We Are a Matthew 25 Presbytery
We are a Matthew 25 Presbytery. We joined this PCUSA movement in 2020, making a commitment to focus on three major areas:
- Building congregational vitality
- Dismantling structural racism
- Eradicating systemic poverty
As of today, 1,149 congregations have embraced the vision. In addition, 93 mid councils, and 63 groups have committed to helping our denomination become a more relevant presence worldwide.
Nineteen congregations in the Presbytery of New Hope signed up as part of the commitment to being Matthew 25 churches.
- Butner Presbyterian Church
- Calvary Presbyterian Church – Wilson
- Cary Presbyterian Church
- Covenant Presbyterian Church-Durham
- Davie Street Presbyterian Church
- Durham First Presbyterian Church
- Faith Presbyterian Church
- Hudson Memorial Presbyterian Church
- Kinston First Presbyterian Church
- Kirk of Holly Springs
- Kirk of Kildaire Presbyterian Church
- Roanoke Rapids First Presbyterian Church
- Saint Andrews Presbyterian Church – Raleigh
- St. Paul Presbyterian Church
- Timothy Darling Presbyterian Church
- Trinity Avenue Presbyterian Church
- West Raleigh Presbyterian Church
- Western Boulevard Presbyterian Church
- White Rock Presbyterian Church
The above churches represent 16.2% of the churches in the Presbytery of New Hope and 5,008 members, accounting for 21.4% of the presbytery’s membership. In committing to become a Matthew 25 mid council, we pledged to encourage 20% or more of our congregations to continue engaging in Matthew 25 type outreach and ministries.
Being committed to Matthew 25 is now understood as a covenantal commitment, a dedication to walking together in shared purpose and action, guided by our faith and commitment to Jesus Christ. This wasn’t always the case: Matthew 25 began in our denomination as an invitation extended to congregations, mid councils, and groups to formally commit to the vision by signing up. Over time, that invitation blossomed into a full-fledged movement across the denomination, engaging a wide range of Presbyterians in dynamic ministry, ultimately not requiring individual, congregation sign-ups.
The Matthew 25 invitation focuses on Matthew 25: 31-46, the parable of the sheep and goats in which Jesus makes clear, that what we do matters to God and how we treat others is important to God.
When we welcome others, we welcome Christ; when we bring together people who are divided, we are doing God’s reconciling work. We are called to serve Jesus by contributing to the well-being of the most vulnerable in all societies – rural and urban, small and large, young and not-so-young. From affordable housing to community gardens to equitable educational and employment opportunities to healing from addiction and mental illness to enacting policy change – there is not just one way to be a part of the Matthew 25 movement.
Make no mistake, Jesus is calling us to perform ordinary acts of compassion in daily life. In so doing, we continue Christ’s work of proclaiming release to captives and good news to the poor — the good news of God’s righteousness, justice and peace for all.
To this end, consider the following as possible resources for initiating and continuing Matthew 25 ministries with your church family and communities.
Also, be on the lookout for the Presbytery of New Hope Matthew 25 Church Discernment and Equipping Resource Guide – offering discernment questions for living into Matthew 25 faith in action and Presbytery-specific Matthew 25 stories and sermons. This Guide is currently being beta-tested and should be rolled out no later than Jan. 2026.
Resources
With this guide from the Presbyterian Publishing Corporation, you can easily review Matthew 25 resources for each of the three foci. Click through directly to product pages, and read excerpts. You can also email or print this to use for personal research or with committees.