CENTRALIA, Mo. (ABP) — Combining three Southern Baptist agencies into the North American Mission Board in 1995 was a bad idea, says the last president of one of the agencies. Larry Lewis, president of the Home Mission Board of the…
North Carolina convention cuts jobs
CARY, N.C. (ABP) — With income trailing last year's gifts by 3.2 percent or $647,000 through seven months, the Baptist State Convention of North Carolina has laid off three people and eliminated six positions, effective immediately. Two of the…
SBC needs overhaul, says writer of ‘Great Commission Resurgence’ document
WAKE FOREST, N.C. (ABP) — The lead author of a “Great Commission Resurgence” document circulating among Southern Baptist Convention leaders says a major overhaul of denominational structures must occur if the convention is going to engage younger pastors. Danny Akin,…
Southeastern Seminary president calls SBC executive’s comments ‘shameful’
LOUISVILLE, Ky. — The president of Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary called comments in a speech by the Southern Baptist Executive Committee President Morris Chapman “disingenuous” and “shameful.” Seminary President Danny Akin was addressing a panel discussion hosted by B21 at…
SBC resolution commends, cautions Obama
LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Southern Baptists both commended President Barack Obama and expressed opposition to some of his policies in a resolution passed June 24 at their annual meeting in Louisville. A resolution commending Obama for his “evident love for his…
SBC not flexible enough to value churches who do missions outside system, says Hunt
WOODSTOCK, Ga. (ABP) — Part of the reason Southern Baptist Convention president Johnny Hunt was ready to “shock the system” with a strongly worded call to a “Great Commission Resurgence” is that he and other leading Southern Baptist pastors feel…
FCC to churches: Don’t throw out your wireless mics — yet
WASHINGTON (ABP) — Churches: Don't throw out your wireless microphones — yet. With the shift of the nation's broadcast communications from analog to digital, early indications were that wireless microphones might become outdated or even illegal. A Federal Communications Commission…
Uncertain times breed anxiety, disrupt churches
RALEIGH, N.C. (BP) — Uncertain times bring anxiety into the church and, as Wayne Oakes has observed, the conflict that often results can be traced to loss of control. Oakes, minister/church relations consultant for the Baptist State Convention of North…
North Carolina WMU decides to leave convention control
CARY, N.C. (ABP) — Woman's Missionary Union of North Carolina has voted to remove itself from the North Carolina Baptist Building — and from the state convention executive director's attempt to assert authority over its staff. The dramatic move culminates…