Fresh off an invitation to speak at a major pastor’s conference that stirred up memories of an alleged child sex-abuse cover-up at his former church, Pastor C.J. Mahaney reminded members of Sovereign Grace Church in Louisville, Ky., of their biblical…
McAfee preaching professor returning to pulpit
Brett Younger, associate professor of preaching at Mercer’s University McAfee School of Theology, has been named senior pastor of the historic Plymouth Church in Brooklyn, N.Y. Younger, 55, takes over June 1 as pastor of the Congregational church founded in…
As Millennials leave the church, some youth ministers ponder ‘scary stats’
Nearly six in 10 Millennials who grow up in churches leave to join the growing ranks of Americans with no religious affiliation, new research shows. That spells confusing and scary times not only for congregations worried about their futures, but…
Pastor seeks higher standard for reporting sexual abuse
A Southern Baptist pastor/blogger has submitted a resolution for consideration at the upcoming meeting of the Southern Baptist Convention calling on leaders to get tough on churches that tolerate or conceal sexual abuse. Bart Barber, senior pastor of First Baptist…
Folksy Quaker author bringing ‘front porch’ wisdom to historic Baptist church
Even Quakers are experiencing the cultural challenges besetting many Christian groups. But that doesn’t worry them too much, said Quaker pastor, writer and speaker Philip Gulley. “I don’t think the goal of Christianity should be its ongoingness,” said Gulley, author…
Baptist says ‘religious liberty’ bill threatens … well, religious liberty
A Missouri religious liberty bill passed last month by the state Senate after a 39-hour filibuster once again kept lawmakers up late at night, when a five hour debate April 13 in the Missouri House of Representatives ended after midnight…
Transitions for the week of 04.15.16
Please submit transitions — including staff changes, ordinations, anniversaries or deaths — to Barbara Francis. This page will be updated weekly. STAFF CHANGES Billy Bishop, concluding his tenure as director of music at Mount Zion Baptist Church, Macon, Ga. Aaron Brooks,…
Baptist leaders wonder: Can congregational polity weather cultural challenges?
The way Jay Kieve sees it, the congregational form of church governance is ideally suited to enable congregations to who they really are, where they are. “It’s genius,” Kieve said, “is that its spirit works … so each church is…
Faith coalition cites survey condemning payday lending practices
Religious opponents of payday lending got a boost Wednesday from the release of a new research confirming widespread Christian condemnation of the practice. Faith for Just Lending, a diverse coalition of faith groups, released a report titled The Collateral Consequences…
Pastor in alleged sex abuse cover-up returns to preaching conference roster
Organizers of a major preaching conference this week in Louisville, Ky., ignored calls to disinvite a founder of the conference accused of participating in a cover-up of child sexual abuse. C.J. Mahaney, pastor of Sovereign Grace Church in Louisville, took…
Attendance bullying: it contributes to church decline, author says
Michelle Van Loon has seen several sides of Christianity as a child of the Jesus movement who ended up, for a time, in a fundamentalist church. So she can spot the difference between concern and control in a congregation. She…
CBF endorses 1,000th chaplain
The Cooperative Baptist Fellowship reached a milestone March 5 with its endorsement of the 1,000th person serving in ministry as a chaplain or pastoral counselor. CBF leaders announced April 12 that with the endorsement of Erin Lysse, a second-year chaplaincy…