MEMPHIS, Tenn. (ABP) — Tennessee Baptists voted overwhelmingly Nov. 14 to publicize whether nominees to leadership posts in the convention affirm the "Baptist Faith and Message," a controversial confession of faith adopted by the national Southern Baptist Convention. Messengers to…
N.C. Baptists reject bylaw changes giving colleges, others more freedom
GREENSBORO, N.C. (ABP) — Messengers to the annual North Carolina Baptist state convention meeting struck down proposed bylaw changes that would have given convention-related institutions more influence over the appointment of trustees and directors. The proposed amendments, more than a…
Virginia Baptists increase budget for 2007
VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. (ABP) — Virginia Baptists adopted a $14.2 million budget to fund their ministries in 2007 — a $100,000 increase over this year's budget goal. The 1,053 messengers attending the annual meeting of the Baptist General Association of…
Texas Baptists approve measures to ‘restore trust’ after Valley scandal
DALLAS (ABP) — “Together We Are Doing More” was the stated theme, but healing from financial scandal was the subtext that dominated the annual meeting of the Baptist General Convention of Texas. Messengers to the Nov. 13-14 meeting elected officers,…
Anne Davis, social-work pioneer, dies in Waco, Texas
WACO, Texas (ABP) — Anne Davis, the renowned Baptist social worker, died Nov. 9. She was 69. Born in Baskerville, Va., Davis grew up in a rural farming community. After earning degrees from Averett College, Westhampton College at the University…
N.C. Baptists adopt strictest policy against gay-friendly churches
GREENSBORO, N.C. (ABP) — Baptist churches in North Carolina will have to deny membership to gays or face expulsion from the Baptist State Convention of North Carolina. Messengers to the convention's annual meeting voted Nov. 14 to add language to…
‘Inflated’ reports of new churches also mar Arango’s work in Mexico
DALLAS (ABP) — Otto Arango exported to Latin America the church-planting strategies he developed in South Texas. But some observers familiar with his work in Mexico say Arango — the central figure in an investigation that revealed misuse and mismanagement…
Piper Institute to discuss role of founder in Valley scandal
DALLAS (ABP) — A called meeting of the board of the Piper Institute for Church Planting was scheduled for Nov. 14 in Dallas to consider allegations of misuse and mismanagement of church-starting funds by the institute's founder, Otto Arango, and…
Arkansans approve bingo for religious, charitable causes
LITTLE ROCK, Ark., (ABP) — An Arkansas constitutional amendment legalizing charitable bingo and raffles passed Nov. 7, despite the efforts of Baptists to defeat it. Amendment 1, which passed with 69 percent of the vote, will allow non-profit organizations to…
Dallas church provides teaching ground for young ministers learning the ropes
DALLAS (ABP) — Lying in a hospital bed, Wilshire Baptist Church's pastor emeritus Bruce McIver told a close friend something he'd thought about for a long time. “Two months before he died, we talked about his desire to see more…
CBF names first coordinator for U.S. disaster response
ATLANTA (ABP) — Charles Ray, a long-time Little Rock, Ark., resident, has been named the first coordinator for the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship's U.S.-based disaster response team. He'll begin his new position Jan. 1, 2007. The two-year position was created through…
Supreme Court tackles ‘partial-birth’ abortion again — with 2 new justices
WASHINGTON (ABP) — The man who may cast the deciding vote in the Supreme Court's first major abortion cases in six years tipped his hand little during oral arguments Nov. 8. Justice Anthony Kennedy asked a cascade of highly technical…