This category feeds the Current Stories column on the homepage. Stories should be of most interest and variety to the general reader.
Reading Time: 2 minutes
My evidence is anecdotal, but my experience is that many, if not most, Sunday school classes or small groups turn inwardly at some point. Even those that start with the strongest outward focus sometimes lose this battle. Here are some reasons this shift happens: Their churches are already inwardly focused. It’s not just the Sunday school […]
Reading Time: 3 minutes
By Mary Alan It’s the little things, the mundane, that cause me to fail as a cross-cultural witness. On the other hand, the catastrophes and emergencies — these events are catalyzers for my witness: A colleague has been kidnapped. A believer is undergoing severe persecution. When these things happen, my husband and I call our […]
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By Aaron Earls NASHVILLE (BP) — What began as midweek prayer meetings in the 18th century have become an accepted part of congregational life in the vast majority of Protestant churches in America, a study released Tuesday (Sept. 10) shows. Nine in 10 Protestant pastors say they have some type of activity on Wednesday night, […]
Reading Time: 6 minutes
Southern Baptist Convention President J.D. Greear baptizes a new believer at The Summit Church on Baptism Day Sept. 8. Twitter photo Howe named EC VP of communications NASHVILLE (BP) — Jonathan P. Howe has been named vice president of communications for the Southern Baptist Convention’s Executive Committee effective Sept. 5. Officers of the Executive Committee […]
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By Kelvin Cochran Many Christian Americans in today’s culture are faced with a choice whether to live out their faith or keep their jobs. We are living in a season where one week we are receiving accolades for what God is doing through us in our careers, and the next week we are facing termination […]
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DALLAS (BP) — As many churches enter budget season, they are seeking ways to stretch limited budget dollars to cover a myriad of good and God-honoring goals, including Cooperative Program giving and outreach in their local community. One additional area churches must never forget is their biblical obligation to provide well for their pastors and […]
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By Keila Diaz JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (BP) — The historic First Baptist Church in Jacksonville, Florida, plans to downsize its sprawling 10-block campus to just one beautifully designed block to cut expenses and more effectively serve the city in the name of Jesus Christ. On Sunday, Sept. 8, the congregation approved a plan to borrow $30 […]
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From “Bible Studies for Life” curriculum, LifeWayPhil. 4:10-20Jay Sanders, pastorTowaliga Baptist Church, Jackson Phil. 4:13 was not written primarily for athletes. I learned this the hard way at a very young age. For me, doing all things through Christ meant that I would make my school’s basketball team. It meant that I would get a […]
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By Thom Rainer One of the most common responses we receive at ThomRainer.com is something like this statement: “You can’t run your church like a business.” I get it. Our goal is to glorify God. Our goal is to make disciples. Our goal is to be faithful to God’s Word. Our goal is not to […]
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A volunteer with The Hope Center teaches a class. Sherwood Baptist Church initially received the old bottling factory from Coca-Cola as a donation, but since then has partnered with other churches to make it a hub for Disaster Relief as well as efforts to reach at-risk youth. KEN BEVEL/Special ALBANY — When Coca-Cola donated its […]
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From “Explore the Bible” curriculum, LifeWayEph. 2:1-10Stephen V. Allen, senior pastorTabernacle Baptist Church, Carrollton Even the most uninformed movie-goer can recognize the iconic 1933 movie poster for King Kong. The image of the mythical primate hanging off the Empire State Building holding a damsel in distress makes us long for his defeat and her rescue. […]