NEW YORK (ABP) – A Southern Baptist leader in the news recently for saying Christians must accept belief in a literal Adam and Eve said Sept. 22 on National Public Radio that he doesn’t buy attempts to reconcile the Bible…
Answering the call when nobody calls
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. (ABP) — More an art than a science, matching a minister's skills with a church's needs has tested the limits of generations of pastoral search committees. And for Baptists — fiercely committed to local church autonomy and resistant…
Should ministers get second chances?
RICHMOND, Va. (ABP) — When a minister gets fired, will a search committee automatically set his or her resume aside or give it a fair hearing? Many pastors who had to leave their churches discover search committees are reluctant to…
Matching church and clergy methods differ by denomination
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (ABP) — Matching clergy supply and demand is a chief concern for all denominations, but various church traditions address it in different ways. Hierarchical denominations like Episcopalians, Methodists and Lutherans view matching clergy and congregations as part of…
To beckon Baby Boomers, adopt multifaceted ministry approaches
WACO, Texas (ABP) — Age means more than the number of birthdays a person has celebrated. It's a mix of chronological, psychological, functional and social factors, creating a complicated environment for churches to minister to older adults, said Amy Hanson,…
Baptist delegation visits Uzbekistan
FALLS CHURCH, Va. (ABP) — The Baptist World Alliance and the European Baptist Federation conducted a joint human-rights visit to Uzbekistan Sept. 8-12. The purposes were to promote religious freedom in Uzbekistan and strengthen the relationship between the Baptist Union…
God and the free market
WACO, Texas — Milton Friedman, meet Rick Warren. Americans who strongly believe God has a plan for their lives are most likely to believe God guides the United States through a free market — and they want to see the…
Strong belief in active God and free market closely linked, survey reveals
WACO, Texas — Milton Friedman, meet Rick Warren. Americans who strongly believe God has a plan for their lives are most likely to believe God guides the United States through a free market — and they want to see the…
Matching church and clergy methods differ by denomination
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (ABP) — Matching clergy supply and demand is a chief concern for all denominations, but various church traditions address it in different ways. Hierarchical denominations like Episcopalians, Methodists and Lutherans view matching clergy and congregations as part of…
Should ministers get second chances?
RICHMOND, Va. — When a minister gets fired, will a search committee automatically set his or her resume aside or give it a fair hearing? Many pastors who had to leave their churches discover search committees are reluctant to interview…
Pairing ministers and churches has never been easy, say observers
More an art than a science, matching a minister's skills with a church's needs has tested the limits of generations of pastoral search committees. And for Baptists — fiercely committed to local church autonomy and resistant to outside influences —…
New Baptist Covenant II to unite Baptists personally and virtually
ATLANTA (ABP) — In about two months, Baptists of many stripes will gather simultaneously in dozens of cities across the country for a unique virtual meeting, during which they will not only worship and learn but spread out to work…