WASHINGTON (ABP) — Baptist groups associated with the North American Baptist Fellowship are pouring into areas affected by deadly spring tornadoes and floods, at the same time they make longer view assessments of how best to help victim families rebuild…
Wellness responsibility of both minister and church
HERNDON, Va. (ABP) — Most congregations know healthier clergy lead to healthier churches, but few consider how clergy wellness and congregational busy-ness are related, said Larry Golemon, an ordained Presbyterian minister and former research manager at the Alban Institute. “Clergy…
10 practices for ministerial health
The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America lists 10 best practices for ministerial health and wellness: • Love God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength. • Love your neighbor as you love yourself — be an example of self-care…
RIGHT or WRONG? The best and brightest
It has been said that church vocations no longer attract the “best and brightest” young Christians. Do believe that is true? If so, what should we do about it? Twelve years ago, as an editor of a Baptist state paper,…
OPINION: Learning the language of the soul
I’ve never been great at languages. I wish I were. A natural linguistic facility would have made my years of learning biblical languages (or living in foreign countries, for that matter) slightly less trying. Language study, I understand, comes with…
Self-care important for clergy but often neglected
SAN FRANCISCO (ABP) — “You cannot go to church,” Christian philosopher Elton Trueblood once said. “You are the church wherever you go.” That is especially true if you are the pastor. While many people with high-demand occupations view Sunday worship…
Christians, Muslims, Jews to share sacred texts on June 26
WASHINGTON (ABP) — Christian clergy across the country will organize readings from the Quran and other sacred texts Sunday, June 26, as part of an initiative to counter anti-Muslim bigotry and negative stereotypes of Islam. Announced in a telephonic press…
Ed Vick, moderate Baptist lay leader, dies
RALEIGH, N.C. (ABP) — Ed Vick, a prominent Baptist layman and supporter of moderate causes including Associated Baptist Press, died May 13, seven weeks after being diagnosed with Stage 4 cancer. Vick, of Raleigh, N.C., served as a director of…
British Baptists urge end to tax-dodging by multinational corporations
LONDON (ABP) — An annual assembly of British Baptists called on the government to crack down on strategies used by multinational corporations to avoid paying taxes in the Third World. While not illegal, a Baptist Union of Great Britain resolution…