STAFF CHANGES • Terry Spencer, to Calvary Church, Newport News, as pastor. • Gregory L. Soult, to Mentow Church, Huddleston, as full-time pastor, effective Nov. 14. ‘NEW’ CONGREGATION: Following several years of working together in combined ministries, the congregations of…
HERITAGE: On to Hampton
In 1755 some 1,100 Acadians came in exile to Hampton. They remained on their ships while negotiations ensued. Governor Dinwiddie thought that “it was unkind of the Governor of Nova Scotia to send such a number of people here without…
VITAL SIGNS: Everyone needs to go to Arabia
One of the pressing concerns of 21st century individual and congregational spiritual life is the question of depth. To be blunt, there isn’t much. Study after study has revealed the sad truth that much of what we call faith and…
OUT LOUD
“There’s no threat of Sharia law coming to Oklahoma and America, period. It’s just a scare tactic." Saad Mohammed The member of the Islamic Society of Greater Oklahoma City was referring to a Nov. 2 referendum to ban Islamic law…
150 Bluefield students make professions of faith
BLUEFIELD, VA. — Bluefield College students were invited to trade in their hurt for healing during the school’s 19th Annual Duremdes Christian Emphasis Week, Sept. 29-Oct. 1, featuring the ministry of evangelist Tony Nolan and professions of faith from more…
Church implodes buildings to make way for $130 million project
DALLAS (ABP) — One of Southern Baptists’ most historic and prominent congregations has officially embarked — with four simultaneous Oct. 30 building implosions — on what it is calling the biggest church renovation-and-expansion project in modern history. An architect’s rendering…
‘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…