In the last three years, I have conducted funerals for almost 40% of the active participants in my congregation. I have also officiated more than a dozen funerals for non- and inactive members. These numbers might seem staggering, but for…
Not afraid of miracles
By Amy Butler I don’t really believe in miracles, at least the kind my siblings and I used to watch with fascination on Christian television when our parents told us to amuse ourselves and there was nothing else on. This…
It’s not about the nail
By Leroy Seat Recently a family member forwarded a YouTube video that is making the rounds, written and produced by Jason Headley, titled “It’s Not About the Nail.” If you haven’t seen it, the 1 minute, 42 second video is…
Singing in the darkness
By Roger Lovette If you were to travel to New York and move down Broadway to 43rd Street you would find the Stephen Sondeim Theater. If you bought a ticket and found your seat you would be in for a…
What’s next for CBF chaplaincy?
By Jeff Brumley Jim Pope will become interim chaplaincy and pastoral counseling endorser for CBF when George Pickle steps down from that position on June 30. What he will not become – ever – is a candidate for the Pickle’s…
Haiti trauma tool works in Newtown
By Bob Allen A tool designed to help pastors deal with trauma following the 2010 Haiti earthquakes is translating well into other cultures, said a Mercer University professor who used the storytelling-based exercise April 26 with clergy in the Newtown,…
CBF supports Newtown-area clergy
By Bob Allen Four-and-a-half months after the mass murder of 20 children and six adults at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Connecticut, Newtown-area chaplains, counselors and clergy gathered April 26 at a Baptist church in nearby Wilton for a conference…
Pastors get tips on burying the dead
By Ken Camp Anxiety about his or her own mortality can hinder a pastor’s ability to minister effectively when a death occurs, a former hospital chaplain said at a recent conference at Baylor University. “We are not immune to the…
Knowing what not to say
By Amy Butler Those who don’t really care about the suffering of others may be excused. But anybody who feels they must comment from the sidelines on an occasion of human pain ought to have some training in pastoral care….