyterian World Mission (PWM – the mission board of the PCUSA) and I continue to praise God for Hunter Farrell’s leadership of PWM.

 

For more information about PWM visit http://www.presbyterianmission.org/ministries/world-mission/

 

In addition to our commitment to serving PCUSA churches that share our evangelical convictions and commitments, we also continue to develop relationships with newer entities related to PCUSA churches, such as the Fellowship of Presbyterians (which connects with other Presbyterian denominations as well).  TAP has been privileged to be represented at all the large Fellowship of Presbyterians gatherings over the past several years and I continue to be excited about our developing relationship with the Fellowship of Presbyterians.  TAP, along with Presbyterian Frontier Fellowship (PFF) and The Outreach Foundation (TOF), has been recognized as a mission partner of the Covenant Order of Evangelical Presbyterians (ECO), the new reformed body that has been “birthed” out of the Fellowship of Presbyterians.  As with the Fellowship of Presbyterians, I continue to be excited about what God is doing in and through ECO and I am impressed with their focus on theological integrity, missional identity and a covenantal order.   

 

For more information about ECO visit http://eco-pres.org/

 

A recent development took place last month when TAP was officially endorsed as an “approved agency” of the Evangelical Presbyterian Church (EPC) at their General Assembly in Denver.  I am excited about the opportunities our “approved agency” status will open up in terms of serving even more EPC churches.  At the same time, I am excited about new opportunities for partnering with the EPC’s World Outreach (WO).  WO is the EPC’s mission board and they are engaged in many creative, strategic, global mission initiatives.  One of their priorities is Engage 2025 through which they are mobilizing and sending out new teams for church planting among unengaged Muslim people groups.

 

For more information about EPC General Assembly 2013 visit http://www.epc.org/2013ga-documents-webcast/

 

Conference for Presbyterian Mission Leaders

A related expression of TAP’s commitment to serving the broader Presbyterian family is our joint sponsorship of the “Connecting Mission Leaders” conference this fall.  This is a conference for Presbyterian congregational mission leaders from the ECO, EPC, Fellowship of Presbyterians and PCUSA.  The conference is sponsored by The Outreach Foundation, TAP and Presbyterian Frontier Fellowship. Carl Medearis will be the featured speaker; he is the author of Speaking of Jesus: the art of not-evangelism and Muslims, Christians and Jesus: Gaining Understanding and Building Relationships.

 

Beginning with dinner at 5:30 pm on Thursday, September 19, and concluding with lunch on Saturday, September 21, the conference will include four talks by Carl, worship, breakouts, free-time and networking opportunities—all in San Antonio.

 

Registration is now open and you can go to www.connectingmissionleaders.com to register or get more information.  This will be a great opportunity and I encourage any of you mission leaders in local Presbyterian churches to attend and to invite others to do so as well.  Space is limited, so if you sense God prompting you along these lines, I encourage you to go ahead and register.

  

Serving Christ together,

 

W. Andrew Adair

Executive Director, The Antioch Partners