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…
Student ministers face challenges as age separates them from youth
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 time when…
Death in a minister’s family means transitions in ministry, identity
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, still struggles to fill the gap left after…
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…
‘Lazarus’ Harley helps Missouri ministry introduce bikers to Christ
SEDALIA, Mo. (ABP) — The 1967 Harley-Davidson Ironhead motorcycle once slumped against a wall, in bad shape and with a mulberry tree growing right through its heart. Rescued and restored, however, the Harley brought several motorcyclists back to God’s house….
Baptist ethicist says oil spill a moral issue
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (ABP) — A Baptist ethicist says the catastrophic oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico is a moral issue, although few Americans have framed the issue in moral terms. Robert Parham "Yes, the BP disaster is a moral…
Baptist nurse answers call to aid ailing Haitians
GRAND GOAVE, Haiti (ABP) — The children swarm Tori Wentz as she walks down the street. Some run up for a fist bump. A few chant, "Blan! Blan! Blan!" Wentz waves back, smiles and shrugs at the Creole term for…