By Jeff Brumley Over the weekend, Virginia Heights Baptist Church in Roanoke, Va., plunged headlong into a continuing, decades-long trend in American Christianity by dropping the denominational reference from its name. So when Nelson Harris showed up for work Monday…
Dallas Baptist church supports Ebola family
By Bob Allen People affected by the Ebola virus are not just potential carriers to be shunned and feared but persons of dignity and worth created in the image of God, said Sunday morning’s preacher at Wilshire Baptist Church in…
First U.S. Ebola case hits home for Baptist church in Dallas
By Bob Allen Dallas Ebola patient Thomas Eric Duncan was coming to America to get married and start a new life with a woman baptized this summer as a member of Wilshire Baptist Church, the church’s pastor, George Mason, said…
How Hurricane Hugo broke the racial barrier
Twenty-five years ago on September 21, 1989 Hurricane Hugo made landfall in the Charleston, SC area and brought significant destruction in almost two dozen counties. At that time I was working for Baptists in South Carolina and supervised the department…
Church treasurer charged with theft
By Bob Allen A Georgia woman is under arrest after allegedly stealing more than $93,000 from a Southern Baptist church where she worked. Gwendolyn Hawthorne, 61, of Marietta, Ga., was arrested Sept. 18 on a warrant alleging that she took…
7 reasons why digital metrics matter to your church
By Natalie Aho Almost every receipt given to you these days has a survey link printed at the bottom. Businesses are so desperate for your feedback, they will waste paper and give away cash in exchange for your opinion. And…
California Baptists expel ‘third way’ church
This story hs been updated with a statement from New Heart Community Church. By Bob Allen A statewide affiliate of the Southern Baptist Convention has booted a member church for advocating a “third way” of neither condemnation nor full embrace…
Shallow congregations only take off their shoes and socks
Since they only plan to wade into the shallow end of the pool, or a few feet into the river, lake or ocean, the typical congregational participant only needs to remove their shoes and socks. And we are not talking…
For north Georgia church, a little soul but no blues
While the covered-dish supper has long been a staple of fellowship in Baptist churches, one congregation in Georgia is learning that in today’s economy food can also be a powerful tool for ministry. First Baptist Church in Dalton launched “Soul…
Churches facing a rethink in how they engage aging Boomers
By Vicki Brown Many churches rely on retirees as volunteers to keep some programs and activities vital and growing. Some congregations turn to mature adults for the basics — answering phones, stuffing envelopes and other office or maintenance duties —…
Slow to retire: Boomers turn to ‘encore careers’
By Vicki Brown Baby Boomers — Americans born between 1946 and 1964 — are extending their working careers, and many are turning to what has been dubbed “encore careers.” Boomer numbers vary, with estimates from 65 million to 76.4 million…
Historic Baptist church sold to fraternity
By Bob Allen The Tau Nu chapter of Phi Gamma Delta at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute will move into the former First Baptist Church in downtown Troy, N.Y., in early October, according to the Troy Record. The fraternity reportedly purchased the…