WASHINGTON (ABP) — A Baptist church-state specialist voiced concern about a think-tank report urging a new direction for U.S. foreign policy focused on the role religion plays in world affairs. Writing for the On Faith blog WashingtonPost.com, Brent Walker, executive…
‘Turnaround churches’: Have Baptists something to learn from Anglicans?
If turning around a declining church were easy, more declining churches would be reversing course. And if Christians in the United States think turning around a church is difficult, think of trying it in the Church of England, where tradition…
At Carter’s church, former president still a draw
PLAINS, Ga. (RNS) — With its aging storefronts and small train depot, its graceful pecan trees and clipped fields of peanuts, cottons and hay, peace still seems possible in this tiny town. And nowhere is that peace protected more fiercely…
Consider revitalizing models for declining churches
One sees them occasionally. Abandoned church buildings in rural areas stand in mute witness of changing times. In urban areas, big brick structures, once crowded with eager worshipers, now house restaurants, community centers or even nightclubs. Sometimes churches die. Like…
Historical revisionism or accurate rendering?
WASHINGTON (RNS) — For centuries, Jesus has been a subject of choice for countless artists. But it’s fair to say that seldom has he been depicted quite like this. In artist Jon McNaughton’s “One Nation Under God,” Jesus stands front…
‘A time to be born, a time to die’ holds true for churches, some experts insist
Is a church’s death inevitable? Who can give congregations permission to die? Should church members feel guilty for closing their facility’s doors? Peter Bush, author of In Dying We are Born: The Challenge and the Hope for Congregations, believes every…
Churches’ contributions listed
A detailed summary of Cooperative Mission gifts given through the Baptist General Association of Virginia's treasurer's office from churches affiliated with the BGAV for the period Jan. 1-Dec. 31, 2009 is available by clicking this link. Questions about the report…
A Time to Die: Church plants and re-plants key to continued witness
RICHMOND, Va. (ABP) — According to Chris Backert, emerging church strategist with the Virginia Baptist Mission Board, no greater need exists in the Body of Christ today than effective church planting. Chris Backert (VBMB photo) “Over the last decade a…
A Time to Die: Church renewal depends on leadership, Baucom says
FALLS CHURCH, Va. (ABP) — Jim Baucom, pastor of Columbia Baptist Church in Falls Church, Va., has helped lead three established congregations to renewal and growth. He says doing the same thing in other churches, while not easy, is possible…
Baptists pledge support for earthquake victims in Chile
ATLANTA (ABP) — As Baptists began to dig in for a long-term response to the Jan. 12 earthquake in Haiti, focus shifted Feb. 27 to another quake that killed hundreds and caused billions of dollars in property damage in Chile. …
Baptists pledge support for earthquake victims in Chile as death toll nears 700
ATLANTA (ABP) — As Baptists began to dig in for a long-term response to the Jan. 12 earthquake in Haiti, focus shifted Feb. 27 to another quake that killed hundreds and caused billions of dollars in property damage in Chile. …
Relief launched for quake in Chile described as ‘without parallel’
CONCEPCION, Chile – Southern Baptists have released $50,000 for immediate relief needs in Chile, where the death toll has climbed past 700 in an earthquake disaster described by the country’s president as “without parallel in Chile's history.” A Southern Baptist…