Pretend for a moment a congregation has called you as youth minister and includes all individuals from 3 to 30 years old as your group. What is your reaction? Most people wouldn’t expect a youth worker to deal with such…
How senior are senior adults?
Jan. 1 not only marked the beginning of a new year, but also saw the first Baby Boomers turn 65 years old. And congregations face the evolving challenge of finding ways to minister with and to them. Bill Pigott, state…
Can a church be congregational in polity and have elders?
Baptists long have been known as strong advocates of the priesthood of the believer — the idea that every individual can approach God and have a personal relationship with the Creator. Each person has the right to interpret Scripture for…
Governing multi-site churches like franchising a business
As some congregations reach out to minister beyond their church campus, many have chosen to begin second or third or more sites under the church umbrella. Adding more sites usually means adjusting the congregation’s governing structure. Glenn Akins, assistant executive…
Moderate Baptists uneasy about evangelical political baggage
Are Cooperative Baptist Fellowship and Mainstream Baptists evangelicals? The answer is yes and no. Formed in reaction to the Southern Baptist Convention’s shift to the far right in the late 1980s and early 1990s, both the CBF and Mainstream focus…
Population shifts present challenges for rural churches
CHATHAM, Va. — Rural churches in America face a host of challenges as they seek to continue ministry in their communities. The continued population shift from rural areas to urban centers can drain rural churches, noted Chuck Warnock, an expert in…
Some rural churches see calling in providing a lab for training ministers
WACO, Texas — Rural churches, particularly those within driving distance of a seminary or denominational college or university, often become training grounds for ministerial staff. “Some churches see that as their ministry,” noted Judy Battles, coordinator for pastoral ministries at…
For rural churches, community may be a key to spiritual renewal
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — America’s rural churches were built upon and grew from a strong sense of community. Although many rural congregations are in decline now, that community reliance may be the key to spiritual renewal and to thriving ministry….
Planting churches that take root requires right processes, right people
Christ’s Great Commission—to share the gospel with people of every language, nationality and culture—calls Christians to find ways to penetrate unreached areas. Planting new churches in places where none exists, or in specific cultural contexts, can result in changed lives…