Our Community

Shepherding — A Priority

Second Presbyterian Church has put intentional energy into efforts to shepherd its people. In this regard, over the last two years an Every Member Matters campaign has been mounted to insure that every member is within the caring context of a Congregational Community (Sunday School). For several years emphasis has been placed on church discipline and the restoration and peacemaking ministry has resulted. This ministry seeks to bolster members in situations of divorce or addictions to speak the truth in love.

  • AMEN Bible Study began in the fall of 1995 and has grown to over 450 regular attendees at a 6:30 a.m. men’s Bible study that meets on Thursday mornings. This Bible Study draws unchurched men and men from various churches in the Memphis area.
  • An array of women’s Bible studies brings around 400 women on campus weekly.
  • The youth ministry has exploded over the last few years with record numbers impacted through outreach and discipleship.
  • We have a large college ministry and staff, called Campus Outreach, who minister, in addition on two local area college campuses and on seven college campuses in the Mid-South and Midwest portions of the United States. This ministry is akin to the evangelism and discipleship ministries of Campus Crusade for Christ or Navigators
  • A movement has begun in our young adult singles, called CrossRoads, with a strong teaching ministry and intentional mentoring.
  • Through mentoring and marriage conferences and a partnership with Families Matter, the family is taken seriously and resources are brought to bear to strengthen and encourage marriages and family life.
  • The children are being encouraged as worshippers through the growing choir ministry and the development of an arts and culture ministry.

2PC’s vision to be a Kingdom center has already begun to be a reality. It is committed to being:

  • A training and healing center for broken lives and families
  • An evangelistic center
  • A resource center for the transformation of Memphis and the world
  • A catalyst for leadership development for Memphis and the world.

Our Current Staff

The staff at Second Presbyterian Church is a special team of people that God has called together and gifted to minister in a particular way to the city of Memphis in this time. Under the passionate and visionary leadership of our Senior Minister, we are purposefully and strategically building God’s Kingdom. We enjoy harmony and encouragement in our daily work and the full support of our congregation. Regular staff meetings, times for devotions, prayer, retreats and strategic planning all serve to bring unity and a shared vision to the lay and staff leadership. The 2PC body enjoys a unique sense of unity.

Teaching and Training Center

2PC serves as a strong teaching and training center edifying its members and reaching out to the community, both believers and seekers. Three major conferences (World Missions, Mission USA, and Christian Life) annually provide a forum for vision and a challenge to live an integrated life of faith and purpose.

An annual vision banquet, in addition to two missions conferences, are strategic in giving vision to the fulfillment of the Great Commission at 2PC sphere of influence in keeping with its growing resources. Such speakers as Clive Calvert, Randy Pope, Raju Abraham, Stuart Briscoe and Eric Swanson have inspired and challenged the members to be purposeful in spreading the gospel in Word and deed in the city and world in which they live.

The Christian Life Conference, an annual theological conference, provides worldview training and doctrinal teaching with real life application delivered by a two-person team (a pastor and a scholar). These teams have included speakers such as Tim Keller, John Guest, Sinclair Ferguson, Ravi Zacharias, Bruce Waltke, D. A. Carson and Walt Kaiser.

2PC also has taken on its own role of developing leaders. The church officers must undergo a 12-week training course and attend an annual conference and retreat. Innovative partnerships with both faith-based and “secular” organizations have birthed leadership development for urban pastors (Memphis Center for Urban Theological Studies - MCUTS), for emerging young leaders (NEXUS), for minority and women business leaders (MMBC Majority Partners), for college graduates desiring world-life view mentoring (The Fellows Program), for youth staff (youth summer intern and youth 2-year intern program), and pastors (Pastoral Internship Program).

Stewardship

Stewardship is taken seriously and giving to the general budget, missions and the 2PC Foundation is steadily increasing. Research tells us that 2PC ranks among the top 5% of churches nationally in giving by its members, which reflects the heart of the people toward the vision and ministry of the church. The 2PC Foundation was established in 1998. It began with $3.6 Million dollars and now is over $16 million. The Foundation puts the interest of the endowment work for the Kingdom purposes under the following guidelines:

  • 35% to the development of Christian leadership in Memphis, America, and around the world
  • 20% for planting healthy churches in Memphis, America, and around the world
  • 35% for the spiritual revitalization of Memphis Urban Neighborhoods through holistic, church-based ministries which care for the body and soul
  • 10% to innovative methods of spreading the gospel and fulfilling the Great Commission

Urban and World Missions

Second Presbyterian Church (2PC) is wholly committed to make a difference for Christ in the city of Memphis and in the world at large. In the past few years God has brought together a team of men and women who take Christ’s commands seriously. Staff and lay leaders alike who share a commitment to the Word of God, ministering in the community, nation, and world and calling the lost home and being a home to the lost.

Second is committed to partnering with people and agencies in the city and world. More and more members are becoming involved in short-term mission trips, domestic and foreign. Over the last several years we have experienced a steady climb in the number of members of all ages participating in mission trips to nine world epicenters in partnering with indigenous leaders in countries such as:

  • The Ukraine
  • Africa
  • Cambodia
  • Argentina
  • China
  • India

Each epicenter is led by a committed lay person. Several times a year a team of people and resources travel to these areas of the world where 2PC invests in building churches, home churches, schools, orphanages and micro-enterprise ventures. Our Mission USA and World Mission budgets are over $2 million. Our strategy is to form strategic partnerships for training, relief work, and church planting. 2PC has 45 such partnerships, and has planted 12 churches, among them Hope Presbyterian Church, started by a former Executive Minister, Dr. Craig Strickland. He left 2PC to plant what is today one of the fastest growing Presbyterian Churches in the country. Hope has outgrown her older mother church and is a model of reaching the un-churched.

Shared Space

Our campus is shared with Presbyterian Day School the largest boys day school in the country and the Christian Psychological Center. The school was founded in 1949 by the church, which controls a majority of the Board of Directors. Under the leadership of the current headmaster, the school is growing and initiating a multi-million dollar capital campaign to improve and expand its facilities. The Counseling Center has six doctors, two licensed professional counselors, and one licensed clinical social worker who serve the community in individual counseling, training of pastors and church staff, and furthering ministry in the urban context.