ATLANTA (ABP) — Leaders of the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship and the American Baptist Churches USA met recently in Philadelphia and Atlanta to explore closer cooperation between the two groups, interim Coordinator Pat Anderson told the CBF Coordinating Council Feb. 22….
Rising stress boosts clergy depression
By Jeff Brumley Bryan Hatcher was a Baptist pastor once, so he gets it when ministers buckle under the strain of long work weeks, budget pressures and that feeling of constantly being in a fish bowl. And because he has…
Ethicist Glen Stassen wins BWA award
By Bob Allen Ethicist Glen Stassen has been named the 2013 recipient of the Baptist World Alliance Denton and Janice Lotz Human Rights Award. The award, approved March 5 during a meeting of the BWA executive committee in Falls Church,…
ABC, CBF explore closer ties
By Bob Allen Leaders of American Baptist Churches USA and the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship met recently in Philadelphia and Atlanta to explore closer cooperation between the two groups, interim Coordinator Pat Anderson told the CBF Coordinating Council Feb. 22. Anderson…
OPINION: A surveyor’s map
There is a bridge to nowhere where I love to go. The sculpture is a meandering walkway of wood and steel that rises into the trees with seemingly no real purpose whatsoever. As I approach the entrance I have two…
VITAL SIGNS: Resistant or resilient: A critical distinction
Two of the more important words for a congregation to ponder in the 21st century are resistant and resilient. Which of those two words better describe your congregation (and you) may well determine whether your congregation is viable in the…
Assn. may retain gay-friendly church
By Robert Dilday A Baptist association in Virginia will consider a recommendation March 19 to retain ties to one of its churches which ordained an openly gay man to the ministry last year. A Richmond Baptist Association study committee will…
Texas House honors Suzii Paytner
By Bob Allen The Texas legislature honored incoming Cooperative Baptist Fellowship leader Suzii Paynter Feb. 28 with a House resolution recognizing her advocacy work on numerous social issues during more than a decade of service with Texas Baptists. The resolution…
Building relationships in China
By Daniel Wallace Retirement for David and Ann Wilson looks a little bit different than it does for most. For them, it means going to China – and trying to get others to go with them. The Wilsons are the…
Female Baptist minister resigns
By Bob Allen A woman whose call as a pastor in 2011 sparked controversy in an association of Baptist churches in North Carolina has resigned, citing a lack of consensus among members about the congregation’s vision and direction for the…
Institute to study black-on-black crime
By Bob Allen Arkansas Baptist College honored the memory of a student murdered last year by dedicating a new research center March 1 bearing his name to address the problem of black-on-black violence in America’s cities. The new Derek Olivier…
Church offers community a way to dispose of documents — and shred some sins in the process
ROCKVILLE, Va. — It began with a cluttered office and the need to dispose of numerous boxes of financial records, explains Mark Hughes, pastor of Berea Baptist Church in Rockville, Va. Realizing that properly destroying sensitive information would require more…