NEW YORK (ABP) — The nation’s two largest Christian denominations are experiencing slight but statistically significant membership declines, according to the latest edition of the National Council of Churches’ Yearbook of American & Canadian Churches. Released Feb. 23, the 77th…
St. Louis church committed to its urban neighborhood for good, for God
Third Baptist Church is in St. Louis’ Grand Center district, which boasts 12,000 theater seats, 12 galleries and museums and more than 1,500 cultural events each year.ST. LOUIS, Mo. — With 12,000 theater seats, 12 galleries and museums and more…
Supreme Court agrees to hear case involving cross on federal land
WASHINGTON (ABP) — The Supreme Court has agreed to hear a case that could lead to the first major church-state decision under the panel’s current makeup. The justices announced Feb. 23 they would hear Salazar v. Buono (No. 08-472). The…
North Carolina church sets example with eco-friendly new building
RALEIGH, N.C. (ABP) — Pullen Memorial Baptist Church, which celebrates its 125th anniversary in 2009, is turning heads with a new eco-friendly building addition that eases overcrowding, allows for expanded missions and establishes a strong architectural presence along a prominent…
Upsurge of urban ‘creative class’ poses challenges to evangelicals
WASHINGTON (ABP) — If ever there were an archetypal hangout for what author and urban-studies theorist Richard Busboys and Poets offers affordable gourmet meals and a performance venue to edgy artists, sells books on political topics and provides a chic…
Russian Baptists denounce bogus newspaper as political smear
MOSCOW (ABP) — Russian Baptists denounced the injection of religion into politics after a bogus newspaper circulated in a mayoral race falsely identified a candidate as a Baptist in an effort to besmirch his character. According to Internet reports, a…
Churches respond to challenge of new urban ‘creative class’
Urban churches reach out to the ‘creative class’ with edgy art, ancient traditions.RICHMOND, Va. (ABP) — Lights strung from a sanctuary’s ceiling at Epiphany. Art galleries and exhibits. Bicycle repair seminars. Cafes and coffee houses. Worship gatherings in downtown music…
Baptist pastor convicted in Azerbaijan
FALLS CHURCH, Va. (ABP) — A Baptist pastor in the South Caucasus country of Azerbaijan has been found guilty of what supporters say are bogus weapons charges and given “a two-year corrective labor sentence,” according to a worldwide Baptist group. The Virginia-based…
Eye-catching, eco-friendly church structure turns heads in North Carolina city
RALEIGH, N.C. (ABP) —Pullen Memorial Baptist Church, which celebrates its 125th anniversary in 2009, is turning heads with a new eco-friendly building addition that eases overcrowding, allows for expanded missions and establishes a strong architectural presence along a prominent business…
Survey: Crisis has some churches slashing budgets, more worried
DALLAS (ABP) — Churches that aren’t cutting their budgets due to the economic downturn are, by and large, taking measures to curb expenses, according to a survey the National Association of Church Business Administration has done of its members. The…
The challenge of the new urbanism
Lights strung from a sanctuary’s ceiling at Epiphany. Art galleries and exhibits. Bicycle repair seminars. Cafes and coffee houses. Worship gatherings in downtown music venues. In meeting the challenges of revitalized urban neighborhoods across the country, urban churches are rethinking…
The challenge of the new urbanism
Lights strung from a sanctuary’s ceiling at Epiphany. Art galleries and exhibits. Bicycle repair seminars. Cafes and coffee houses. Worship gatherings in downtown music venues. In meeting the challenges of revitalized urban neighborhoods across the country, urban churches are rethinking…