By Vicki Brown God’s grace made pastoral succession work atBroadview Baptist Church in Abilene, congregational leaders say. The church took a step of faith when Senior Pastor David Cason began to mull retirement. How would they find someone to match…
Banner Sunday boosts Baptist women in ministry
By Bob Allen The so-called “stained-glass ceiling” that Baptist women face when called to ministry cracked a little March 22, when two North Carolina congregations for the first time elected senior pastors who are female. Baptist News Global reported Monday…
Alabama Baptist church dis-fellowshipped over pastor’s gay friendly views
By Bob Allen An association of Southern Baptist churches in Alabama voted March 16 to dismiss a church over its pastor’s support of same-sex marriage. The executive board of Madison Baptist Association voted 74-5 to withdraw fellowship from Weatherly Heights…
Pastor/elder dispute disrupts Tennessee church
By Bob Allen The pastor of a prominent Southern Baptist church in Tennessee for three decades resigned abruptly March 6 because of a leadership dispute with the congregation’s four-member elder board. Rick White, 63, pastor of The People’s Church in…
Churches join schools to tackle educational challenges
Kalie Lowrie Two years ago, Principal Marta Plata of Manuel Jara Elementary School in Fort Worth, Texas, recognized her school needed help. She realized her teachers could work tirelessly every year to educate students and empower them to be their…
The ‘next America’ demands change from churches
The headline for this column is misleading. The “next America” actually is the “now America.” To paraphrase the late cartoon character Pogo, “We have seen the future, and it is here.” And it means most Baptist congregations and their denomination…
Pastors wary as winter weather takes financial toll on nation’s churches
By Jeff Brumley With an ice storm blanketing Fort Worth, Texas, Senior Pastor Brent Beasley set out for Broadway Baptist Church to determine if services should be canceled the following morning. He found the sidewalks and parking lots covered by…
Baptist church transforms Sunday school into community and pastoral care
By Jeff Brumley They have a different way of doing Sunday school at Johns Creek Baptist Church in Alpharetta, Ga. — and that’s a good thing, given the state of today’s Baptist Sunday school system. “It’s mired in 1975, still,” said Michael…
Vote postponed on ouster of Alabama church over gay marriage
By Bob Allen A special meeting to decide whether to kick an Alabama Baptist church out of its local association over homosexuality has been postponed due to weather. Officials of Madison Baptist Association announced that tonight’s called meeting of the…