Adult and youth education programs were among the most resilient in U.S. congregations during the two decades leading up to the COVID-19 pandemic, while interfaith and ecumenical engagement diminished significantly during that span, according to a new report released by…
Heart surgery sidelines American Baptist leader
American Baptist Churches USA is under interim leadership as General Secretary Lee Spitzer recovers from heart surgery. Spitzer, head of the 1.3 million-member ABCUSA since 2017, underwent aortic valve replacement and triple bypass surgery on Sept. 8. He came from…
Baptist official critiques ‘quick fixes’ to challenges churches face
Quick fixes like contemporary worship and missional outreach can’t fix what ails U.S. churches, an American Baptist official said in a recent lecture at Central Baptist Theological Seminary. “There are no quick fixes,” Jeff Woods, associate general secretary for regional…
Evangelicals urge halt to Texas execution
Four dozen evangelical leaders in Texas and across the nation issued an open letter Aug. 9 seeking to stop the execution of an 18-year death-row inmate scheduled to be executed Aug. 24.