By Bob Allen One girl remained hospitalized two weeks after a church van crash killed two, injured 10 others and left a Tennessee Cooperative Baptist Fellowship congregation reeling. “Things are going pretty well,” Bob Lynch, pastor of Cedar Grove Baptist…
Don’t believe in church growth? Get over it
Too many moderate to progressive congregations have decided that believing in church growth is a negative thing. Believing in evangelism may be even worse. They do this to the detriment of their long-term future, and the vitality and vibrancy of…
Houston Baptists transform lives in Peru
By Jeff Brumley There’s what people can imagine, Houston cardiologist Luis Campos says, and then there’s what God can imagine. The 67-year-old South Main Baptist Church member said he has witnessed that repeatedly in almost a decade of ministry with…
Churches spin off ministry nonprofits
By Jeff Brumley 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, Va., said he had a “big time” gut…
Alabama coffee shop fills ministry need
By Jeff Brumley Missional ministry usually involves a church searching beyond its four walls for ways to tackle the pressing needs of its community. Usually. “I agree with the whole missional concept,” said Mart Gray, pastor of Covenant Community Church…
On the edge
Not long ago I received two e-mails on the same day. One was from a colleague who copied me and other pastors in his reply to a message from Michelle Obama just before she spoke at the Democratic National Convention….
‘Coaching bug’ gaining in Baptist life
By Jeff Brumley Courtney Krueger is so excited about ministry coaching that he can barely contain himself when asked about it. “It has opened a whole new world to me,” said Krueger, the senior pastor at First Baptist Church of…
“God is big.”
She has never said why exactly she had to leave; she only admits that leaving her home country was necessary for her not her husband. Raised in an orphanage with no family made leaving the connections she had to her…
Church visits firefighters on 9-11 date
By Jeff Brumley Sometimes, being “missional” means developing innovative ministries and programs that push churches out of buildings into their communities. At other times it just means paying attention to the calendar. Susan Rogers and her congregation at The Well…