Brooks RICHMOND, Va. — Tony Brooks has joined the staff of the Virginia Baptist Mission Board as a field strategist for the board’s southside region and as a Sunday school specialist. The southside region includes the Appomattox, Concord, Dan River,…
Church leaders focus on untapped ‘Power of One’ at annual gathering
LYNCHBURG, Va. — Deacons, pastors and other church leaders trekked up the mountain for the annual Leadership Gathering at Eagle Eyrie Baptist Conference Center, May 6-8. Nearly five hundred strong, they celebrated the theme, “Energy: The Power of One” taken…
Panel exploring renewed ties with Averett making ‘positive’ progress
RICHMOND, Va. — A Virginia Baptist committee exploring a possible renewal of Baptist General Association of Virginia ties with Averett University — ties dissolved in 2005 in a disagreement over homosexuality — has seen “positive” progress, says the committee’s chair….
Virginian gets disaster relief service award for work in state, Haiti
Marie Lawrence receives a plaque for distiguished service in disaster relief ministry. LYNCHBURG, Va. — Marie Lawrence of Colonial Heights, Va., received a distinguished service award from the Southern Baptist Convention’s disaster relief ministry during an April 25-26 ceremony at…
Relief offered in counties devastated by deadly sweep of April tornadoes
RICHMOND, Va. — Virginia Baptists’ disaster relief ministry is winding down its initial efforts in Virginia counties hard hit by a series of deadly tornadoes that touched down April 27-28 — the third time in less than a month the…
It takes a tractor: Church’s ministry in Ghana had small beginning
TAPPAHANNOCK, Va. — Ghana is one part of the world where Beale Memorial Baptist Church in Tappahannock, Va., is involved in missions, and it started with a tractor. Mission team members from Beale Memorial Baptist Church Bryan and Nancy Taliaferro,…
Multisite fans view approach as good stewardship
Proponents of the multicampus church option cite flexibility, stewardship and the “spark” that newness can bring to ministry. “You get the big-church bang … but you also get the pop and sizzle of a new church,” said Rodney Harrison, vice…
Texas congregation takes church to Air Force base
WICHITA FALLS, Texas — When Pastor Bob McCartney arrived at First Baptist Church in Wichita Falls, he wanted to lead the congregation to minister better to two distinct populations — students at Midwestern State University and the airmen and their…
Church start or church satellite? Decision can be difficult
Perhaps a congregation has discovered a neighborhood or nearby community with no evangelical or other church presence. Or maybe the church has found a demographic that isn’t being reached with the gospel. Church leaders believe God is leading their congregation…
Multisite ministry by any other name
LEWISVILLE, Texas — Before a church launches a multisite ministry, it must select and secure a site, assemble a leadership team, raise funds and work through logistical details. But Northview Baptist Church in Lewisville, Texas, has discovered the most difficult…
Hybrid multisite model uses multiple approaches
HUNTSVILLE, Texas — Covenant Fellowship in Huntsville, Texas, functions as a hybrid multicampus church as a means to give birth to autonomous congregations across the state and the nation. While he was pastor of First Baptist Church in Huntsville, David…
Multisite multiplication
The term “multisite” or “multicampus” church might first bring megachurches to mind. But as it has developed, the church-growth model has taken on many forms to serve a variety of purposes and ministry contexts. Ministry Some churches use the multicampus…