(ABP) — A federal judge said Nov. 23 that an IRS rule allowing clergy to avoid paying taxes on a part of their income designated as a housing allowance violates the constitutionally mandated separation of church and state. Senior United…
LEADERSHIP LINK: Prophets: champions of compassion
Prophets are rare today. Traditionally, they expose our blind spots, unclog our deaf ears and rub raw our calloused hearts. Mostly, these pesky truth-tellers enlarge our world’s vision. Prophets point us to God’s kingdom, awaken our consciences and stir our compassion….
HeraldBeat: Tracking Baptists across the Mid-Atlantic
Accepted a new call? Been ordained? Church celebrating an anniversary? Mission trip or project that you would like highlighted on the HeraldBeat page? Send info to HeraldBeat editor Barbara Francis at [email protected] Transitions ON THE MOVE David Williamson, to County…
TRENDING: Scatter-shooting some trends
Ed Stetzer is an interesting missiologist based in Nashville, Tenn. Brash, opinionated, and fiercely research-driven, he met with a group of Spence Network pastors recently for a “what’s trending” conversation. Here are a handful of his many descriptions/predictions: 1. “The…
OPINION: Billy Graham and the ‘old, old story’
(ABP) — “Billy Graham is the most famous evangelist in the world and his power of persuasion has softened the skeptics who used to call him the hot-gospeller from the Bible Belt.” That’s how legendary (cigarette-puffing) CBS newsman Edward R….
WINN RECOMMENDS: Books that matter
The Relational Pastor, Andrew Root (IVP) We pastors know that we are not to view people as mere resources, that “getting church done” and “building the church” can be true perversions of our calling. How often, however, does someone call…
HERITAGE: Perfect timing
Iris Ellen Wright Taylor of Waynesboro, Va., visited the Virginia Baptist Historical Society on a recent Wednesday. She came to present a second installment of papers and books related to her grandfather, James Henry Wright, who was a Baptist minister…
OPINION: Unwrapping the church
(ABP) — Let’s be honest: at the start of my pastorate I had no idea what I was doing. Combined with my glaring inexperience, that first year of pastoral ministry also carried a heavy weight of congregational expectation: “Finally our…
LEADERSHIP LINK: It takes a community to lead a community
We are Christ’s co-laborers (2 Cor. 6:1). Churches are collaborative communities. Remember Paul’s conversation about how diverse spiritual gifts blend together to empower congregational ministries in First Corinthians 12? Romans 16 emphasizes that same theme — but with names and…