Larry Leader’s home phone rings. It’s a call from his pastor, Dee Parsons, asking Larry to serve as a member of All Alike Baptist Church’s new long-range planning group. Larry agrees and puts the first meeting on his calendar. Larry…
Contemplative worship consistent with Baptist principles, say adherents
Contemplative worship — with its emphasis on prayer and reading that leads participants into a silent, meditative encounter with God — pushes some Baptists outside their comfort zone. But the increasingly popular approach sits comfortably with historic Baptist values, according to…
Contemplative worship: It’s not just a Catholic thing
Terms like “silence and reflection,” “creating space” and “getting in touch with yourself” were absent from Chad Kerr’s Baptist upbringing in Georgia. But they’ve since become central to his ability to cope with the demands of life as a bank…
HERITAGE: In memory of a wordsmith
Barbara Dunn Jackson appreciated words and the nuances of their meaning. The walls of her home office were lined with many books on etymology. Barbara wrote a column called “A Last Word” for Synergy, which went to women in ministry….
OUT LOUD
“How did those who drafted the platform make an error that hands back to the Republicans — if only for a nanosecond — the stick they had used to beat the Democrats senseless for a good 30 years?” Jacques Berlinerblau…
‘Peeping preacher’ found guilty
By Bob Allen A Mississippi judge found a former pastor at a popular Southern Baptist youth camp guilty on 13 counts of video voyeurism and sentenced him to 10 years in prison Sept. 14. In addition, DeSoto County circuit judge…
‘Coaching bug’ gaining in Baptist life
By Jeff Brumley Courtney Krueger is so excited about ministry coaching that he can barely contain himself when asked about it. “It has opened a whole new world to me,” said Krueger, the senior pastor at First Baptist Church of…
CBF to produce follow-up to ‘It’s Time’
By Bob Allen The Cooperative Baptist Fellowship has received a $250,000 grant for church resources including a follow-up to the popular It’s Time study course that challenged churches and individuals to move from a program-driven model toward a “missional” focus…
HeraldBeat: Tracking Baptists across the Mid-Atlantic
Transitions ON THE MOVE Allen Jessee, to Highlands Fellowship Church, Abingdon, Va., as lead pastor. He had been serving as maturity pastor at Highlands Fellowship, a multi-site church. He previously served as lead pastor of Community Heights Baptist Church, Cedar…
Softball ministry impacts lives of N.C., Va., inmates
The Virginia Saints are a men’s softball team that played six games this summer. But the team is not a member of a traditional church softball league. This group of men from Mount Vernon Baptist Church in Glen Allen, Va.,…
EDITORIAL: WMUV continues ministry to Native Americans
While the GOP and the Democrats continue their on-going debate about the role of government in easing the plight of the poor, Women’s Missionary Union of Virginia has steadfastly continued ministry to some of our nation’s poorest people. Through the…
Alliance of Baptists offer sexuality study
By Bob Allen Churches aligned with the Alliance of Baptists are setting aside Sept. 16 for study and worship focused around issues of human sexuality. The progressive Baptist group formed in 1987 produced resources for worship and Christian formation for…