By Bob Allen A Baptist minister and interfaith leader accused Republican presidential candidate Rick Santorum of using religion to polarize voters. Interfaith Alliance head Welton Gaddy called Santorum’s introduction by a Louisiana preacher who encouraged those who don’t share his…
Working with someone who saved a country
By Amy Butler The objective of the community organizer was to help our church discover projects about which we are passionate, ideas for mission and ministry in our city. She began by asking everyone in the circle to mention one…
VA offers training to help rural clergy minister to vets
Associated Baptist Press The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs is offering free, one-day workshops for clergy in rural areas on how to minister to needs of veterans in their communities. Six training events are scheduled between April 10 and June…
Churches conflicted when it comes to social media engagement
By Robert Dilday It’s not about hunting. It’s about farming. That’s how bestselling author Ivan Misner, founder of one of the world’s largest business networking organizations, describes social networks, which he says attempt to do one thing—cultivate relationships. For church…
Text message donors represent new category of giver, study shows
By Bob Allen One in 10 Americans have made a charitable donation using the text messaging feature on their mobile phones, according to a newly-released study produced by the Pew Research Center’s Internet & American Life Project and Harvard’s Berkman…
So your church is on Facebook. What now?
By Robert Dilday While about half of Protestant churches have Facebook pages, many essentially use it as a bulletin board, missing out on the potential to nurture relationships with congregants and its community. “It’s OK for a church to use…
Beyond Facebook: Scanning the social media landscape
By Robert Dilday Facebook has become the social network of choice for the vast majority of people—it’s hard to argue with 850 million users around the globe—and it’s not likely to disappear any time soon. But some specialists see a…
New clergy deserve a chance
By Bill Wilson A recent column on the surge of churches calling pastors in their fifth decade evoked a wide range of responses. Many came from mid-career clergy who offered a hearty “Amen” and were grateful for the news that…
Former ‘Seeds’ publisher, Carter Center staffer joins Baptist hospital
By Bob Allen Former Carter Center adviser and one-time magazine publisher Gary Gunderson has been named vice president for faith and health ministries at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center. Gary Gunderson Gunderson comes from a similar post at Methodist LeBonheur…