VALLEY FORGE, Pa. (ABP) — The head of American Baptist Churches USA said a deadly confrontation between Israel's military and a flotilla seeking to break the Gaza embargo May 31 highlights the need for a just and peaceful resolution of…
Conn. school board won’t appeal ban on graduations in church building
ENFIELD, Conn. (ABP) — A Connecticut school board has decided not to appeal a federal judge's ruling that holding high-school graduation ceremonies at a local church is unconstitutional. The Enfield Board of Education voted 5-4 on June 3 to reverse…
FAITH DIGEST
Judge allows clergy housing tax case to proceed. A federal judge has rejected a motion filed by the U.S. Department of the Treasury to dismiss a California lawsuit that challenges tax breaks ministers can receive on housing. Section 107 of…
Seasons: Death in a minister’s family means transitions in ministry, identity
LUBBOCK, Texas (ABP) — The death of a minister — or the minister’s spouse — marks a difficult phase in the life of both the church and the pastor’s family. Wil Tanner, pastor of Pilgrim Baptist Church in Lubbock, Texas,…
Seasons: church and founding pastor either grow together or somebody moves on
(ABP) — Whether the founding pastor of a church matures with the congregation or moves on once the new work is well established depends on a host of factors, according to three church-growth and church-planting experts. And either the initial…
Seasons: Churches adapt to change by planting multiple campuses
LIBERTY, Mo. (ABP) — A couple of years ago, ministry leaders at Pleasant Valley Baptist Church in Liberty, Mo., began to notice how many members were driving from an area near Kansas City International Airport, a nearly 30-minute drive. Megan…
Congregation radically adapts model from cowboy to skater outreach
{youtube}keeApO4VdA4{/youtube} WAXAHACHIE, Texas (ABP) — It wasn’t too long ago that Brandon Jones was watching men gallop by on horseback with lassos twirling over their heads. Now, he watches as teenagers whir by on their skateboards, building up speed for…
Seasons: Student ministers face challenges as age separates them from youth
(ABP) — Age can influence the career direction a youth minister or campus minister takes. Family transitions may lead to a ministry change, or the minister may feel age has separated him or her from students. “There may be a…
Alliance of Baptists supports ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ repeal
DURHAM, N.C. (ABP) — A progressive Baptist group that endorses military chaplains is supporting repeal of the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy that bans gays from serving openly in the military. Chris Copeland While a number of conservative Christian groups…
Church and founding pastor either grow together, or somebody moves on
Whether the founding pastor of a church matures with the congregation or moves on once the new work is well established depends on a host of factors, according to three church-growth and church-planting experts. And either the initial focus on…
Churches adapt to change by planting multiple campuses
RICHMOND, Va. — A couple of years ago, ministry leaders at Pleasant Valley Baptist Church in Liberty, Mo., began to notice how many members were driving from an area near Kansas City International Airport, a nearly 30- minute drive. Knowing…
RIGHT OR WRONG? Denominational loyalty
I’m watching friends who graduated from Baptist seminaries change denominations. I’m beginning to think they are no different than politicians who change political party affiliations to get re-elected. What is the appropriate sense of denominational loyalty these days? The competition…