By Amy Butler The other day I was remembering my first involvement in a church as an independent adult. My first grown-up church was a big, suburban congregation with a fancy building and lots of fun programming for college students….
Fan or foe, children’s sermon here to stay
By Jeff Brumley Judging from the absence of squirming and giggling, Holly Smith’s children’s sermon was quite the hit Sunday morning at Island View Baptist Church in Orange Park, Fla. Five little girls gathered on the steps leading to the…
Rebalancing congregational finances for missional ministry
Your congregational budget has become a straitjacket. What do you do to rebalance your finances for missional ministry? You have at least two choices. One is to take an allocation approach and the other is to take an innovation approach….
Bridging the hospitality gap
By Terry Maples Recently I read an article by a newly retired Baptist minister who recounted experiences while searching for a new church home. He sadly reported members in most churches where he visited ignored him. Hospitality was lacking. Members…
Resource offers guide for churches
By Robert Dilday Weeks before voters head to the polls in the closely fought presidential election, a resource developed by faith groups and civil liberties leaders offers guidelines to churches hoping to influence the political process without violating legal restrictions….
Re-thinking pastor appreciation
By Elizabeth Evans Hagan Last year about this time, I posted a question to several pastoral colleagues on Twitter: “It’s Pastor Appreciation Month, do you feel appreciated?” I was curious about its observance. Many of my colleagues responded back quickly,…
American churches: A failure to thrive?
By Bill Leonard Kidshealth.org posts this description of a common cross-generational medical disorder: “Although it’s been recognized for more than a century, failure to thrive lacks a precise definition, in part because it describes a condition rather than a specific…
The problem with people …
If it weren’t for the people, church ministry would be easy. That’s the problem with being called to be a shepherd—you’ve got to learn to like the sheep. Most of the time, that’s easier than you’d imagine. But sometimes, only…
Man found guilty of killing Texas pastor
By Bob Allen Two Baptist churches in Texas gained some closure Oct. 8 with a conviction in the murder of a 28-year-old mission pastor committed during a church robbery in March 2011. A Tarrant County jury deliberated about an hour…
Curbing staff conflict
Bill Wilson There is a consistent theme in the conversations I have with clergy and laity alike about what frustrates or challenges them most. Without a doubt it is staff. Every pastor’s gathering in which we ask for issues that…
Online community as missions field
By Jeff Brumley Jim Somerville pastors a Baptist congregation in Virginia that, thanks to the Internet, includes people living in Austria, India and Slovakia. And now, he learned recently, some guy in Iowa. “He said ‘I tune in online and…
Thriving cowboy churches buck ‘fad’ status
By Jeff Brumley Charles Higgs is all too familiar with the smirks and jokes generated when talk turns to cowboy churches. Images of worship in rodeo arenas, preachers on horseback and baptisms in cattle troughs also elicit criticism – especially…