By Jeff Brumley Interfaith dialogue is on the rise, not just in formal conversations led by judicatory leaders but in local communities where friendships forge as ministers of various faiths work together for common goals amid increasing religious diversity in…
Welcome to ABP’s blog site
ABP News has added a new blogs section to further serve its readers. Beginning today, ABP will publish one or more blogs daily, Monday through Friday, submitted by a variety of lay and ordained writers. Topics will be as varied…
NC network has eyes to see region’s poor
By Jeff Brumley The demographics of Halifax County, N.C., are appalling. Unemployment is above 13 percent and one resident in four earns income below the poverty line. The county is part of the fourth poorest congressional district in the nation….
Border violence keeps mission teams home
By Jeff Brumley Steadily declining mission trips to Mexico due to drug violence has left many Mexicans feeling abandoned just when their anxiety levels are peaking, missions experts in Texas say. “It’s unprecedented,” said E. Daniel Rangel, director of River Ministry…
McAfee student and Lost Boy: Questioning God is healthy
Haitians push church out of comfort zone
Jeff Brumley Nobody in Mount Olive, N.C., was quite prepared for an influx of Haitian immigrants seeking low-paying jobs in area poultry processing plants, but the community’s First Baptist Church viewed the challenge as an opportunity. Dennis Atwood knew that…
CBF explores new ways to do church
By Jeff Brumley A period of guided spiritual direction is often recommended for Christians struggling with their enthusiasm for discipleship. The same principle holds for congregations, Davis said, and is the approach she will employ as a speaker at “Impacting…
Pastors juggle ministry, motherhood
By Jeff Brumley Mothers’ Day 2012 will dawn with more women than ever in Baptist pulpits. But even those who welcome the trend say the corresponding ascension of the minister mom is creating tensions, too, within families, and the hearts…
Burmese Baptists struggle to adapt to life in United States
By Jeff Brumley Most pastors will attest the ministry isn’t anything close to a 40-hour work week. On top of sermon preparation, preaching, hospital visits and counseling, the leader of one congregation of Myanmar refugees in Jacksonville, Fla., has an…