The Fellowship Community

08/27/2026

The desire of The Fellowship Community is to create a pipeline of healthy leaders so that our churches can continue to thrive for generations to come.

But, healthy leaders are built one at a time, and it takes a village to encourage, support, and equip them.

Today we're encouraging you and your congregation to make that investment. Join us as we raise up 250 new pastoral leaders by 2036.

So far this summer we have received $35,000+ in new giving! Your gift of $1,000, $5,000 or $10,000 could help us meet our goal of $50,000. Investing in these leaders today helps secure the church’s future. Visit https://www.fellowship.community/give to make your donation today.

08/18/2026

I am sending one last reminder for the Egypt 2026 pastor vision trip with Frontier Fellowship and The Fellowship Community. We have a good group of women and men and spots left. We have scholarships available to make sure you can join us!

Our itinerary includes the great sights of Luxor and Cairo, meeting with mission partners starting new churches and sending missionaries, participating in their annual prayer conference, spending time together in devotions and debrief, celebrating the 125th anniversary of the Synod of the Nile and building great friendships along the way.

This summer, I spent five days at the New Wilmington Mission Conference and had the opportunity to talk with Ethan and Philana about the trip and the work of Frontier Fellowship to encourage the mission of the Egyptian church. Philana fell in love with Egypt as a member of Zionsville Pres, and just recently came on staff with FF. She loves the hospitality and passion of the people of Egypt and is coordinating our trip.

At NWMC I also had the privilege of meeting Anne Zaki, both a product of Presbyterian mission in Egypt and now assistant professor at the Evangelical Theological Seminary in Cairo and a powerful preacher. At General Assembly in Milwaukee this summer I had the opportunity to meet Sam Adel from the Synod of the Nile and he's excited for our visit.

Presbyterian mission has been on our minds lately since the changes in our denominational structure and elimination of co-workers. But mission is alive and well in the PCUSA and we are going to visit one of the most exciting regions in the world today. I'm grateful for our history and heritage--God has been at work through Presbyterian mission in Egypt since 1854! There is so much for us to learn about mission, evangelism and prayer from the Synod of the Nile. Our desire is for this trip to increase our understanding and commitment to global partnerships.

We are hoping to have a final team identified soon, so if you would like to join us, now is the time to sign up! Reach out at [email protected], and we'll get you connected.

08/11/2026

Last spring, a cohort of TFC churches in southern California, led by a team from Fuller Seminary and funded through a grant from San Fernando Presbytery, met over a period of several months to challenge themselves to grow younger.

One participant, Rev. Daryl Ellis, reflected on the experience:

"What sets the TFC/Growing Young program apart is that it goes way beyond questions of strategy or marketing in relation to reaching young people. It gets to the heart of the matter: to what degree are our churches willing to prioritize listening to, loving, and serving with young people with authenticity and generational integration? Only by engaging that question can we move beyond the kind of superficial interest that is merely self-preservation and into the gospel-centered and empathy-driven journey of growing young."

TFC is hoping that this cohort can serve as a model for leaders in other parts of the country to do something similar. We want all of our TFC churches to grow young - not just because we want our churches to continue to exist (though we certainly do!) - but because the gospel is good news for all generations.

These initiatives and others like it are only possible because of your support for TFC. We're still trying to raise $50,000 in new giving by the end of the summer. Please help keep the momentum going and give to TFC. Visit us today at https://www.fellowship.community/give.

08/04/2026

TFC is pleased to welcome Sung Joo to the TFC Board. Sung currently serves as pastor of the Korean Presbyterian Church of Palm Beach.

"Growing up in São Paulo, Brazil, as the son of Korean immigrants was both exciting and challenging. Just as I was becoming comfortable with my Korean Brazilian identity, I moved to the United States for college. While that began another journey of discovering my cultural identity, it was easier because of the rich diversity that defines American society.

During my senior year of college, after studying psychology, I sensed God's call to ministry. I began searching for seminaries and ultimately attended Princeton Theological Seminary, having been raised in the Presbyterian tradition.

My tri-cultural background has given me the privilege of serving in a variety of ministry contexts—as an associate pastor in Korea, a missionary in Brazil, and now as the pastor of a Korean American church in the United States.

I also had the opportunity to attend one of the first Fellowship Gatherings in Orlando, Florida, many years ago. I deeply appreciated the Spirit-filled worship, thought-provoking plenary sessions, and meaningful relationships built through small group discussions."

Welcome to the Board, Sung! Thank you for serving TFC!

07/30/2026

"You have all have noticed that 40 is a very important number in scripture. Whenever it is used–and it is used a LOT–it means a really, really long time. When the Bible uses 40 it almost inevitably means there is a crisis, OR God’s people have a critical decision to prepare for, OR they have to learn something really important. 40 means: time to pay attention. Think about it. Noah in the ark, Israel wandering in the desert, Elijah journeying to the mountain, Jonah warning the Ninevites to repent, Jesus in the wilderness wrestling with the devil…whether 40 years or 40 days, it’s a long, long time."

TFC Board member Dan Baumgartner reflects on 30 years of ministry and reminds us to look for God. Read more at https://www.fellowship.community/blog/the-long-haul.

07/29/2026

Check out this video from the 2026 National Gathering. Hear Rev. Dr. Scott Sunquist, President of Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, remind us of the importance of Jesus' last words. TFC is committed to encouraging churches get connected to God's mission in the world. If you want to help, support TFC at https://www.fellowship.community/give.

Hear Rev. Dr. Scott Sunquist, President of Gordon-Conwell Theologic...

07/28/2026

In 2025, the future of global mission in the PCUSA changed. It was jarring to many mission co-workers, churches, and individuals who gave their time, talents, and treasure to this beautiful ministry that spanned decades, touched many corners of the globe, and brought the good news to those who needed it most.

It was jarring to us, too. To highlight and encourage church engagement in the world, TFC has formed partnerships with organizations like Frontier Fellowship, The Outreach Foundation, The Antioch Partners, and Friends of Forman. And it's clear that global mission is alive and well in the PCUSA and beyond.

All of these organizations, along with others, sponsored and exhibited at our 2026 National Gathering. Their presence changed our gathering and reminded us that we remain connected to what God is doing in the world and that the next generation of global church leaders is already on the move.

Want to learn more? Join these organizations and others at the Connecting Mission Leaders Conference this fall. We'll be there, too.

We're also partnering with Frontier Fellowship on a trip to Egypt this fall. If you'd like to join us, reach out.

We invite you to pray for God's mission in the world. And please give to TFC so that these partnerships can continue and the next generation of missionaries can get their start. https://www.fellowship.community/give

07/23/2026

"Every General Assembly has highs and lows. The Fellowship Community was well represented at GA by Executive Director Mike McClenahan and Advisory Board member Scott Mann among other Fellowship-affiliated commissioners, delegates, and observers. We hosted a table with all other Presbyterian ministries and groups and gathered before and during GA for prayer, support, and resourcing participants."

TFC Executive Director Mike McClenahan and Advisory Board Member Scott Mann share their reflections on this year's General Assembly. Read more at https://www.fellowship.community/blog/reflections-from-ga.

07/21/2026

It's been a big beginning to summer in the TFC world. So grateful to advisory board member Scott Mann for gathering and supporting GA commissioners for their two weeks of committees and plenaries in Milwaukee. Scott and I wrote a reflection of our time together, which can be found at https://www.fellowship.community/blog/reflections-from-ga.

We continue to make progress on mission partnerships--and I'm leading a pastor vision trip to Egypt this fall. Please check it out and join us for an insightful trip to one of the most exciting areas of the world where the good news of Jesus is shaping and sending the church. This week I'll be at the New Wilmington Mission Conference where Anne Zaki, professor at the Evangelical Presbyterian Seminary in Cairo, will be the featured speaker and I will be leading one workshop on spiritual formation for missional living and participating in another with Don Dawson on the future of Presbyterian Global Missions.

And we are grateful for the support of the Leadership Pipeline announced in April at the National Gathering, and we are reaching out to new seminarians and pastoral candidates, as well as those interested in training, placing, and supporting new pastoral leaders. I'm having conversations with seminaries and colleges who are very interested in partnering with TFC to train evangelical Presbyterians. More to come in the months ahead.

I realized in Milwaukee last month that you and I live with a constant state of anxiety with GA every two years. One year in the anticipation of what's coming and one year in understanding what happened. That constant place of wondering, worrying, advocating, and defending issues that are front or back burner issues creates an exhaustion, a weariness. "How do I talk about that to my congregation?" Scott has a good word for us in the article we wrote together. But we also have each other to pray together, encourage each other, and remain faithful together.

If you or your session need help in this aftermath stage, please reach out to talk.

Remember what our friend Jerry Andrews always says: "We are better together than we are apart." It's true. Let's keep talking, praying and connecting with each other on regional calls, a quick text or a long phone call with a pastor colleague. As our other friend Paul always says: "Let us not become weary in doing good."

07/15/2026

Check out this video from the 2026 National Gathering. Hear Rev. David Kling outline TFC's vision for the leadership pipeline. Want to be part of our quest to raise up 250 new pastoral leaders by 2036? Reach out to us at [email protected] to learn more, and give to support this work at https://www.fellowship.community/give.

Rev. David Kling shares TFC's vision for the Leadership Pipeline an...