By Jeff Brumley and Eric Eckert Churches eager to engage the communities around them would be challenged to find a better place to start than local public schools. Think about it, says Carrie Dean, co-pastor of Edgewood Church in Atlanta:…
After a tough year, Birmingham church fills pulpit vacancy
By Bob Allen After more than two years without a senior pastor, First Baptist Church of Birmingham, Ala., welcomed an inaugural sermon Aug. 10 by new Pastor Jim Cooley. Cooley, pastor of First Baptist Church in Haleyville, Ala., since 2003,…
Are Millennials different than Baby Boomers 40 years ago?
Back in the 1970s a lot of congregational prognosticators warned that the Church, in general, was in the process of losing a whole demographic generation known as Baby Boomers. Existing congregations, new congregations, and denominational approaches to ministry were losing…
Deaths of pastor, wife, ruled murder/suicide
By Bob Allen The deaths of a Baptist pastor and his wife discovered Aug. 20 by their granddaughter in the patio area of their home in Lumberton, N.C., have been ruled a murder-suicide. The Robeson County Sheriff’s Office released a…
Georgia church heeds calling to serve elderly through worship
By Jeff Brumley News of a church’s closing usually brings tears and mourning, and certainly there will be some of that when Scott Boulevard Baptist Church leaves its historic property in Decatur, Ga., for nearby rented space on Sunday. But…
When the price is right, churches are selling property to advance ministry
By Jeff Brumley Selling all or portions of property is nothing new for downtown churches. It’s been a practice for decades, necessitated by demographic shifts and urban sprawl, aging congregations or denominational decline. But for some, it’s the money generated…
That’s between me and God (and God ain’t talkin’)
What’s going on when you ask a Christian about a specific practice of discipleship in their life and they say, “That is between me and God”? Perhaps nothing unusual. Or, perhaps a whole bunch of evasive things. What do you…
Needed: Christian ministers who do the stuff
A dramatic story—perhaps an urban legend—about John Wimber, one of the founders of the Vineyard Movement, relates to something that happened following his conversion to Christianity around 1963. It is said that he began attending a church nearby. After several…
In this case, missional means a contemplative sculpture garden
By Jeff Brumley The term “missional” evokes images of churches partnering with existing ministries and nonprofits in the neighborhoods around them. Connecting with God’s work leads other churches to open their facilities to homeless or emergency shelters, feeding programs or…
Churches widen impact, relevance by working with outside groups
By Jeff Brumley Flanked by two of her three young children, Virginian Brenda Espinet broke into tears Saturday morning before about 35 Floridians, giving thanks for their generosity and admitting a little embarrassment at needing their financial and other assistance….
‘Third-way’ Baptist church faces possible expulsion
By Bob Allen The 175-church Los Angeles Southern Baptist Association is expected to vote this fall on whether to expel a member church for embracing a “third way” besides discrimination against or unqualified endorsement of people who identify as gay….
Millennials warn churches against catering to their generation
By Jeff Brumley Many American congregations are modernizing worship in an effort to lure Millennials and other young people either into church or back to church. “For some, the instinct is to radically alter the old model: out with the…