RICHMOND, Va. (ABP) — When a minister gets fired, will a search committee automatically set his or her resume aside or give it a fair hearing? Many pastors who had to leave their churches discover search committees are reluctant to…
Matching church and clergy methods differ by denomination
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (ABP) — Matching clergy supply and demand is a chief concern for all denominations, but various church traditions address it in different ways. Hierarchical denominations like Episcopalians, Methodists and Lutherans view matching clergy and congregations as part of…
To beckon Baby Boomers, adopt multifaceted ministry approaches
WACO, Texas (ABP) — Age means more than the number of birthdays a person has celebrated. It's a mix of chronological, psychological, functional and social factors, creating a complicated environment for churches to minister to older adults, said Amy Hanson,…
Baptist delegation visits Uzbekistan
FALLS CHURCH, Va. (ABP) — The Baptist World Alliance and the European Baptist Federation conducted a joint human-rights visit to Uzbekistan Sept. 8-12. The purposes were to promote religious freedom in Uzbekistan and strengthen the relationship between the Baptist Union…
Baptist leader says executing murderers is pro-life
LOUISVILLE, Ky. (ABP) – A Southern Baptist seminary president says that according to the Bible, capital punishment is pro-life. “The death penalty is not about retribution,” Albert Mohler, president of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, said in a podcast Sept. 22….
Presidential candidate links Israel policy to religious faith
NEW YORK (ABP) – An already contentious debate about the role of faith in presidential politics took a new twist Sept. 20 when Texas Gov. Rick Perry told a New York City press conference he believes America’s continued support for…
Southern Baptists consider sale of conference center
GLORIETA, N.M. (ABP) – The Southern Baptist Convention is scaling back operations at Glorieta Conference Center and considering sale of the 2,100-acre campus near Santa Fe, N.M. Trustees of LifeWay Christian Resources voted recently to cut back from year-round operations…
Cooperative Baptist Fellowship effort to address rural poverty in Missouri
COLUMBIA, Mo. (ABP) – A national initiative for community development may be expanding into Missouri in an effort to alleviate rural poverty. The Cooperative Baptist Fellowship launched Together for Hope in 2001 as a long-term commitment to working with people…
Professors denounce ‘Christian Zionism’
OAK RIDGE, Tenn. (ABP) – Two Baptist ethicists released an open letter Sept. 19 opposing “Christian Zionism” and its effect on U.S. policy toward Israel. As Palestinian leaders prepared to make a unilateral declaration of statehood before the United Nations…
Southern Baptists consider name change
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (ABP) – After 166 years as the Southern Baptist Convention, the nation’s second-largest religious body could be getting a new name. SBC President Bryant Wright announced Sept. 19 the appointment of a committee to study whether it is…
Belief in active God & free market closely linked, survey reveals
WACO, Texas (ABP) — Americans who strongly believe God has a plan for their lives are most likely to believe God guides the United States through a free market — and they want to see the government get out of God’s…
Coalition asks Obama to clarify remarks on faith-based hiring
WASHINGTON (ABP) –Fifty-six groups, including the Baptist Joint Committee for Religious Liberty, sent a sharply-worded letter Sept. 19 asking President Obama to clarify remarks he made this summer about employment discrimination by faith-based groups receiving taxpayer funding. While running for…