JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (ABP) — The Missouri Baptist Foundation has named Christopher "Chris" Calmer as its new president. With a unanimous vote on Aug. 12, the board of trustees approved the nomination of Calmer as president, effective immediately. Chris Calmer…
Progressive National Baptist Convention celebrates 50 years
This story was corrected after its original posting WASHINGTON (ABP) – The Progressive National Baptist Convention celebrated its 50th anniversary with a tribute to 93-year-old Gardner Taylor, widely regarded as one of the nation’s greatest preachers. On Thursday of the…
BTSR announces new staff members
RICHMOND, Va. (ABP) — Baptist Theological Seminary at Richmond named a new vice president of advancement and a director of community life in early August. Tim Heilman Timothy Heilman assumed the vice president’s position on Aug. 1, becoming the seminary…
Can technology usher in another Pentecost?
DALLAS (ABP) — Texas Baptists are partnering with a non-denominational ministry to harness online language-translation technology that advocates say could be the best tool for cross-cultural evangelism since Pentecost. Called Hope Chat, the tool harnesses the power of ABBY, an…
Equipping the equippers
RICHMOND, Va. (ABP) — Call it a buzz word, a euphemism for the emergent movement or a description of profound shifts in ecclesiology, the term "missional" is entrenched in the vocabulary of 21st century Christianity. Since 2002, Wilshire Baptist Church…
Traditional divinity program aids ministry in nontraditional contexts
WACO, Texas (ABP) — Students who serve in nontraditional ministry settings — whether a postmodern congregation, a cowboy church or something in-between — benefit from the foundation provided in a traditional seminary curriculum, some educators and ministry practitioners insist. Baylor…
Seminaries adapt to changing religious landscape
Changes in America's religious landscape have had enormous impact on seminaries. Mainline schools that once mainly trained ministers for their own denominations now welcome students of all denominational backgrounds. MURFREESBORO, Tenn. (ABP) —Six years after starting as a pilot project,…
Pastor renews call for database of clergy credibly accused of sex abuse
ENID, Okla. (ABP) – An Oklahoma pastor says the Southern Baptist Convention should reconsider a database to help safeguard churches from clergy who are sexual predators. Wade Burleson Wade Burleson, pastor of Emmanuel Baptist Church in Enid, Okla., made a…
Texas Baptists send $25,000 for East Africa famine relief
DALLAS (ABP) –Texas Baptists are giving $25,000 through a group of churches to help victims of the East Africa famine. The convention is giving $20,000 from its disaster relief funds and $5,000 from the Texas Baptist Offering for World Hunger…