RICHMOND, Va. — The Religious Herald launched on March 7 a new blogging site — HeraldBlogs — with an initial group of 16 bloggers drawn primarily from the Mid-Atlantic region, with a few from other parts of the country.
The site, which can be accessed at www.religiousheraldblogs.com, is linked to the Herald’s destination web site, www.religiousherald.org.
“These outstanding writers reflect a robust commitment to the values we share as Baptists as well as the diversity which also characterizes us,” said Robert Dilday, the Herald’s managing editor. “We believe this new initiative will enhance thoughtful and stimulating discourse about the issues which animate our Baptist community.”
Dilday said additional bloggers will be added over the next few weeks and months. The initial group includes:
-
Darryl Aaron, pastor of First Baptist Church (Highland Avenue), Winston-Salem, N.C.
-
Randy Ashcraft, pastor-in-residence at the Virginia Baptist Mission Board, Richmond, Va.
-
Dan Carlton, pastor of Downtown Baptist Church, Alexandria, Va.
-
Abbie Duenckel, minister for education and students at Ridge Baptis Church, Richmond, Va.
-
Derik Hamby, pastor of Randolph Memorial Baptist Church, Madison Heights, Va.
-
Matthew Johnson, pastor of First Baptist Church of Smithton in Belhaven, N.C.
-
Hannah McMahan, a recent graduate of the Wake Forest University School of Divinity, now studying for a graduate degree in religion and race in the South at the University of Mississippi.
-
Bailey Edwards Nelson, pastor of Flat Rock Baptist Church, Mount Airy, N.C.
-
Drexel Rayford, pastor of Walnut Grove Baptist Church, Mechanicsville, Va.
-
Michael Sciretti, minister of spiritual formation at Freemason Street Baptist Church, Norfolk, Va.
-
Connie Stinson, pastor of Luther Rice Memorial Baptist Church, Silver Spring, Md.
-
Nathan Taylor, associate pastor for Christian formation at Central Baptist Church, Richmond, Va.
-
Don Vanderslice, founding pastor of the Mosaic community in Austin, Texas, who currently works with Snoball, an Austin-based start-up that empowers change through social giving.
-
Jim White, executive editor of the Religious Herald, Richmond, Va.
-
Sammy Williams, pastor of Northminster Baptist Church, Richmond, Va.
-
Kristen White, student missions coordinator for Woman’s Missionary Union of Virginia, Roanoke, Va.
The writers will post blogs at varying frequencies, but Dilday said he expects there will be at least two or three fresh entries on the site itself every day. Links to new posts will appear on the Herald’s web site and readers also can receive e-mail alerts when blogs are posted.
HeraldBlogs is another step — endorsed by both staff and trustees — in the Herald’s expanded coverage of and partnering with Baptists of shared values in the Mid-Atlantic region, which the news organization defines as Virginia, North Carolina, Maryland and the District of Columbia.
Dilday said the expansion continues its “historic and valued partnership” with the Baptist General Association of Virginia, while exploring relationships with additional Baptist communities in the region.