BLUEFIELD, Va. — Bluefield College announced June 4 it is establishing a new football program at the school for the first time since World War II. The announcement, made in front of alumni, friends, supporters, the media and local and state…
Clarification
In the April 29 issue of the Religious Herald, an advertisement for the Safety Sentry trailer hitch locking device cited a new state law which the advertiser said requires locking devices on trailers to prevent accidental separation. According to the…
EDITORIAL: It will take more than a vote
On June 15, at the Southern Baptist Convention, the Great Commission Resurgence task force recommendations will be presented for adoption. Arguments have been championed from all quarters and conflicting eruptions of fiery rhetoric have polluted the blogisphere with dire warnings….
FAITH DIGEST
Judge allows clergy housing tax case to proceed. A federal judge has rejected a motion filed by the U.S. Department of the Treasury to dismiss a California lawsuit that challenges tax breaks ministers can receive on housing. Section 107 of…
RIGHT OR WRONG? Denominational loyalty
I’m watching friends who graduated from Baptist seminaries change denominations. I’m beginning to think they are no different than politicians who change political party affiliations to get re-elected. What is the appropriate sense of denominational loyalty these days? The competition…
Student ministers face challenges as age separates them from youth
Age can influence the career direction a youth minister or campus minister takes. Family transitions may lead to a ministry change, or the minister may feel age has separated him or her from students. “There may be a time when…
Death in a minister’s family means transitions in ministry, identity
The death of a minister—or the minister’s spouse—marks a difficult phase in the life of both the church and the pastor’s family. Wil Tanner, pastor of Pilgrim Baptist Church in Lubbock, Texas, still struggles to fill the gap left after…
Church and founding pastor either grow together, or somebody moves on
Whether the founding pastor of a church matures with the congregation or moves on once the new work is well established depends on a host of factors, according to three church-growth and church-planting experts. And either the initial focus on…
Churches adapt to change by planting multiple campuses
RICHMOND, Va. — A couple of years ago, ministry leaders at Pleasant Valley Baptist Church in Liberty, Mo., began to notice how many members were driving from an area near Kansas City International Airport, a nearly 30- minute drive. Knowing…
Virginia Baptist nurse answers call to bring medical care to needy Haitians
GRAND GOAVE, Haiti (ABP) — The children swarm Tori Wentz as she walks down the street. Some run up for a fist bump. A few chant, "Blan! Blan! Blan!" Wentz waves back, smiles and shrugs at the Creole term for…
Ronnie Floyd asks for prayer for GCR Task Force report at SBC
RICHMOND, Va. — In an email communiqué June 1, Ronnie Floyd asked editors of state Baptist papers to spread the word that he is asking for prayer. Floyd, pastor of First Baptist Church of Springdale, Ark., is chairman of the…
OPINION: When churches ‘jump the shark’
When does a church “jump the shark?” That phrase refers to the time Fonzi, the star of the old television comedy “Happy Days,” jumped a shark (literally) and has served as an example of a TV show that tries something…