HARTFORD, Conn. (ABP) — Large congregations are more likely than small churches to emphasize evangelism and recruitment of new members but significantly less likely to contact members who stop attending, according to a recent study. A little more than half…
Why do people leave churches?
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (ABP) — Many churches and denominations put a lot of effort into attracting new members only to lose many of them through a “back door” — a term used to describe people who regularly attended a church in…
Baptists aid Haiti cholera victims
FALLS CHURCH, Va. (ABP) – The Baptist World Alliance has sent emergency funds of more than $12,000 to help counter a recent cholera outbreak in Haiti. The funds are earmarked through Baptist World Aid, the BWA’s relief-and-development arm. They will be…
Judge rules against Alabama Baptists in property-use dispute
MONTGOMERY, Ala. (ABP) – A judge has blocked development of property owned by Alabama Baptists, finding that an agreement allowing a neighboring homeowners' association to sign off on any site plan is still in force. That Alabama Baptist State Convention…
‘Unchurched’ studies seek to understand why people leave
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (ABP) — Seeking to develop strategies to prevent formerly active members from leaving through the so-called “back door,” LifeWay Research has conducted surveys to better understand why people leave. “I think we have a lot of strategies for…
Study finds large churches can do better at retaining members
HARTFORD, Conn. — Large congregations are more likely than small churches to emphasize evangelism and recruitment of new members but significantly less likely to contact members who stop attending, according to a recent study. A little more than half of…
Why do people leave churches?
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (ABP) — Many churches and denominations put a lot of effort into attracting new members only to lose many of them through a “back door”—a term used to describe people who regularly attended a church in the past…
Pastor calls for church unity following arrest of associate pastor
GREENWOOD, S.C. (ABP) — A Southern Baptist pastor in South Carolina urged his congregation not to rush to judgment following the Oct. 26 arrest of its associate pastor/minister of music on charges of committing a lewd act upon a 13-year-old…
California appeals court strikes down Wiley Drake’s ‘birther’ case
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (ABP) — A state appellate court in California has dismissed a lawsuit filed by plaintiffs including a former Southern Baptist Convention officer claiming that Barack Obama is not a natural-born citizen of the United States and therefore is…
Missouri Baptists change college’s name
SPRINGFIELD, Mo. (ABP) — The Missouri Baptist Convention renamed Hannibal-LaGrange College Oct. 26 to Hannibal-LaGrange University after alumni campaigned to retain the "LaGrange" part of the moniker. Messengers to the convention's annual meeting, gathering in Springfield, voted 593-360 to amend a motion…
Va. Baptists commission pamphlet defending church-state separation
RICHMOND, Va. (ABP) — The Virginia Baptist Mission Board has approved a “2010 History Project” to publish a document to correct “certain influential versions of American history [which] … mistakenly minimize or deny the grounding in this nation’s history of the…
Affinity document could guide BGAV’s future
RICHMOND, Va. (ABP) — A document to be considered at next month’s annual meeting of the Baptist General Association of Virginia could provide a guide for expansion of the association's ministry, if adopted by messengers. A proposal from an affinity…