Preaching in a Purple Church
How do you preach faithfully to a purple congregation? Red vs. blue partisan tensions are also present in the pews of "purple churches," both large and small, creating weekly angst for the preacher. The preacher in the purple church often feels like they are on a homiletical tightrope. They want to follow the text where it leads, or speak to a pressing contemporary issue, but are unsure of how to avoid falling into the trap of political divides and partisan echo chambers.
Listen to these preachers in a conversation held the day after the 2021 presidential inauguration about faithful preaching in the purple church.
How it Works
When: Available Now
Duration: 90 minutes
Format: Recorded
Price: Free
What You'll Learn
- Hear the stories of preachers navigating politically divided congregations in positive ways.
- Discover how to preach faithfully without falling into the trap of political polarization.
Audience
Pastors, Lay People
Presenters
Patrick W.T. Johnson
Patrick W. T. Johnson, PhD '13, MDiv '06, began his call to ministry at First Presbyterian Church Asheville, North Carolina on December 15, 2015. Johnson has served congregations in several states, including Virginia, California, and New Jersey, and is a graduate of the College of William and Mary and Princeton Theological Seminary. Prior to being called to Asheville, he was a solo pastor for six years in New Jersey and adjunct faculty at Princeton Seminary. He is the author of numerous published articles and reviews, and the book The Mission of Preaching: Equipping the Community for Faithful Witness.
Amy Miracle
Amy Miracle is the pastor at Broad Street Presbyterian Church in Columbus, Ohio. A lifelong Presbyterian, she grew up in Dayton, Ohio, and attended Princeton University. Following graduation, a Marshall Scholarship sent her to Northern Ireland where she received her Master of Social Sciences in Irish political studies from Queen’s University of Belfast. Upon returning to the United States, she earned her Master of Divinity from Union Theological Seminary in New York City. Before coming to Broad Street, Pastor Miracle served as associate pastor at Central Presbyterian Church in Denver, Colorado, and senior pastor and head of staff at Westminster Presbyterian Church in Des Moines, Iowa.
Hardy Kim
Hardy Kim is head of staff at Sunnyvale Presbyterian Church in Sunnyvale, California. In 1996 he received his bachelor’s degree in government from Harvard University and enrolled in law school at the University of Michigan until confirming his calling in ministry after serving a year as a Presbyterian Young Adult Volunteer in Mission in Belfast, Northern Ireland. Kim received a Master of Divinity degree in 2007 from McCormick Theological Seminary in Chicago, Illinois. In 2008, he completed a two-year program at Fourth Presbyterian Church as a Lilly Pastoral Resident and continued that ministry as Associate Pastor for Church Growth Ministries at First Presbyterian Church of Atlanta before returning to Fourth Church in 2011 to serve as Associate Pastor for Evangelism. He joined Sunnyvale Presbyterian Church in 2017.