While the Southern Baptist Convention — the nation’s largest non-Catholic denomination — has been in the news lately for removing churches from its fellowship, The United Methodist Church — the nation’s second-largest non-Catholic denomination — keeps making headlines as churches…
On becoming ninnies and brutes
“Without men, women become precious; without women, men become philistines.” In other words, we make ourselves into ninnies and brutes. This footnote by Karl Barth to a section of his Dogmatics has stayed with me for almost half a century….
PC(USA) committee lambasted for choosing a ‘text of terror’ for ordination exam
The committee overseeing ordination exams for the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) has been called out for its selection of a so-called “text of terror” for this year’s written examination all candidates must complete. The passage from Judges 19 involves gang rape,…
Samford University excludes Presbyterians and Episcopalians
Last fall, Samford University made national headlines for disinviting historian Jon Meacham to speak on campus in response to protests from pro-life activists. Less than one year later, the Baptist university again finds itself in national news, this time for…
Yes, churches survived the first year of the pandemic, but overall giving continues to decline and adaptation is needed
Congregations must reimagine ministries, repurpose facilities and reinvent donor appeals if churches are to survive the ravages of the COVID-19 pandemic and the continuing decline of religion in the 21st century. That was the advice offered by two panelists in…
Coronavirus challenging denominational summer conventions yet again
For the second year, denominational annual meetings are being derailed and reworked due to the coronavirus pandemic. This will have an urgent effect on the United Methodist Church, which already had delayed from last year a critical vote on the…
It seemed like a good idea: Seminarian worships at up to 30 churches in months before first pastorate
William Reilly was in church quite a bit in the months before finishing seminary and becoming a Baptist pastor earlier this year. Normally, that wouldn’t be news. But in Reilly’s case it is because he worshiped at up to 30 different churches September to March. And many of them weren’t Baptist churches.
Switching denominations: Why some Baptist ministers are leaving
“As denominations have declined and become more rigid and doctrinaire, people have gone looking for opportunities in denominations that seem more compatible”
New pastors, small churches
Update March 2015: The program described in this story has been renamed Small Church Residency Program. The Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), like many denominations, has two challenges: thousands of small churches in need of pastors and hundreds of new seminary graduates…