Thirty years ago this fall the editor and associate editor of the Religious Herald, Julian H. Pentecost and Tom Miller, respectively, invited this soon-to-be-columnist to lunch. They presented a proposition that their lunch guest begin to write a Baptist history…
TRENDING: What our words tell us, part 2: Demoralization
David Brooks’s recent New York Times op-ed column on Google’s “ngram” analysis revealed a stunning surge of individualism reflected in our language and literature in recent years. Another element revealed by analysis of words trending upward is what Brooks calls…
WINN RECOMMENDS: Books that matter
Some of the very best stories are the true ones. Here are two memoirs and one collection of heroic figures that would be worthy of your time. Booked, by Karen Swallow Prior (T.S. Poetry Press) Prior is an English…
VITAL SIGNS: The high cost of self-preservation
A young pastor was recently recounting the events that led to his dismissal. Throughout the painful ordeal, he had relied upon a small group of spiritually-mature trusted advisors to help him navigate the uncertainties he faced. As events unfolded, he…
Proposed budget for BGAV ministries sees slight increase over 2013 with few changes in allocations
LYNCHBURG, Va. — Funding for Virginia Baptist ministries next year will largely remain at 2013 levels if a proposed budget is adopted by the Baptist General Association of Virginia next month. The recommended $12,214,000 budget for 2014, unveiled by the…
Bluefield, W.Va., pastor Ed Fisher to be nominated as BGAV’s second vice president in November
BLUEFIELD, W.Va. — Edward Fisher, pastor of First Baptist Church in Bluefield, W.Va., will be nominated as second vice president of the Baptist General Association of Virginia when it meets in Fredericksburg, Va., Nov. 12-13. Bluefield, W.Va., pastor Ed Fisher…
Waynesboro, Va., pastor David Washburn nominated as treasurer of the BGAV and its Mission Board
LYNCHBURG, Va. — David Washburn, a Waynesboro, Va., pastor and former banker who has chaired the Baptist General Association of Virginia’s budget committee for two years, will be nominated as treasurer of the BGAV and the Virginia Baptist Mission Board…
If adopted in November, Mission Board-endorsed proposal will result in significant governance change
LYNCHBURG, Va. — The Baptist General Association of Virginia will undertake what may be the most significant change in its governing structure in at least 75 years, if a proposal is adopted next month at the annual meeting of the…
As Stratton’s 12-year tenure as treasurer ends, characteristic catchphrase is part of the memories
LYNCHBURG, Va. — It is what it is. That favorite phrase of Eddie Stratton, who retires Dec. 31 as treasurer of the Baptist General Association of Virginia and the Virginia Baptist Mission Board, took on new meaning at an Oct….
CBFVA announces its first mission coordinator at meeting which also adopts increased budget
RICHMOND — The Cooperative Baptist Fellowship of Virginia has named a Richmond minister to be the organization’s first mission coordinator. Mark Snipes, who had been associate pastor of youth and young adults at Central Baptist Church in Richmond, assumed his…
Suffolk, Va., pastor Mark Croston, former BGAV president, to assume LifeWay position
SUFFOLK, Va. — Mark Croston, a longtime Virginia pastor and former president of the Baptist General Association of Virginia, has been named national director of black church partnerships for the Southern Baptist Convention’s LifeWay Christian Resources in Nashville, Tenn. Mark…
Religious Herald trustees approve merger with ABP to enhance mission and heritage of both
Trustees of the Religious Herald voted unanimously Oct. 7 to merge with Associated Baptist Press, creating a new print and online media platform aimed at enhancing the mission and heritage of both organizations. ABP executive David Wilkinson called it “truly…