By Bob Allen A former Southern Baptist minister charged with murdering his wife appeared in court Aug. 19 in Birmingham, Ala. Attorneys representing Richard Shahan, former children and families pastor and facilities director at First Baptist Church in Birmingham, Ala.,…
Global Women wins Best of Pelham Award
By Bob Allen An ecumenical woman-to-woman missions organization with Baptist ties dedicated to improving the lives of vulnerable women around the world has been honored as one of its local community’s best businesses. Global Women’s international partnerships in areas including…
Churches must be creative to meet coming ‘Boomer wave’
By Jeff Brumley Congregational coaches are warning churches against becoming so fixated on Millennials and other young people that they ignore the surging population of Baby Boomers already in their midst. But those experts say most congregations simply aren’t ready…
Former Union University student pleads guilty to murder
By Bob Allen A former Union University student pleaded guilty Aug. 6 to second-degree murder and tampering with evidence in the 2014 shooting death of his fiancée on the campus of the Baptist affiliated school in Jackson, Tenn. Charlie Pittman,…
Al Mohler, Franklin Graham, criticize FBC Greenville’s affirmation of gays
By Bob Allen The president of the Southern Baptist Convention’s flagship seminary said Aug. 18 he is not surprised by news that the school’s mother church has taken a stance of affirming homosexuality. Albert Mohler, president of Southern Baptist Theological…
Churches integral to healing communities marred by violence, commission says
By Brian Kaylor On Aug. 9, 2014, the city of Ferguson, Mo., moved from being a little-known St. Louis suburb to an international headline. Media outlets, politicians and activists from around the nation descended on the community following police officer…
Historic Baptist church adopts gay non-discrimination policy
By Bob Allen A historic church formerly affiliated with the Southern Baptist Convention is making headlines with a “discernment” process about how to relate to the LGBTQ community. In early May members of First Baptist Church in Greenville, S.C., approved…
Annual Lott Carey gathering tackles police-community relations
By Jeff Brumley More than 5,000 attended the Lott Carey Baptist Foreign Mission Convention 118th Annual Session in Greensboro, N.C., last week. The gathering included worship, service opportunities in the surrounding community and a discussion of community-law enforcement relations. A…
Don’t blame Millennials for shrinking sermon lengths, Baptists say
By Jeff Brumley Millennials and other young people get a lot of credit — or blame, depending on the observer — for the dramatic changes occurring in the modern church. Experiments with everything from mission to worship styles are attempted in order…
Federal grant will help Mercer University serve disadvantaged students
By Jeff Brumley Mercer University has received a $1.1 million federal grant to improve the retention, gradate and financial literacy of non-traditional students. The university reported this week that the U.S. Department of Education Student Support Services awarded the funds,…
From microbiology to ministry, veteran leader retires from ABC-USA regional post
By Vicki Brown When asked why he gave up microbiology and academia for a pastor’s life, Dwight Stinnett always responds that God has a tremendous sense of humor. God’s humor not only led Stinnett into the pastorate, but also to…
Advocate links with CBF to combat payday lending
By Aaron Weaver In the Appalachian foothills of southeast Kentucky, Scarlette Jasper, one of the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship’s field personnel, is working to educate others about the debt trap that is predatory lending. Jasper, who was commissioned by CBF in…