“The church building is not a monument. It’s an instrument for God,” Timothy Williams, pastor of Bethsaida Missionary Baptist Church in Mexia, Texas, believes. His wife, Cheryl, director of apartment ministries for Buckner International, is praying her church and others…
Churches benefit in tough times from proper preparation in good times
When it comes to finances, bad things sometimes happen to good churches. Natural disasters occur. So do instances of theft and vandalism. Local layoffs or a national economic downturn can affect giving drastically. Good stewardship demands churches prepare for financial…
LEADERSHIP LINK: Larry Leader feels fenced in
Larry Leader has had a rough day at work. He and his construction crew are in the middle of remodeling an old home. Nothing is going smoothly. The old home’s floors aren’t level, its walls aren’t straight and its foundation…
OPINION: The end of church as we know it
(ABP) — Has anybody out there noticed that church attendance has been lower lately? The church budget is stretched thin because fewer people are giving? You can’t get a commitment out of people who are so busy they are already…
Should churches see debt as burden or tool for expanding ministry?
Increasingly, churches provide money-management seminars that offer participants advice on how to get out of debt and stay that way. But should churches themselves follow the same advice and principles as individual consumers? Is church debt ever acceptable? Dave Ramsey…
OUT LOUD
“The other thing I tell people — because in New York it’s like a total catastrophe, it’s an epidemic — I always say always have a prenuptial agreement. But I won’t say that because you people don’t get divorced, right?”…
Tebow’s gridiron faith
(RNS) Can Tim Tebow do no wrong? Michael Butterworth of Bowling Green State University has turned his attention to sports media coverage of Tebow, an evangelical Christian and New York Jets quarterback. The author of a forthcoming article in the…
Racism should be test of fellowship, says prof
LOUISVILLE, Ky. (ABP) — A Southern Baptist seminary professor says the Southern Baptist Convention should withdraw fellowship from a Mississippi congregation if it doesn’t discipline a minority of members who managed to block an African-American couple from getting married at…
OPINION: Purifying the source
The recent YouTube clip denigrating Muhammed can’t really be called art or legitimate film in my opinion, but the questions surrounding it about responsibility are particularly interesting to me. What is the responsibility of the artist? I do not believe…
LEADERSHIP LINK: Larry Leader’s favorite sin
Larry’s driving his truck to his company’s work site for the day, mentally reviewing his to-do list. Then, from the radio tuned to Country K93, Kenny Chesney’s voice preaches the gospel to Larry: “It’s always your favorite sins that do…
Black churches split over support for Obama and resistance to endorsing gay marriage
(RNS) — At Charity Missionary Baptist Church in North Charleston, S.C., Nelson B. Rivers III supports and follows his African-American congregation’s policy: They will only conduct marriages between one man and one woman. But the vice president of the NAACP…
VITAL SIGNS: Boundaries 101
The headlines are relentless. I wince every time I hear of a minister violating sexual or moral boundaries. I listen sadly as clergy describe unrealistic demands placed upon them by their congregation. Over the years I have seen the great…