By Bob Allen A Southern Baptist Theological Seminary alumna who went on to become the first openly gay elected official in Louisville, Ky., walked the aisle Nov. 29 with her partner of more than 15 years in a wedding ceremony…
Triple slaying touches three Florida Baptist churches
By Bob Allen The pastor and the children’s director of a small Southern Baptist church in Bradenton, Fla., died Dec. 4 in a triple homicide. Police say James “Tripp” Battle III, 31, lead pastor of Bayshore Baptist Church in Bradenton,…
Should churches ditch the stand-and-greet?
By Bob Allen LifeWay Christian Resources President Thom Rainer says he wasn’t trying to be controversial when he posted a blog Nov. 1 on things that churches inadvertently do to drive away first-time visitors. The No. 1 on the list…
D.C. church focuses on next generation with Explorer Camp
By Emily Holladay National Baptist Memorial Church rests in the heart of Columbia Heights, one of Washington’s most diverse neighborhoods. Located less than two miles from Howard University, the nearly 150-year-old historically black university known for its important role in…
Kentucky human-rights head commends Crescent Hill
By Bob Allen In a Nov. 29 letter to the editor of the Louisville Courier-Journal, the chairman of the Kentucky Commission on Human Rights commended a church recently kicked out of the Kentucky Baptist Convention over homosexuality. George Stinson, chairman of the…
5 communication mistakes your church is probably making
After a combined 15 years as an administrative assistant, communication manager, educator, communication specialist or communication consultant (or any other title sent my way), I’ve had time to reflect on what we’re doing wrong when it comes to effective communication….
FBC Decatur, Ga., elects openly gay deacon
By Bob Allen A flagship Cooperative Baptist Fellowship congregation in Atlanta voted Nov. 23 to approve a slate of deacons including an openly gay man in a committed, same-sex relationship. The vote followed a three-week sermon series on the Bible…
Weekly communion heals, unites N.C. church and community
By Jeff Brumley It was back around 2008, during a monthly Friday Lenten service at First Baptist Church on Highland Avenue in Winston-Salem, N.C., that Pastor Darryl Aaron made an unsettling observation. “The economy was real bad, tilting into the…
Author cites alarming trends in preacher burnout
By Jeff Brumley Travis Collins was a pastor for three decades, but it was only in the last 10 years of his pulpit ministry that he became disturbed by the rate of burnout among fellow preachers — especially the younger ones….