DALLAS (ABP) — Churches that aren’t cutting their budgets due to the economic downturn are, by and large, taking measures to curb expenses, according to a survey the National Association of Church Business Administration has done of its members. The…
The challenge of the new urbanism
Lights strung from a sanctuary’s ceiling at Epiphany. Art galleries and exhibits. Bicycle repair seminars. Cafes and coffee houses. Worship gatherings in downtown music venues. In meeting the challenges of revitalized urban neighborhoods across the country, urban churches are rethinking…
The challenge of the new urbanism
Lights strung from a sanctuary’s ceiling at Epiphany. Art galleries and exhibits. Bicycle repair seminars. Cafes and coffee houses. Worship gatherings in downtown music venues. In meeting the challenges of revitalized urban neighborhoods across the country, urban churches are rethinking…
CBF cuts spending by 20 percent
Moderator Jack Glasgow presides at Coordinating Council meeting. DECATUR, Ga. (ABP) — Starting March 1, the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship will operate on a contingency spending plan that cuts staff salaries by 1 percent and reduces funding for theology schools and…
CBF cuts spending by 20 percent, partner funding by 30 percent
Moderator Jack Glasgow presides at Coordinating Council meeting.DECATUR, Ga. (ABP) — Starting March 1, the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship will operate on a contingency spending plan that cuts staff salaries by 1 percent and reduces funding for theology schools and other…
FCC to churches: Don’t throw out your wireless mics — yet
WASHINGTON (ABP) — Churches: Don't throw out your wireless microphones — yet. With the shift of the nation's broadcast communications from analog to digital, early indications were that wireless microphones might become outdated or even illegal. A Federal Communications Commission…
Baptists gather in Rome for peace conference
ROME (ABP) — Baptists active in non-violent struggles for justice convened Feb. 9-14 in Italy for a conference aimed at strengthening the Baptist peacemaking witness around the world. Between 300 and 400 Christians, many from troubled and war-torn regions who…
SBC Executive Committee postpones vote on membership of Texas church
Lyn Robbins, left, discusses action with Stephen Wilson, chair of the Executive Committee's bylaws work group. NASHVILLE, Tenn. (ABP) — The Southern Baptist Convention Executive Committee has asked a Texas church to clarify its views on homosexuality before determining whether…
SBC Executive Committee postpones vote on ouster of Broadway Baptist
Lyn Robbins, left, discusses action with Stephen Wilson, chair of the Executive Committee's bylaws work group. NASHVILLE, Tenn. (ABP) — The Southern Baptist Convention Executive Committee has asked a Texas church to clarify its views on homosexuality before determining whether…
Contact with global partners gave church expanded vision
Lynne Hybels told participants at The Next Big Idea Conference how Willow Creek Church, near Chicago, became transformed through its global partnerships in developing countries. (BAYLOR PHOTOGRAPHY/Robert Rogers)WACO, Texas (ABP) — When Lynne Hybels and her husband, Bill, started a…
Service central to becoming an externally focused church
WACO, Texas (ABP) — Chase Oaks Church in Plano, Texas, and LifeBridge Christian Church in Longmont, Colo., minister 817 miles apart. But they stand side-by-side in their response a devastating question-and-answer. Q: If their church evaporated, would anybody outside the church…
Simple steps lead to ‘next-level’ ministry to communities
WACO, Texas (ABP) — Churches can strengthen the ministries they provide to their communities by taking five key steps, ministry specialist Amy Sherman told participants during the recent Next Big Idea conference at Baylor University. The “next level” of ministry…