Baptist News Global

Fred Shuttlesworth, civil rights pioneer, dies at 89

Fred Shuttlesworth BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (ABP) – Fred Shuttlesworth, the last of the “Big Three” of the civil rights movement with Ralph Abernathy and Martin Luther King Jr., died Oct. 5. He was 89. Among the general public Shuttlesworth was the…

Baptist peace group urges prayer for Liberian elections

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (ABP) – A Baptist Peace Fellowship of North America delegation just back from two weeks conducting training in conflict transformation and non-violence with Liberian pastors and leaders is calling on Christians everywhere to join in prayer and fasting…

Opinion: Pastors donâ€™t like stewardship campaigns, either

(ABP) — There’s a bite in the morning air. The leaves are starting to turn brilliant colors. Piles of pumpkins slow foot traffic at the entrance to the grocery store. In a pastor’s world this can mean only one thing….

Pastors don’t like stewardship campaigns, either

By Amy Butler There’s a bite in the morning air. The leaves are starting to turn brilliant colors. Piles of pumpkins slow foot traffic at the entrance to the grocery store. In a pastor’s world this can mean only one…

Balance needed to make churches welcome and safe places

By definition, a "sanctuary" should be a place of refuge and protection where people feel welcome and feel safe. In practice, churches struggle with what it means to open their doors to everyone while providing a sense of security for…

Churches advised to begin by assessing risks

Concerned about developing a church security plan? Security expert Chester Quarles suggests starting with a risk assessment. "Risk assessment is usually historical. We need to know what has gone before," said Quarles, professor emeritus of criminal justice at the University…

How to conduct a basic church security survey

Walk around your church. Stand at each entryway and look closely in every direction. Think like a thief or a criminal. Are you surrounded by suburbs, or is your church now located within a business community? No matter your site,…

Proposed Virginia Baptist budget almost $1 million lower than current

LYNCHBURG, Va. — Virginia Baptists’ 2012 ministry budget will be almost $1 million less than their current one, if they adopt a proposal next month at the annual meeting of the Baptist General Association of Virginia. The proposed $12.4 million…

Virginia Baptists to consider renewed ties with Averett University

LYNCHBURG, Va. — Virginia Baptists will consider in November a proposal to renew ties to Averett University, a 152-year-old school in Danville, Va., whose relationship with the state’s Baptists was severed in 2005 in a dispute over homosexuality. The Virginia…

Supreme Court hears arguments in important church-state case

WASHINGTON (ABP) – The U.S. Supreme Court heard oral arguments Oct. 5 in a closely watched case involving a church’s right to hire or fire ministers for reasons like religious doctrine that in other settings would be job discrimination. “The…

Man sentenced in church embezzlement

Michael Whitt Barbara Whitt GREENVILLE, Tenn. (ABP) – A man convicted of conspiring with his mother to steal $1.5 million from a Tennessee Baptist church was sentenced Oct. 4 to just over four years in prison. Senior U.S. District Judge…

Except for white evangelicals, Americans have soured on Trump’s leadership

CBF approves $16 million budget, leaders challenge more mission

The Black Church was not meant to save America

Caner sues Truett-McConnell for wrongful firing