By Bob Allen A South Carolina Baptist pastor whose decision to officiate a same-sex wedding got his church kicked out of its local association and state convention says he is concerned about a culture within the Baptist faith that is…
Myers Park Baptist Church calls pastor
By Bob Allen A two-year search for a new pastor of Myers Park Baptist Church in Charlotte, N.C., ended Nov. 22 with the unanimous election of Benjamin Boswell. Boswell, 35, is the youngest senior pastor ever to serve at the…
Worshiping at the ‘little church on the mound’ stirs rural congregation
By Brian Kaylor The address for Union Mound Baptist Church says Elkland, Mo. That small, unincorporated city has one restaurant — located inside a gas station. Union Mound actually sits on top of a small hilltop about eight miles away…
Rural churches struggle as resources flow to urban churches
By Brian Kaylor It’s not easy being a small, rural church in America today. Denominations sometimes focus more resources on bigger, urban congregations. And luring a pastor to the boondocks is a major challenge. “Many seminary graduates will not even…
Baptist church to counter Westboro protests with ‘witness of inclusion’
By Jeff Brumley What should your church do if Westboro Baptist planned to picket the high school across the street? If you ask Pastor Jill McCrory of Twinbrook Baptist Church, the answer is stream giant rainbow banners from the windows…
Church replaces ‘Black Lives Matter’ sign
By Bob Allen After vandals stole its ‘Black Lives Matter’ sign, First Baptist Church of Jamaica Plain, Mass., now has two. While a crowd of about 100 gathered Nov. 1 for a reinstallation ceremony covered by the Boston Globe, an…
Steeples and Millennials — does church architecture matter?
By Jeff Brumley Chris Aho knows a thing or two about worshiping in contemporary spaces, like churches which meet in theaters, schools or former retail spaces. “There is a sense of young churches trying to take away all the symbolism…
Prestonwood Baptist Church sells Dallas campus
By Bob Allen Four years after announcing bold plans to return to its Dallas roots, Prestonwood Baptist Church has quietly closed its Dallas campus, which is being sold to a non-denominational charismatic megachurch. Robert Morris, founding pastor of the 36,000-member…
Apartments purchase propels church ‘from missional to incarnational,’ pastor says
By Jeff Brumley There’s a saying that if you want to hear God laugh, tell him your plans. The folks at Oakmont Baptist Church in Greenville, N.C., have experienced that principle firsthand. It all started when the Cooperative Baptist congregation…