One of the key predictors of strong congregational health is the type of leadership the ministerial and paid staff of a congregation offers. When the staff of a congregation functions out of strong spiritual and organizational health, the entire faith…
LEADERSHIP LINK: Deacon ministry to the homebound
Among those church families most needing ministry are those who can leave their homes only with difficulty. These “homebound” members often find their worlds have shrunk to their immediate surroundings and are sometimes desperate for human contact and news of…
OUT LOUD
“Evangelicals sat on the sidelines in the civil rights discussions but we must not this time!” Bill Hamel The president of the Evangelical Free Church of America made a statement supporting an “immigration prayer challenge” to encourage Christians to support…
HERITAGE: ‘Free Indeed’ — Year two
“If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.” (John 3:36) Throughout 2012 and now in 2013, Virginia Baptists have been engaged in the 150th anniversary of the Emancipation Proclamation through a landmark exhibit which continues…
Ravens or Niners? Christians face a ‘Super’ dilemma on Sunday
(RNS) — Who should Christians root for in Sunday’s Super Bowl: the Baltimore Ravens or the San Francisco 49ers? It may be a silly question to some, though not to millions of American believers who invest a lot of faith…
LEADERSHIP LINK: Finding God’s futures: Standing on tiptoe to see over the horizon
Do you wish for a GPS to guide you into the future? Do you despair at only seeing your life, like Paul, “through a glass darkly”? How does God reveal what’s ahead to us? Most of us are interested…
LEADERSHIP LINK: The family needing ministry most may be your own
“Servants in the church are to be committed to their spouses, attentive to their own children, and diligent in looking after their own affairs.” (1 Tim. 3:12, The Message) In the list of deacon qualifications (1 Timothy 3:8-13), Paul makes…
Ravens or Niners? Christians face a ‘Super’ dilemma
(RNS) — Who should Christians root for in Sunday’s Super Bowl: the Baltimore Ravens or the San Francisco 49ers? It may be a silly question to some, though not to millions of American believers who invest a lot of faith…
World religions expert George Braswell marches to different drum in life, witness
BUIES CREEK, N.C. — George Braswell grew up “marching to a different drum” and, at 77, he still does. Braswell — a highly-regarded Baptist expert on world religions — spent much of his early life on the “wrong” side of…
Month of preaching represents opportunity to increase presence of women in pulpits
This month, women pastors in Baptist churches across the nation will celebrate their role in the pulpit and for many — like Bailey Nelson Edwards, senior pastor of Flat Rock Baptist Church in Mount Airy, N.C. — the annual Martha…
OPINION: Not afraid of kangaroos — Fear-based decision making
At my house, we love to play games. My son, at 3 the youngest member of our family, will play games until he literally falls asleep sitting up. He has a few favorites: Granny’s House, Chutes and Ladders, Uno, Trouble…
Appalachian women struggling with poverty, lack of education find hope in new Bluefield program
BLUEFIELD, Va. — Women in Appalachia without access to higher education or whose circumstances have left them in poverty now have hope for a new beginning through a program developed at Bluefield College. The New Opportunity School for Women at…