When the members of the Virginia Senate rose to their feet and applauded earlier this year to honor Debi Goforth as Virginia's teacher of the year, the elementary school librarian's thoughts turned to a small pouch she had been carrying…
Messy dispute in Calif. association likely to be aired at SBC meeting
WATSONVILLE, Calif. (ABP) — All Mike Stewart was trying to do, he says, was prevent an unethical, non-denominational pastor from “stealing” a tiny, struggling Southern Baptist church — and its $3 million property. What the director of missions of a…
Truck stop missionaries meet the needs of truckers
Anyone who has driven on Interstate 81 doesn't have to be told that 18-wheelers are more numerous than a pagan's excuses for not attending church. According to Laura Bullock, who represents the Virginia Department of Transportation to media representatives in…
Colorado pastor becomes fourth candidate in race for SBC 2nd vice president
GREENSBORO, N.C. (ABP) — As the annual meeting of the Southern Baptist Convention rapidly approaches, the field of officer candidates is rapidly widening — most recently with a fourth candidate for the second vice-presidential post. Mark Edlund, the executive director…
Preparing a church for a pastor’s departure
Editor's Note: Recognizing that a number of pastors in Virginia will soon retire from active pastoral ministry, we began this series two issues ago with a foundational book review by Gary Chapman, who directs the Southwest Virginia Christian Leadership Network…
Teens often lie about pledges, sexual history, report finds
NEW YORK (ABP) — True love often doesn't wait — and it frequently has difficulty with the “true” part, too, according to a new study. Harvard University scholar Janet Rosenbaum, in an article published in the June issue of the…
FIRST HAND: What I wish I had known before I became pastor
Early on in my ministry as a pastor, I asked a deacon to tell me about the congregation's future plans and vision. He replied, “Preacher, we'll do anything that you can get us to do!” That deacon may not have…
Virginia Baptist Foundation awards scholarships
The Virginia Baptist Foundation has awarded scholarships to 28 recipients for the 2006/07 academic year, according to Ricky R. Hurst, director of donor relations for the Foundation. The scholarship committee of the Foundation awarded these scholarships at its recent annual…
Burleson calls for SBC to investigate ‘manipulation,’ ‘coercion’ at IMB
Wade Burleson is calling for the Southern Baptist Convention to investigate “manipulation” and “coercion” by his fellow trustees of the International Mission Board. But the Oklahoma pastor backed down from his threat to publish details of those alleged abuses on…
Executive Committee amends target
The Southern Baptist Convention Executive Committee has amended a recommendation that the convention encourage the election of SBC officers “whose churches give at least 10 percent of their undesignated receipts to the Cooperative Program.” According to a May 26 Baptist…
CBF general assembly to answer Vestal’s challenge for social justice
This year's general assembly of the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship promises to answer the challenge Coordinator Daniel Vestal gave at last year's meeting—a challenge to face head-on the issues of poverty, social justice, diversity and mercy. According to Bo Prosser, the…
New N.C. policy would oust churches that tolerate gays
Leaders of the North Carolina Baptist State Convention have beefed up a policy designed to oust local churches that affirm homosexuality or even tolerate gay church members. Meeting in Asheboro, N.C., the convention's executive committee and board of directors both…