FORT WORTH, Texas (ABP) — News reports of Van Cliburn’s Feb. 27 death extolled the internationally acclaimed pianist as one of history’s greatest classical musicians. Friends at Broadway Baptist Church in Fort, Worth, Texas, however, remember him as a great…
Aging pushes congregations to fiscal brink
Things were looking bleak for Orange Grove Baptist Church and its aging membership when Greg Shoemaker arrived as its pastor about a year ago. Located just north of Pascagoula, Miss., the congregation and community around it had been hit hard…
Some aging churches are mergering with younger, multi-cultural congregations in order to stay alive
Things were looking bleak for Orange Grove Baptist Church and its aging membership when Greg Shoemaker arrived as its pastor about a year ago. Located just north of Pascagoula, Miss., the congregation and community around it had been hit hard…
Baptist church sign draws attention in Manhattan
(ABP) — “Blessed are the flexible, for they shall not be bent out of shape.” Thus read the sign recently in front of Madison Avenue Baptist Church, a New York City congregation whose pastor is all about convincing folks not…
Baptism ages are dropping in churches which practice believer’s baptism, say observers
(ABP) — Something just clicked for Charity Roberson when she knew it was time for her to be baptized. Roberson, now pastor at Sharon Baptist Church in Smithfield, N.C., was 9 at the time. Some of the memories are vivid….
Baptist church sign draws attention of Manhattan pedestrians, media
(ABP) — “Blessed are the flexible, for they shall not be bent out of shape.” Thus read the sign recently in front of Madison Avenue Baptist Church, a New York City congregation whose pastor is all about convincing folks not…
LEADERSHIP LINK: Alternative gifts counter commercialism
(ABP) — When it began nearly a decade ago, the Alternative Christmas Gift Fair at Boulevard Baptist attracted barely 100 church members and generated a few thousand dollars for participating nonprofits and mission groups. But it has since generated $200,000…
Some church leaders increasingly uneasy about ‘missional’ label
DENVER — The bio on the back of Kathy Escobar’s 2011 book describes her as a “nationally recognized voice in missional church development.” And by all accounts the Denver-based pastor and church-start consultant is certainly that. But Escobar insisted she…
Seminaries provide help for pastors performing the business of ministry
(ABP) — Pastor Tony Lankford had a relaxing-but-productive day planned for himself on Monday. His plan was to prepare the message he would preach the following Sunday on Daniel in the lion’s den. “I was going to go to the…