Between the notoriously long hours, the unrealistic expectations and the severe stress on health and family, church ministry often becomes too much for many — in fact most — ministers to handle. For some it results in being fired, quitting or…
Baylor student continually relives Paris attacks — even in Waco
Baylor University senior Olivia Gambelin is a passionate advocate for international travel and study abroad. She highly recommends it after spending last fall studying in Rome. “A great way to open your mind to other world views is to travel,”…
Focus must be on behavior, not age, in shaping relevant ministry
For years now, Christian communities have been intensely focused on serving Baby Boomers, Millennials and other groups demarcated by age. But that focus alone is no longer going to cut it for churches genuinely interested in being relevant to the…
Types of Christians drawn to Enneagram growing
Michael Sciretti Jr. has spent years teaching about, and guiding students through, the Enneagram, an ancient practice that inspires spiritual growth through personality typing. And Sciretti, who is a Baptist, said he has also learned how important it is that…
Hurricane Matthew teaching churches a lesson on patience, flexibility
Hurricane Matthew is forcing churches from Florida to the Carolinas to practice flexibility. The folks at First Baptist Church in St. Simons Island, Ga., are an example of that. The congregation has been pushed to embrace the unknown since most…
Most Americans believe in supernatural healing. But do Baptists?
Most Americans believe the supernatural can heal physical illnesses and ailments, a new study shows. And evangelicals lead the way in that belief, Barna found. But determining where Baptists fall in those attitudes depends on whether they have adopted the…
Common missionary and military lives prepared Baptist chaplains for marriage
As a couple, Jim and Jo Kirkendall take the concept of “having things in common” to a whole new level. Both grew up overseas as children of missionaries with the then-Foreign Mission Board. Both became Navy chaplains – and met…
Mission work takes on legal dimensions for Va.-based field personnel
Mission work and ministry are taking on a dizzying array of new looks in the 21st century. Just ask Greg and Sue Smith, Baptist missionaries who spent years performing traditional mission work in Latin America before opening a ministry serving…
Protesting injustice is the modern Baptist’s evangelism, activists say
Like many who grew up Southern Baptist, Betsy Sowers fervently believes evangelism is the answer to the most pressing issues of the day. “I am very Baptist about that,” the Massachusetts resident said. But Sowers doesn’t define evangelism only as talking to…
Churches urged to talk to Millennials and nones, not just read about them
The news just never seems to get better for American churches. A poll released this month confirms statistically what clergy and congregations are hearing anecdotally and through the media practically all the time: the percentage of U.S. adults who are…
Latino funerals often foster Baptist and Catholic cooperation
Sermons in the United States are said to be getting shorter and shorter. Maybe. But that’s not the case for pastors officiating funerals for Latino Christians. “Oh yes, the preaching can last an hour,” said Ruben Ortiz, pastor of Primera Iglesia…
ESV gets final revision as ‘unchanged’ word of God, publisher says
The third most popular translation of the Bible has just become, officially, the unchanging word of God. The latest edition of the English Standard Version, or ESV, included a 52-word revision followed by a board vote declaring the text will…