In mid-September, I returned to the church of my childhood, McLaurin Memorial Baptist Church in Edmonton, Alberta. The last time I had been inside the church was for the 1998 funeral of my mother. There are still a handful of…
Study finds congregational leaders report LGBTQ conversations are worth the pain
Engaging in transparent discussion about LGBTQ inclusion is a painful process for congregations but almost always worth it in the end, according to one of the most extensive surveys of congregational practices yet undertaken. A research team from Baylor University’s…
Largest-ever U.S. congregational survey confirms what church consultants have been telling you
For anyone who hasn’t gotten the message yet: American congregations are changing rapidly, and the old ways aren’t working. The kind of rapid adaptation seen in response to the coronavirus pandemic illustrates the kind of new thinking that will be…
VA chaplains have learned that mental health providers and clergy need to talk more and trust each other
As Steve Sullivan and psychologists convened small groups of mental health providers and clergy over the past two years, they learned that lack of trust creates barriers to integrated care. Armed with a grant from Bristol Myers Squibb, VA Mental…
Why CBF exists: to serve congregations and help them thrive
All the winds of our larger culture push us to respond to difference with isolation, condemnation and even anger. We must find a distinctly Christian way of responding to difference if CBF is to be a Baptist community committed to being a real and remarkable priesthood of all believers.
Missional focus will assuage congregations’ fears, ministers say
By Jeff Brumley Declining memberships and contributions, shuttered sanctuaries and surging megachurches have generated a lot of fear in U.S. congregations. The problem is that fear is a turnoff to those that struggling churches hope to serve, M. Craig Barnes,…
Baptist church votes to OK gay marriage
By Bob Allen A Cooperative Baptist Fellowship congregation in Tennessee voted Jan. 10 to marry same-sex couples. First Baptist Church in Memphis capped a three-month discernment process by adopting a policy extending “privileges afforded to any follower of Christ” without…
Increasingly, churches are unwilling to adapt, new survey indicates
By Jeff Brumley A new study reports that American churches are increasingly less willing to make changes to worship, programs and ministries needed to best reflect and meet the needs of the communities around them. Oak Grove United Methodist Church…
Lilly grant will assist CBF pastors enhance financial skills
By BNG staff The Cooperative Baptist Fellowship has received a $1 million grant as part of Lilly Endowment’s National Initiative to Address Economic Challenges Facing Pastoral Leaders. The grant will allow the CBF to develop financial literacy programs for congregations…