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…
Pastor calls on SBC to adopt zero-tolerance of racism
ARLINGTON, Texas (ABP) — A prominent African-American pastor has announced plans to ask the Southern Baptist Convention to amend its constitution to ban churches that condone racism. Dwight McKissic, pastor of Cornerstone Baptist Church in Arlington, Texas, said in a…
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…
CBF leader seeks to rally churches to make up mission offering shortfall
ATLANTA (ABP) — A Cooperative Baptist Fellowship's leader is appealing to churches to step up contributions to an annual Offering for Global Missions running 30 percent behind projected receipts. At the end of April, receipts to the offering totaled just…
OPINION: Why ‘stuff’ happens
“Stuff” happens. This slogan (in its raw form) originated in the movie Forrest Gump when Forrest stepped into a clump of rather disgusting canine discard, prompting him to shrug his shoulders and say “ ’Stuff’ happens.” Later in the movie,…