Happy Easter! My greeting might seem misplaced, especially in light of the recent horrifying Virginia Tech shooting. On a much smaller scale, many of us are weighed down with other worries and anxieties. But isn't Easter already over? Like many…
Baptist workers in China minister through jobs as English teachers
ATLANTA (ABP) — Don and Karen Barnes teach English in China, but they call themselves “tentmakers.” The term harkens to the Apostle Paul's vocation that allowed him to minister to new Christians as he worked. As professors at Guangxi University,…
Churches in parenthesis: Baptists cope in a ‘punctuation crisis’
When pastors leave congregations, their former churches often face what could be termed a punctuation crisis. Some mark the departure with a period at the end of a sentence — either for the minister or the congregation. Others approach it…
Churches in parenthesis: When searching, let out ‘plenty of hooks’
RICHMOND, Va. (ABP) — What's in a name? For churches seeking a new minister, the name of the game is collecting names of candidates — lots of them. That's not always an easy task, and search committees typically discover it…
Baptists in Texas go old-school, stage a 40-day tent revival
DALLAS (ABP) — In a day when tent revivals are things of the past, a group of churches has decided to resurrect the once-common event. They're conducting a 40-day tent revival in downtown Dallas, led in part by Gaston Oaks…
Corporate setting offers chaplains unique opportunities for ministry
ATLANTA (ABP) — Baptist agencies like the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship endorse hundreds of chaplains, most of which serve with the armed services or in healthcare facilities, but Alan Tyson is part of a select few: he works in corporate America….
In 20th annual convocation, Alliance honors Holt, approves new staff plan
WASHINGTON (ABP) — The Alliance of Baptists honored its history and took steps to reshape its future during its 20th annual convocation, held April 13-15 in the nation's capital. Meeting at Washington's Calvary Baptist Church, more than 500 Alliance members…
’20/20′ investigates sexual abuse in SBC, other Protestant bodies
NEW YORK (ABP) — ABC's “20/20” examined the problems with clergy sexual abuse in the Southern Baptist Convention April 13, warning that some convicted “preacher predators” remain on an SBC's list of ministers available for employment. Featuring interviews with Southern…
Va. Baptist groups rush to counsel students after Va. Tech massacre
BLACKSBURG, Va. (ABP) — Virginia Baptists were well positioned to respond to the unprecedented massacre at Virginia Tech April 16. Ministers from Blacksburg Baptist Church and officials from the Baptist General Association of Virginia's campus ministry at Virginia Tech and…
Report on Clippard’s firing leaves questions about discrimination suit
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (ABP) — Missouri Baptists may never know the specific reasons why their executive director was fired April 10, other than a few vague details released by a special committee April 16. Members of an ad hoc investigative…
Correction
There is an error in the 46th paragraph of the April 10 ABP story, “GOP presidential race again features faith, but new dynamics.” Please change it to read: “He married his second wife, Marianne Gingrich, months after his first marriage…
Corrections
There is an error in the 46th paragraph of the April 10 ABP story, “GOP presidential race again features faith, but new dynamics.” Please change it to read:”He married his second wife, Marianne Gingrich, months after his first marriage ended…