By Jeff Brumley Baptist and other Christians are reaching out to the victims of the many African-American church fires reported during the past couple of weeks, ministers say. And it doesn’t matter whether or not arson has been identified as…
Been there, done that: Some Baptist ministers have already officiated at same-sex marriages
By Jeff Brumley Same-sex weddings are the stuff headlines are made of these days — especially when Baptist ministers are embracing the ceremonies ruled legal in every state by the Supreme Court last Friday. The Courier-Journal of Louisville, Ky., recently featured Jason…
On their own: The challenges, blessings of being sole pastors of small churches
By Jeff Brumley Being the sole pastor of small church isn’t for the faint of heart, Baptist ministers say. Sermon preparation, visiting the sick and balancing the budget can be even more nerve-racking when being performed by a minister serving…
Chaplain: Military trains you to see ministry as God’s work, not yours
By Jeff Brumley Imagine spending three or four years in a place, building new ministries or reviving existing ones, only to be replaced by someone else and sent somewhere else to do it all over again. It’s a feeling that…
B.H. Carroll sees new administrative hub as key to decentralized, virtual future
By Jeff Brumley Texas-based B.H. Carroll Theological Institute has been steadily growing since its founding in 2004, with more staff, more students, more teaching churches and a global reach that expands every year. No wonder the organization made a big…
‘Soul lockdown’ afflicts nation, inspires tragedies like S.C. church shooting, activist says
By Jeff Brumley The Charleston church massacre is not a problem of gun violence or even of racism. Rather, it uncovers a spiritual sickness afflicting the American soul, social justice advocate Iva Carruthers told members and supporters of the New…
Baptists must do more to help immigrants, advocate says
By Jeff Brumley Baptists can no longer stand by and watch as Catholics, Mennonites, Methodists and other Christians take the lead in ministering to immigrants, a Baptist scholar and immigration advocate told members of the Baptist Peace Fellowship of North…
Pray for McKinney while in Dallas, ministers urge CBF Baptists
By Jeff Brumley Baptists and human rights, women in the Old Testament and the benefits of parish nursing are just a few of the topics Fellowship Baptists will be talking about at General Assembly this week. And there’s another topic…
Connecting faith and sports can be challenging, says seminary professor
By Jeff Brumley John White has competed against some of the world’s top athletes — and ministered to still more of them. “I raced against [future three-time Tour de France winner] Greg LeMond once and he would never know this, but…
Baptist scholars urge churches adopt in-depth theological teaching for lay people
By Jeff Brumley Ongoing spiritual formation for adults at Northminster Baptist Church in Jackson, Miss., goes way beyond Sunday school. In fact, it borders on divinity school. “Right now in our two-year study … we are studying Bible, church history…
Public church discipline case a reminder of Baptist past, if not present
By Jeff Brumley A Dallas megachurch got some unwanted publicity recently thanks to its harsh disciplining of a member some leaders believed improperly ended her marriage. On May 28, however, Pastor Matt Chandler of the Village Church stepped in, stopped the…
Waco shoot-out distorts their experience with bikers, say some Baptists
By Jeff Brumley Nine dead, 18 injured, 170 arrested — and a sullied reputation for motorcyclists everywhere. At least that’s how some have interpreted the May 17 shootout between motorcycle gangs in Waco, Texas. But Baptists who love riding say they…