By Jeff Brumley Cliff Temple Baptist Church was responding to the needs of the Dallas neighborhoods around it long before the term “missional” came into vogue, and before Brent McDougal took the helm as senior pastor. But since McDougal’s arrival five…
For some Baptists, interfaith dialogue more practical than symbolic
By Jeff Brumley November means fall and fall means Thanksgiving and in many communities that means it’s time for some form of the annual interfaith gratitude service. Rabbis, imams, pastors and Hindu and Buddhist priests will process through synagogues, mosques,…
More Americans exploring, sharing faith online
By Jeff Brumley A Pew Research study released last week found that one out of every five Americans share their faith online on a weekly basis. It seems like a lot more than that to Chris Canary, a minister at…
Female minister cited by association for dismissing S.C. church
By Jeff Brumley A South Carolina church affiliated with the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship has been booted from its Southern Baptist association over women in leadership roles. The Independent-Mail in Anderson, S.C., reported that First Baptist Church of Pendleton has been…
With humor and hard work, church changes its ‘culture of giving’
By Jeff Brumley Two years ago, Second Baptist Church in Liberty, Mo. gambled that two cartoon cows would help foster a culture of generosity and transform stewardship in the congregration. It might sound crazy, but it worked, resulting in a…
For youth ministers, a challenge dealing with mental illness in adolescents
By Terry Goodrich and Jeff Brumley Many mental health disorders first surface during adolescence, and college and youth pastors are in a good position to offer help or steer youths elsewhere to find it. But many of those pastors feel…
Church attracts Millennials, in part, by hiring them
By Jeff Brumley When the blog site MillennialEvangelical published “5 Reasons Why There Are No Millennials in Your Church,” Bob Ballance couldn’t resist sharing it with his friends on Facebook. Not because there are no Millennials in the American Baptist…
Black Baptists in U.S. take on Ebola
By Jeff Brumley A coalition of black Baptist organizations announced today its intention to combat the ongoing Ebola outbreak in West Africa. The African-American Baptist Mission Collaboration issued a statement that its constituent members — the Lott Carey Baptist Foreign Mission…
Baptist-endorsed Army chaplain on front lines of Liberia Ebola battle
By Jeff Brumley Arm bumps instead of handshakes and twice-a-day temperature checks are among the steps taken by U.S. military personnel on the frontlines in the war against Ebola in Libera, says a U.S. Army chaplain endorsed by the Cooperative…
Baptist takes multisite feature to churches looking for ‘good preaching’
By Jeff Brumley One of the most pressing needs of struggling churches — good preaching — has inspired a Baptist pastor to launch a company providing a streaming sermon service. “This is something I have been thinking about for years,” said Jim…
Baptists seek guidance as same-sex marriage expands
By Jeff Brumley The widening legality of same-sex marriage has ministers and churches across the nation scrambling to respond. And Baptist pastors are right in the thick of what is in some quarters a frantic search for the right theologies…
BWA reconfirms 2015 Africa congress
By Jeff Brumley The 21st Baptist World Congress will convene as planned in Durban, South Africa, next year despite disease and travel concerns in Africa, Neville Callam, general secretary of the Baptist World Alliance, said in a news release Oct. 27….