(ABP) — 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 consider…
MLB game was ‘win-win’ for Georgia church
DALTON, Ga. (ABP) — The leadership of First Baptist Church in Dalton, Ga., expected no congregational split Oct. 6, regardless of which side prevailed when the local favorite Atlanta Braves took on the St. Louis Cardinals in a do-or-die game…
National League game was ‘win-win’ for Georgia church
DALTON, Ga. (ABP) — The leadership of First Baptist Church in Dalton, Ga., expected no congregational split Oct. 6, regardless of which side prevailed when the local favorite Atlanta Braves took on the St. Louis Cardinals in a do-or-die game…
Pastors of racially-mixed congregations believe over time homogeneity will become the exception
ATLANTA (ABP) — Park Avenue Baptist Church in Atlanta is considered by some a hopeful sign that Sunday may soon no longer be the most segregated time in America. A dwindling, all white congregation eight years ago, the church is…
Non-profit ministries gain popularity as Baptist pastors and congregations seek to impact community
RICHMOND (ABP) — Travis Collins doesn’t need church health experts to know ego and fear can kill creativity and risk-taking in ministry. Collins, senior pastor at Bon Air Baptist Church in Richmond, said he had a “big time” gut reaction…
Contemplative worship: It’s not just a Catholic thing
Terms like “silence and reflection,” “creating space” and “getting in touch with yourself” were absent from Chad Kerr’s Baptist upbringing in Georgia. But they’ve since become central to his ability to cope with the demands of life as a bank…
Life still an adventure for 86-year-old UR chancellor
RICHMOND (ABP) — By all accounts there are few people like Bruce Heilman. Friends and family say he’s a hard-charging 86-year-old, working still as chancellor of the University of Richmond, a passionate husband, father and grandfather, active in Baptist life…
Churches lag in social media oversight, say experts
(ABP)—Sheryl Fancher likes to tell social media nightmare stories that make ministers cringe. Like the one about a pastor who posted derogatory remarks about church members on his Facebook page without realizing his account was set to public. Ouch. Fancher…
In media oversight, churches lag behind
(ABP)—Sheryl Fancher likes to tell social media nightmare stories that make ministers cringe. Like the one about a pastor who posted derogatory remarks about church members on his Facebook page without realizing his account was set to public. Ouch. Fancher…
Baptist pastor returns to site of Olympic glory
AUGUSTA, Ga.—Jack Robinson is in England at the moment because of the dual callings he sensed as a child and because of the Olympic gold medal he won in London in 1948. And for all of that, the retired Baptist…
Retired Baptist pastor returns to site of Olympic glory
AUGUSTA, Ga.—Jack Robinson is in England at the moment because of the dual callings he sensed as a child and because of the Olympic gold medal he won in London in 1948. And for all of that, the retired Baptist…
CELEBRATE RETIREMENT: Congregation helps widow who faces eviction from her home
KNOXVILLE, Tenn.(ABP)—Mary Cate Jones never doubted her congregation would help when it learned she faced a foreclosure crisis last month. But raising $35,000 in the last two weeks of May and finding a donor to match the rest? The 78-year-old…