Please submit transitions — including staff changes, ordinations, anniversaries or deaths — to Barbara Francis. This page will be updated bi-weekly. STAFF CHANGES Bryan Crouch, to Lynn Haven Baptist Church, Vinton, Va., as lead pastor. He has served there since 2004…
New book on Kentucky’s oldest Baptist association finds the more things change, the more they stay the same
A recent book about the first Baptists in Kentucky reveals present-day Baptists face many of the challenges that vexed their 18th and 19th century ancestors, Aaron Coyle-Carr said during an online discussion presented by Baptist History and Heritage Society. “The…
Lighthouse Congregations guide individuals who want to ‘stay UMC’
Piercing the gloom of multiple churches leaving the United Methodist Church, a light emanating from North Carolina brightens the present and shines on a new future for church members who want to stay in the denomination when their congregations vote…
Ministry jobs and more
Baptist News Global provides a free listing of ministry-related jobs for Baptist churches, theological institutions and organizations across the United States. Each free posting is for 30 days and is limited to 150 words. Postings may be extended another 30…
Stephen A. Smith shoots straight about his life and faith
Say the name Stephen A. Smith to just about any sports enthusiast, and you will likely see a wide range of emotions or hear a variety of comments. This may explain why Smith wants to set the record straight in…
Archaeologists confirm grave sites are related to one of the oldest Black Baptist churches in America
Archaeologists and scientists have confirmed the remains of three individuals buried in the Historical Area of Colonial Williamsburg are early 19th-century ancestors of First Baptist Church, one of the oldest Black congregations in the United States. DNA and bone analysis…
Why did Walter Reed administrators cancel Catholic pastoral care contract during Holy Week?
Officials with Walter Reed National Military Medical Center have not explained their controversial decision to end a longstanding contract for Catholic pastoral care services at the beginning of Holy Week. The Roman Catholic Archdiocese for Military Services strongly criticized the…
Honeycutts’ son-in-law among dead in Louisville shooting
One of the victims of Monday’s mass shooting in downtown Louisville, Ky., is the son-in-law of Roy and June Honeycutt and a member of a Cooperative Baptist Fellowship church. Roy Honeycutt, who died in 2005, was the last moderate president…
Pastors, politics and the unending controversies about prophecies in Nigeria
Politics and prophesies go together in Nigeria, where a recent presidential election brought out religious figures speaking of divine visions. Weeks ahead of Nigeria’s election, a video of Passion Java, a Zimbawean pastor, made the rounds. In the video, Java…
Baptist pastor joins ‘Mission of Hope’ in Malaysia and India this week
For much of April, Scott Stearman will appear more like an international diplomat than a Baptist minister. But that’s not altogether unusual for Stearman, senior pastor at Bayshore Baptist Church in Tampa, Fla., who also serves as the United Nations…
Chairman of Bob Jones University trustees resigns after school’s executive leadership warns of ‘imminent jeopardy’
In a move likely unprecedented in modern American higher education, academic leadership of Bob Jones University demanded the resignation of the school’s trustee chair April 3, leading to his sudden resignation three days later. The independent, fundamentalist university has been…
With $2 million gift, Simmons College will create Jesse Jackson Center for Racial Justice
On the 55th anniversary of Martin Luther King Jr.’s assassination, Simmons College of Kentucky announced a new $2 million initiative on racial justice. College President Kevin Cosby announced the gift from the Eula Mae and John Baugh Foundation during a…