Baptist News Global

‘Unchurched’ studies seek to understand why people leave

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (ABP) — Seeking to develop strategies to prevent formerly active members from leaving through the so-called “back door,” LifeWay Research has conducted surveys to better understand why people leave. “I think we have a lot of strategies for…

Study finds large churches can do better at retaining members

HARTFORD, Conn. — Large congregations are more likely than small churches to emphasize evangelism and recruitment of new members but significantly less likely to contact members who stop attending, according to a recent study. A little more than half of…

Why do people leave churches?

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (ABP) — Many churches and denominations put a lot of effort into attracting new members only to lose many of them through a “back door”—a term used to describe people who regularly attended a church in the past…

Pastor calls for church unity following arrest of associate pastor

GREENWOOD, S.C. (ABP) — A Southern Baptist pastor in South Carolina urged his congregation not to rush to judgment following the Oct. 26 arrest of its associate pastor/minister of music on charges of committing a lewd act upon a 13-year-old…

Don’t let Satan have Halloween

By Bob Setzer As a Baptist boy growing up in the South, Halloween was one of my favorite holidays. It was the one time of year my preferred sins were sanctioned: gluttony (especially of the chocolate variety) and getting…

For all the saints (Baptist and otherwise)

By R. Kevin Johnson In a few days, many Christians in the Western traditions of the church will celebrate All Saints’ Day. This feast originated in fifth-century Syria to commemorate martyrs. It is celebrated on November 1 to correspond with…

California appeals court strikes down Wiley Drake’s ‘birther’ case

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (ABP) — A state appellate court in California has dismissed a lawsuit filed by plaintiffs including a former Southern Baptist Convention officer claiming that Barack Obama is not a natural-born citizen of the United States and therefore is…

Missouri Baptists change college’s name

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. (ABP) — The Missouri Baptist Convention renamed Hannibal-LaGrange College Oct. 26 to Hannibal-LaGrange University after alumni campaigned to retain the "LaGrange" part of the moniker. Messengers to the convention's annual meeting, gathering in Springfield, voted 593-360 to amend a motion…

For or against?

By Joe LaGuardia “We are against Halloween,” one minister recently told me. This is a common response I get from folks in the church. That, and: “We are against homosexuals, abortion, environmentalists, liberals, social-gospel types, postmodernists, illegal immigrants, people who…

BGAV REPORTS: Nominations to the Committee on Boards and Committees

These nominations are made by the president and two vice presidents of the General Association. Terms to expire 2013 Emily Carlton (L) Spring Hill Church, Ruckersville Ruth Guill (L) Huguenot Road Church, Richmond Drexel Rayford (M) Walnut Grove Church, Mechanicsville

BGAV REPORTS: Committee on Boards and Committees

The committee on Boards and Committees is tasked with the wonderful responsibility of bringing to the Baptist General Association of Virginia a slate of nominees, committed to Christ and Kingdom Advance, to serve on the boards of partnering agencies, schools,…

BGAV REPORTS: Program Committee

The Program Committee is responsible for preparing the order of business for the annual meeting of the Baptist General Association of Virginia and assuring that worship is emphasized during the meeting. The Committee has chosen the theme, “A Story Worth…

Supreme Court slides into partisanship

Before the fireworks, be careful what you drink

The contemptible case of Clarence Thomas

The permanent paradoxes of Christian thinking about war