Our TGIF article here focused on the pulls and perils of bivocational pastors. Being a bivocational pastor comes with multiple challenges. But those challenges are accompanied by many rewards that benefit both the pastors and the churches they serve. Unwrapping…
HeraldBeat: Tracking Baptists across the Mid-Atlantic
Transitions ON THE MOVE Katie McKown, to Scottsville (Va.) Baptist Church, as pastor. Joe Holland, to Hunton Baptist Church, Glen Allen, Va., as interim pastor. Horace Scruggs, to Effort (Va.) Baptist Church, as interim worship pastor. Chris Kurtz, resigning as…
OPINION: Loving Libya (and everyone else)
As I journey onward in discovering a distinctly Baptist expression of faith that is both ancient and futuristic, I continue to marvel at the lectionary’s ability to serve as a bridge between the two. Rooted in the liturgical calendar, the…
Non-profit ministries gain popularity as Baptist pastors and congregations seek to impact community
RICHMOND (ABP) — Travis Collins doesn’t need church health experts to know ego and fear can kill creativity and risk-taking in ministry. Collins, senior pastor at Bon Air Baptist Church in Richmond, said he had a “big time” gut reaction…
Faith groups aim to fight sex trafficking in Wilmington
WILMINGTON, N.C. (RNS) — Just 13. That’s the average age UNICEF reports that girls enter the commercial sex trade in the U.S. And while many Americans might think of sex trafficking as an international problem, it often starts in the…
To draw people to church, offer them something bigger than themselves, seminary prof tells CBFVA
ASHLAND, Va. — The No. 1 reason people join churches today is because someone asked them to be part of something bigger than themselves, a specialist in ministry to youth and young adults told the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship of Virginia…
Neighbors help neighbors enjoy day free of poverty
WASHINGTON — The Convoy of Hope rolled into Alexandria, Va., on Sept. 21 with 35,000 pounds of groceries to assist nearly 2,500 disadvantaged residents in a single day. A fleet of trucks arrived In Washington, with nearly $1 million in…
Low-income families find help at church’s clinic
RICHMOND — Ordinarily, someone seeking the services of a medical professional, family photographer, or even a hair dresser would not think to visit a church. Yet hundreds of low-income Richmond residents found these services and more, free of charge, at…
Carl Johnson to be nominated as BGAV president
RICHMOND — Carl Johnson, a Richmond layman currently serving as first vice president of the Baptist General Association of Virginia, will be nominated in November as president of the state association, it was confirmed Sept. 24. If elected, Johnson, who…
Moderate heritage group to cease operations
ATLANTA (ABP) — A society formed 20 years ago to chronicle history of the Southern Baptist Convention from the moderate perspective during the last two decades of the 20th century has ended its operations and given a $10,000 gift endowment…
OPINION: More preaching needed at CBF events
For the past two weeks, many of my evenings have been spent watching the various speeches and presentations offered at the Republican and Democratic national conventions. As someone who appreciates a well-crafted public address, I realize that most books I…
OPINION: The value of getting dirty
When you work in a church you never know what a person’s visit might bring, but you always have to be ready for that stranger through whom God has something to say. A few days ago a little man with…