By Bob Allen The “Francis effect” is real for U.S. Protestant pastors, according to LifeWay Research. Half of Protestant pastors polled by the research firm housed within the Southern Baptist Convention’s publishing arm said Pope Francis has affected their opinions…
Faith leaders renew campaign advocating for woman on death row
By Bob Allen Georgia faith leaders including former Cooperative Baptist Fellowship Executive Coordinator Daniel Vestal gathered Sept. 23 outside the office of the Board of Pardons and Paroles protesting the newly rescheduled execution of the only woman on Georgia’s death…
Research addresses ‘silent sorrow’ of stillbirth, miscarriage
By Terry Goodrich With the rate of stillbirths now topping that of infants who die before their first birthdays, employers — and society in general — must become more empathetic to families grieving the death of a baby through stillbirth…
Canadian Baptists choose leader
By Bob Allen The Canadian Baptist Ministries board of directors announced Sept. 23 the election of Terry Smith, a former missionary to France who has led the 1,000-church organization’s global mission strategy and partnerships, to a five-year term as executive…
CBF Heartland names new leader
By Bob Allen Harold Phillips, longtime coordinator of the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship Heartland, will transition to a new role in January, leaders of the regional CBF affiliate announced Sept. 24. On Sept. 19 the CBF Heartland’s Coordinating Council named Jeff…
Young ministers learn the pastor’s delicate balance
Elijah Zehyoue has been building toward ministry for nearly a decade. Growing up in the church in Baton Rouge, La., he began discerning God’s call as a 16-year-old. He graduated from Morehouse College as part of the Phi Beta Kappa…
KBF, historically black college, join forces to fight poverty
By Bob Allen Black and white churches in Louisville, Ky., announced a new working partnership Sept. 23 aimed at tackling urban poverty. The Kentucky Baptist Fellowship joined historically black Simmons College of Kentucky in spearheading the new coalition of urban…
Baptist leaders mark pope’s visit with call to action on climate change
By Bob Allen Leaders of two Baptist groups were among 34 interfaith leaders across the United States sending a letter to Congress in light of the pope’s visit and his call for action to fight climate change. Paula Clayton Dempsey,…
Hope blooms in the Arkansas Delta, thanks to ministry team
Twenty-year-old Ira Nealy is from an economically distressed, high-crime community in the Arkansas Delta. Plenty of men his age in his hometown of Helena, Ark., don’t have bright futures. But such statistics don’t define Ira Nealy — thanks, he says,…
Faith leaders pledge to fight hunger
By Bob Allen Baptist leaders were among nearly 100 top officials from all major faith groups on the eve of Pope Francis’ arrival calling for a shift in national priorities to end hunger and poverty. Faith leaders gathered Sept. 21…
Diana Garland, social work educator and bridge builder, dies
By Marv Knox Diana Richmond Garland, founding dean of Baylor University’s school of social work that now bears her name, died Sept. 21 after a five-month battle with pancreatic cancer. Garland, 65, trained generations of Christian social workers to express…
Baptist Standard suspends merger talks with Baptist News Global
By Bob Allen The board of directors of Baptist Standard Publishing voted in mid-September to put on hold talks of exploring a possible merger with Baptist News Global. A year ago the governing boards of the two news agencies entered…