RALEIGH, N.C. (ABP) — Police have charged a Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary student with sexually abusing a 10-year-old child at an after-hours YMCA program, re-emphasizing the growing problem of sex abuse among Southern Baptist clergy. It's not the first time…
Time to revamp discipleship methods?
More than two decades after he helped many Baptist churches breathe new life into discipleship training, Roy Edgemon believes it's time take a new look at how churches make disciples. In the early 1980s, the Southern Baptist Convention's Sunday School…
VBMB announces members of Virginia Baptist all-state choirs
RICHMOND — Children and youth in grades 4-12 who have been accepted into the 2008 Virginia Baptist All-State Choirs have been announced. The singers were nominated and auditioned to participate, according to Tom Ingram, worship and spiritual development consultant at…
SECOND OPINION: God’s New Year Resolutions for the church
To My Church, Do you remember when my son said, “Whoever puts his hand to the plow and looks back is not fit for service in the Kingdom?” I hope you don't think he meant to never think about the…
Raising the bar for membership creates culture of discipleship, some churches insist
DALLAS — In a growing number of Baptist churches, new arrivals learn an important lesson early: Membership has its privileges, but it also has its responsibilities. “We want to create a culture of discipleship here,” said John Wilson, minister of…
Looking back at 2007: Quiet year, but signs of change in the air
WASHINGTON (RNS) — History books are full of dates that mark seminal events: 1517, when Martin Luther nailed his 95 theses to the church door and launched the Protestant Reformation; or 1973, when the Supreme Court legalized abortion. But boldface…
News about Virginia Baptists and their ministries for January 10, 2008
STAFF CHANGES • Ken Makela, to Indian View Church, King William, as pastor. • Bob Fleming, to Boulevard Church, Richmond, as pastor. • Jeff Beard, to Falling Creek Church, Midlothian, as senior pastor. • Leroy J. Williams, resigning as pastor…
Study finds limits to Willow Creek’s success model
CHICAGO (RNS) — Willow Creek Community Church, the suburban Chicago megachurch that has become a model for some of the nation's largest churches, started more than a quarter-century ago by asking the question: Why don't people go to church? Now,…
Religion writers name evangelicals in election as last year’s top story
WASHINGTON (RNS) — The nation's religion writers considered political grappling of evangelicals for a GOP presidential candidate the top religion story of 2007. Members of the Religion Newswriters Association named their Top 10 list of religion stories for the year….