The coronavirus is forcing public schools to rethink how they will educate students this fall which, in turn, is forcing churches to rethink how they will minister to neighborhood schools. “We’re having to find ways to think outside the box,”…
MacArthur sues LA County, county countersues over COVID restrictions
California megachurch pastor John MacArthur has accelerated his fight with the County of Los Angeles and State of California over COVID-19 restrictions Aug. 13, filing suit against the state while claiming he’s not making people show up at his church,…
Transitions for the week of 8-14-20
Please submit transitions — including staff changes, ordinations, anniversaries or deaths — to Barbara Francis. This page will be updated bi-weekly. STAFF CHANGES Parker Bowen, to First Baptist Church, Amarillo, Texas, as associate minister of music. Jerry Carlisle, to Texas Baptist…
Touching Miami with Love hires locally for leader
It was a job interview that no one involved knew was a job interview and yet resulted in decisions that continue to transform Touching Miami with Love, a Cooperative Baptist Fellowship ministry that serves impoverished youth and families in South…
Americans want churches open but aren’t attending when they are open
Americans believe churches shouldn’t have special privileges to be open when other similar venues are closed, but they also believe their churches should be open already — even though few people are actually attending in-person worship. These seemingly contradictory views…
Who is that man in a clerical stole at the protest?
Jonathan Redding is a Baptist minister from North Carolina who teaches apocalyptic literature at a Methodist university in Lincoln, Neb. But arguably the most unusual aspect of his ministry is a calling to serve as a chaplain at Black Lives…
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…
Adult faith formation thriving although different due to COVID
The coronavirus outbreak is inspiring Christians to take spiritual formation into their own hands — and that’s just fine with a lot of spiritual formation pastors. “People have pushed pause,” said Jayne Davis, associate pastor for discipleship at First Baptist…
Congregations on mission and online doing better financially amid COVID
Six months into the COVID-19 pandemic, the financial news from America’s religious congregations is not as dire as first predicted. Still, while some churches survive and even thrive, others struggle. “In March we were readying up to help churches think…
The church is closed but the kitchen is open to serve
Coronavirus has closed church facilities across the country, but Temple Baptist Church in Raleigh, N.C., is not one of them. Since mid-March, the congregation has become the site of a five-day-a-week feeding effort that has assembled, bagged and distributed more…
Massachusetts church opens eyes despite closed building
As a minister, Brent Newberry always strives to discern congregational talents and how they can be used to bring healing and hope to a turbulent, virus-ridden world. “I am recognizing that whatever you’re good at as a church is accentuated…
What’s going wrong in your church building while you’re gone?
Closing down church buildings could create serious repercussions not just for the people who miss gathering there but also for the facilities themselves. Imagine walking into a house that has been shut up or abandoned for a period of time…