By Jeff Brumley It’s natural for people to ask where God was when a wave of tornadoes killed nearly 50 people in Oklahoma in May 2013, pastors say. That was also the topic of a documentary that premiered May 16…
Baptist seminary in Pa. closes doors, citing online education competition
By Jeff Brumley A proliferation of available seminaries and the rise of distance learning has led a Baptist school in Lansdale, Pa. to close its doors after holding its final graduation ceremony last week. According to a story published by…
TV series aims to inspire future ministers to heed calling
By Jeff Brumley Mercer University’s McAfee School of Theology hopes a new weekly cable television series featuring its students, graduates and faculty will inspire some viewers to hear and heed their callings into ministry. “I believe most people are looking…
Presidents of two Baptist-affiliated universities in N.C. to retire
By Jeff Brumley The presidents of two North Carolina universities with Baptist affiliations have announced their impending retirements. Wingate University’s Jerry E. McGee announced in April he would retire in May 2015. He is Wingate’s 13th and longest serving president with…
Experience on Broadway enriches Baptist couple’s calling to special needs advocacy
By Jeff Brumley For most performers, making it to Broadway would be considered the apex of a career, the end-all, be-all of performing on stage. But for Amy and Ben Wright, who are deacons at First Baptist Church in Wilmington, N.C.,…
Multisite movement inspires growth, debate
By Jeff Brumley It’s been a decade since the Virginia Baptist Mission Board embraced the then-budding multisite church concept, becoming one of the first state organizations of any denomination to throw their institutional and financial weight into the movement. So, was…
Theology of workflow connects dots between spirituality and efficiency
By Jeff Brumley As assistant executive director of the Virginia Baptist Missions Board, Glenn Akins is charged with all kinds of big-picture kingdom work, including keeping churches up to speed on cultural trends and demographics. “It’s important for churches to…
CBF appeals for disaster response volunteers
By Jeff Brumley With assessments conducted and even some initial responses underway, disaster responders with the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship are now calling for volunteers for long-term tornado recovery projects. CBF U.S. Disaster Response Director Tommy Deal today issued a call…
Labyrinth transforms prayer life, Baptists say
By Jeff Brumley Rita Martin knows a thing or two about prayer as a lifelong Baptist who raised a family in the church. Or at least she thought she did until this past Maundy Thursday when she participated in a…