By Jeff Brumley Pastors and scholars familiar with a new book about liturgical worship say its publication signals the practice’s spread in Baptist churches who realize ancient Christian practices are inherently missional and may lure younger generations to the faith….
CBF ready to help flood victims
By Jeff Brumley The Cooperative Baptist Fellowship is keeping an eye on the flooding in Colorado and stands prepared to help if and when American Baptist disaster planners ask for it, CBF’s top disaster official said today. Tommy Deal added…
Baptist out to ‘reform’ homophobia
By Jeff Brumley A gay, married man in Springfield, Va., believes his childhood Baptist roots and conservative Christian upbringing will help him convince homosexuals estranged from the church that the Bible isn’t out to get them. Dave Farmer says his…
Colo. church faces flooding
By Jeff Brumley The flooding that killed at least three Coloradans and forced the evacuations of thousands of others also menaced downtown Boulder churches and their members. Pastor Bob Ballance of Pine Street Church told ABPnews today that nearby roads and…
Chaplain ‘forever changed’ by war
By Jeff Brumley They don’t give Purple Hearts for the kind of wounds Air Force Maj. Charles Seligman suffered in Iraq, but that doesn’t make them any less real. “I was what they called a wounded healer,” said Seligman, a…
Church shares passion for orphan soles
By Jenny Pope Most churches greet the rush of the back-to-school season with special worship services and promotion Sundays, but one Houston church stays grounded with an annual project that has now helped protect the feet of more than 100,000…
Like parents, like daughter
By Jeff Brumley Now and then, a preacher’s kid follows a parent into the ministry. But when the moment of decision came for Leah Anderson Reed, she decided to follow both her father and mother into ordination. Reed, 27, was ordained last month…
More Baptists hitting the gridiron
By Jeff Brumley The excitement around Mercer University football, which resumes Saturday after a 72-year hiatus, has been off the charts. Season tickets sold out long ago and the stadium was redesigned mid-construction to add thousands of extra seats. Athletic…
NABF retools disaster response
By Jeff Brumley Members of the North American Baptist Fellowship’s Disaster Response Network, meeting in Texas this week, decided on a leadership structure they hope will provide greater continuity and flexibility to the group’s operations. The group also agreed its…
CBF leader pushes for immigration reform
By Jeff Brumley Cooperative Baptist Fellowship leader Suzii Paynter ramped up her advocacy for immigration reform Aug. 28 in a conference call with reporters urging Texans in Congress to approve moral legislation that takes into account the economic needs of…
Moderates seek exit from ‘messy middle’
By Jeff Brumley Many are convinced that beyond addressing material and spiritual needs, moderate Baptist churches must become more vocal advocates for “the least of these” in society. Some are forming congregational programs, while institutions like the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship are studying…
Metro Baptist pastor trades NYC for NC pulpit
By Jeff Brumley Through e-mails and Facebook posts Thursday, Alan Sherouse informed extended friends and colleagues that he’s stepping down as pastor of Metro Baptist Church to lead a church in North Carolina. “I am in the midst of transition…