By Jeff Brumley Hospitality to a lot of Christians means taking a meal to a sick church friend or inviting neighbors over for a barbecue on Memorial Day. But neither of those meanings come even close to the spiritual practice…
Small church makes big strides despite location, trends
By Daniel Wallace and Jeff Brumley First Baptist Church of Covington, Texas, averaged slightly more than 50 in attendance when the congregation decided to build a sanctuary that seats 150 worshippers — in a community of 269 people. “We’re either crazy…
Baptist disaster recovery gears up for summer
By Jeff Brumley Baptists with a combined hankering for travel and hard work are in luck as denominational disaster recovery organizations are beginning to issue their calls for help this spring and summer. American Baptist Churches USA has posted three…
In Haiti, response to earthquake becomes a mission game-changer
By Jeff Brumley Like thousands of other faith-based groups, Virginia Baptists responded in big ways to the 2010 earthquake that ravaged Haiti. The $1 million they quickly raised was turned into aid that Baptists used to meet an array of…
Skepticism about Bible on the rise, but that doesn’t faze some ministers
By Jeff Brumley The number of people skeptical of the Bible is rising while those who view it as sacred is dropping, according to a recent American Bible Society survey. But those findings aren’t rattling some Baptist ministers. What concerns…
Water missions surge as churches see spiritual connection
By Jeff Brumley Water, it seems, is all the rage. Experts say the demand for global mission projects focused on providing clean water has become unquenchable as churches increasingly see water as one of the most efficient means of meeting…
Healthy church, preacher produce rare gift: pastoral longevity
By Jeff Brumley Jack Glasgow has seen things at Zebulon Baptist Church that fewer and fewer modern pastors have seen — or likely ever will see. Things like shepherding members of his North Carolina congregation from birth to ministry, and others from…
Simple living needn’t be radical in order to be transformative
By Jeff Brumley The lifestyle of simple living may appear intimidating to those who have only read about it or know someone who practices that spiritual discipline. Does it mean having to wear hemp clothing to church, digging a well…
Moderate Baptists to see second pastoral residency program
By Jeff Brumley Nothing John Jay Alvaro learned in divinity school prepared him for the “weird social dynamics” that goes with leading a church. Biblical languages, hermeneutics and even the occasional preaching class provided no guidance in how to manage…
Baptist pastor: ‘Noah’ film may be way to engage unchurched
By Jeff Brumley The new film Noah has yet to hit big screens nationwide, but that hasn’t kept some critics – namely conservative Christian and Muslim ones – from blasting the film for deviating from the strict scriptural text that…
Virginia church may look Anglican, but it’s fully Baptist
By Jeff Brumley Sunday mornings at All Souls Charlottesville are fairly common for an Anglican congregation. The Book of Common Prayer and the Revised Common Lectionary are standard, creeds are spoken together, the Eucharist is the central focus of the liturgy…
Contemplative practices gaining with youth, young adults
By Jeff Brumley Some contemplative spiritual practices may be as old as Christianity itself, but they are increasingly attracting younger generations hungry for alternatives to contemporary, flashy worship. Case in point: portions of an international Taizé pilgrimage hosted by First…