What now for West, Texas? The challenge comes when public attention goes away Marv Knox and Jeff Brumley (ABP) — The outpouring of sympathy and solidarity for West, Texas, has been immense since a fertilizer plant explosion killed 15 —…
What now for West, Texas? The challenge comes when public attention goes away
(ABP) — The outpouring of sympathy and solidarity for West, Texas, has been immense since a fertilizer plant explosion killed 15 — including 12 first-responders — on April 17. Thursday’s memorial in nearby Waco underscored that by drawing thousands, including…
In a low-trust environment, do churches operate on a need-to-know basis?
Many churches have cut back the number of business meetings held each year. Some have scaled back publications — particularly mailed-out print versions. Some large churches with communications staff or a department have eliminated them or severely reduced their resources….
Denominational entities struggle to find balance between privacy and openness
Baptists follow the congregational form of church governance — every member who wants to can have a say in the way the church and the denomination operate. But how much access does the average church member have to information about…
Social media and public records offer options to fact-finders
Do people in the pew have any options for finding information if their local church, state organization or national denominational body refuses do divulge it? Not many — but technology and government offer a couple of options. Social media When…
EDITORIAL: What happens in Washington doesn’t stay in Washington
In a recent conversation with Eddie Heath, one of the Virginia Baptist Mission Board’s field strategists, he expressed concern that five churches in his region had lost their pastors, some under difficult circumstances. “I have never seen it like this…
Virginia church aims to minister to children without one or both parents through 127JUNCTION
Following the mandate in James 1:27 for Christ’s followers to care for orphans in need, Community Heights Baptist Church in Southwest Virginia has initiated a ministry it calls 127JUNCTION to mobilize its members to care for the physical, emotional and…
Electronic reading is growing, and church libraries are taking note
ALEXANDRIA, Va. — It’s a sign of the times. Technology is changing what and how people read. A recent survey by the Pew Research Center found that the number of Americans reading electronic books has doubled since 2009. With the…
Missional before missional was cool
By Jeff Brumley An expert on church leadership says Mission Arlington was missional before missional was cool. But founder Tillie Burgin doesn’t care much for the term. “It was always confusing to me, and we certainly never use it,” Burgin,…
Florida editor takes seminary post
By Bob Allen Florida Baptist Witness editor Jim Smith is stepping down July 31 to become chief spokesman for Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Ky., the Florida Baptist Convention newspaper reported May 15. Smith, 48, worked previously at Southern…
MK charged with campus arson
By Bob Allen A missionary kid who lived 12 years in South Africa faces felony crimes related to recent car fires on the campuses of Missouri Baptist University and Covenant Seminary in St. Louis. Andrew Wos, 24, of Eureka, Mo.,…
Sex crimes, cover-up, alleged in lawsuit
By Bob Allen A Calvinist church-planting network with ties to Southern Baptist leaders faces new allegations of covering up sexual abuse of children in a 46-page amended lawsuit filed May 14 in Maryland. The new court document includes graphic descriptions…