FREDERICKSBURG, Va. (BP) – Growing up in Brazil, Thiago Montanher de Queiroz came to know Christ at 10 years old and early on felt God calling’s to follow Him into international missions. As an adult while attending a local seminary, Montanher had a professor of missions and church planting – an International Mission Board missionary – who helped confirm and encourage his calling. “[The missionary’s] love for the nations was contagious, and I have never seen anyone so passionate about the … [Read more...]
Cross Church pledges $1 million to CP
SPRINGDALE, Ark. (BP) — Cross Church in northwest Arkansas announced Aug. 2 its commitment to give $1 million through the Cooperative Program in 2015, as well as plans to do the same in 2016. Ronnie Floyd, Cross Church senior pastor and president of the Southern Baptist Convention, said the church is increasing its previous pledge of $900,000 to $1 million and is setting its sights to do the same next year. Floyd, in an email to J.D. “Sonny” Tucker, executive director of the Arkansas … [Read more...]
Baptisms sign of church’s evangelism success
LAKE CHARLES, La. (BP) — Trinity Baptist Church planned to baptize 24 people one Sunday, as a special celebration of how God has blessed the congregation’s evangelism efforts this year. But by the time the last person came out of the baptismal waters, 46 had been baptized. They join 108 others who have been baptized this year at the church in Lake Charles, La. “When people started responding to that call to come, everyone stood up cheering and clapping,” said Greg Bath, Trinity’s … [Read more...]
Satanic statue prompts Baptist response
DETROIT, Mich. (BP) — Michigan Baptists will not waver in their efforts to spread the gospel throughout their state, even after The Satanic Temple (TST) has unveiled a bronze, 9-foot-tall statue of Baphomet in Detroit, says Tim Patterson, a Baptist leader in the state. “People have been worshipping Satan since Satan fell from heaven,” Patterson said. “I’m not worried about it, and Michigan Baptists should not be worried about it either. Our concern is what we’ve been called to do, and … [Read more...]
Churches sue Houston
HOUSTON (BP) — Two African American churches in Houston have filed a lawsuit in response to what they say is an illegal city attempt to seize their property for an urban renewal project. “When we moved into this area, it was considered the highest crime-rate area in the city of Houston,” Latter Day Deliverance Revival Church Pastor Roy Lee Kossie said according to a news release from Liberty Institute, the Christian legal organization representing Latter Day and nearby Christian Fellowship … [Read more...]
Southern church planter dedicates life to Fargo
FARGO , N.D. – When attempting to start a new work in a totally new locale far from home and with little gospel presence, a church planter has to earn the people’s trust. For Tim Brown and his wife, Michelle, trying to plant a church in Fargo, that meant surviving a winter. The Browns left their home in Memphis, Tenn., in August of 2012 after seeking the Lord’s will for the next stage in their ministry. They were contacted by the Dakota Baptist Association to consider planting a church … [Read more...]
Will your church’s insurance be enough?
In the wake of the Supreme Court’s Obergefell decision, churches are worried about lawsuits. This isn’t an irrational fear. I don’t think any Court will soon order ministers to perform a service that conflicts with the minister’s faith. But there is a shift in public opinion that makes it plausible in the future. The definition of ‘fairness’ is changing. In the past, if one minister or church refused to marry a couple, the couple would find another minister or church. This was “fair,” … [Read more...]
Redeeming your building to reach community
Legacy church planting isn’t limited to churches at the very end of their lives. Many churches find themselves with buildings far larger than they need even as they struggle to impact their immediate community in a meaningful way. They love Jesus and the Gospel. They love lost people, but they can’t seem to crack the missional code of the people who live around them. They aren’t ready emotionally to turn over their ministry to another entity. But they live daily with the reality of a … [Read more...]
Pastor raises Christian flag over ‘Old Glory’
SHELBY, N.C. (BP) – North Carolina pastor Rit Varriale wants to see churches fly the Christian flag above the American flag as a biblical statement, reversing flag etiquette that calls for the American flag to be flown in the prominent position. Varriale, as senior pastor of Elizabeth Baptist Church in Shelby, N.C., said the church installed its first-ever flagpole in order to raise the two flags in a special ceremony after morning worship on Sunday (July 5) in which the Christian flag was … [Read more...]
Gay weddings: who must perform them?
WASHINGTON (BP) -- Legal opinions vary widely on what the U.S. Supreme Court's mandate of nationwide same-sex marriage will mean for pastors and government officials authorized to perform weddings. Some legal experts say government officials charged with performing weddings could lose their jobs for refusing to marry gay couples. But others believe both ministers and government officials likely will have freedom not to perform same-sex marriages that violate their religious … [Read more...]
SCOTUS votes 9-0 to uphold free speech for church planters
WASHINGTON – On Thursday (June 18), the United States Supreme Court delivered a landmark win for free speech, ruling 9-0 in favor of Pastor Clyde Reed in the case of Reed v. Town of Gilbert. The Missouri Baptist Convention’s Christian Life Commission was among the friend of the court briefs filed on the winning side in support of Arizona church planting pastor Clyde Reed. The Court found that the town’s sign code, which generously permits an array of political, ideological, and other … [Read more...]
Deadline looms for churches
DALLAS (BP) – Churches and ministries that reimburse their employees for individual health coverage may soon find themselves facing stiff penalties of up to $36,500 per employee, per year, under the federal health care law commonly known as Obamacare, as a grace period expires June 30. The penalties on employers who maintain employer payment plans were to begin in January, but the IRS granted a six-month reprieve. Organizations that offer GuideStone health plans are not at risk of these … [Read more...]
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