A recent column on the surge of churches calling pastors in their fifth decade evoked a wide range of responses. Many came from mid-career clergy who offered a hearty “Amen” and were grateful for the news that their sense of…
OPINION: Imagining a statue of forgiveness
A few weeks ago my family toured the battlefield of Gettysburg National Military Park. About a month beforehand, my 14-year-old son read Killer Angels, a classic novel of the Civil War and he surprised all of us, including our licensed…
OPINION: As Baptists, it’s time we had the talk
As Baptists, the time has come for us to have the talk. The talk. The talk about which everyone has an opinion, but no one seems to have the courage to address. Yes, that’s the talk I’m referring to. The…
OPINION: Where your metric is, there your value will be also
In my experience the world of the arts and the world of the Church are not dissimilar. There are many instances in which the Church and artists have found themselves on opposite sides of the fence. But, I wonder if…
HeraldBeat
Transitions ON THE MOVE Harold Lewis and Bob Auxier, serving as co-pastors of Walnut Grove Baptist Church, Montvale, Va. Marc Brooks, to Gethsemane Baptist Church, Richlands, Va., as pastor. Jay Butcher, resigning as pastor of Millfield (Va.) Baptist Church….
So your church is on Facebook. What now?
While about half of Protestant churches have Facebook pages, many essentially use it as a bulletin board, missing out on the potential to nurture relationships with congregants and its community. "It's OK for a church to use Facebook like a…
So your church is on Facebook. What now?
While about half of Protestant churches have Facebook pages, many essentially use it as a bulletin board, missing out on the potential to nurture relationships with congregants and its community. "It's OK for a church to use Facebook like a…
Herald welcomes columnist to community of writers
RICHMOND, Va.—The Religious Herald has added an eighth regular columnist to its group of opinion writers. Gary Long, pastor of First Baptist Church in Gaithersburg, Md., will offer perspective in the bi-weekly print edition, which also will be posted on…
HERITAGE: Looking to the future
Exactly a century ago Frederick W. Claybrook, a native of the Northern Neck of Virginia and for 40 years a prominent pastor and builder of churches, led in the constituting of a chapel in the farming and fishing community of…
Churches conflicted when it comes to social media
It's not about hunting. It's about farming. That's how bestselling author Ivan Misner, founder of one of the world's largest business networking organizations, describes social networks, which he says attempt to do one thing—cultivate relationships. For church leaders—keen to deepen…
Texting donors represent new category of giver
One in 10 Americans have made a charitable donation using the text messaging feature on their mobile phones, according to a newly-released study produced by the Pew Research Center's Internet & American Life Project and Harvard's Berkman Center for the…
Beyond Facebook: Scanning the social media landscape
Facebook has become the social network of choice for the vast majority of people—it's hard to argue with 850 million users around the globe—and it's not likely to disappear any time soon. But some specialists see a growing market for…