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…
S.C. churches stepping up to help flood victims
By Jeff Brumley The heavy rains that began Saturday, Oct. 3, in South Carolina became a deluge of seemingly biblical proportions by Sunday. And that’s when Merianna Harrelson’s phone started blowing up. “I had church members calling to say ‘what…
Congregations without vision cannot see Jesus
Seeing Jesus is a powerful image in the New Testament. Matthew 25:37-40 as an example says, “Then the righteous will answer Him, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry, and feed You, or thirsty, and give You something to drink?…
Church adds a little beer to Bible to soften Baptist reputation
By Jeff Brumley As a pastor, Susan Sparks has been intent on findings ways church members can get to know each other outside of Sunday worship services. As a moderate Baptist, she’s been intent on modeling the kinder, gentler side…