“When I was diagnosed with depression, I felt as though I finally understood why I felt alone,” said one young pastor, after seeking help through his doctor. “However,” he continued, “I still was afraid of telling anyone in my church about my condition because of the fear of being ostracized, which made my depression even more desperate.” This story is one that could be told throughout the churches in the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC): people with non-severe mental health issues that … [Read more...]
Arkansas church impacts African city
ABIDJAN, Ivory Coast (BP) – Dinner was a far cry from an Arkansas Baptist church supper. On this night, six members of Arkansas’ Valley Baptist Church in Searcy squeezed into a modest Muslim home in Abidjan, Ivory Coast, and dipped their spoons into African groundnut stew and fish sauce served over attiéké, the staple Ivorian food made from cassava. They were eating with a local family who was breaking their Ramadan fast. “Man, you couldna told me 10 years ago I’d be over here eatin’ with … [Read more...]
Survey finds pastors favor immigration reform
NASHVILLE – The nation’s Protestant senior pastors want the U.S. government to mix justice with mercy when it comes to immigration reform. Most say it’s the government’s job to stop people from entering the country illegally. They also support reform that includes a path to citizenship for illegal immigrants already in the country. And they believe Christians should help immigrants, no matter what their legal status. Those are among the findings of a new survey of 1,000 Protestant … [Read more...]
Baptisms, outreach drive CP-giving church
EULESS, Texas (BP) – The 235 baptisms last year at First Baptist Church of Euless, Texas, totaled nearly 10 percent of the church’s 2,534 average Sunday morning worship attendance. But pastor John Meador would like the number of baptisms to be much larger. That’s one reason First Euless developed the “Can We Talk?” six-week training program in sharing the Gospel that has already equipped 472 members to share their faith. “Our goal is for 95 percent of our entire adult church membership to … [Read more...]
Housing allowance decision overturned, dismissed
DALLAS — The Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals has overturned a lower court’s ruling that the minister’s housing allowance was unconstitutional. In the decision by the Chicago-based appeals court, it determined that the plaintiffs lacked standing to file the suit. The appeals court vacated the trial court’s judgment and remanded with instructions to dismiss the case. The plaintiff’s only recourse would be to seek review by the U.S. Supreme Court. The appeal was in response to a December … [Read more...]
Sen. Cruz: Caesar has no jurisdiction over pulpit
Liberty Institute President Kelly Shackelford and Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) joined together to speak out against the recent subpoenas targeting Houston area pastors. In response to these pastors being asked to turn over their sermons, Ted Cruz made his position clear: "Caesar has no jurisdiction over the pulpit, and when you subpoena one pastor, you subpoena every pastor.” Share this video and article to show your support for the Houston pastors! … [Read more...]
SBC pastor salaries not keeping up with inflation
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (BP) – Compensation for full-time Southern Baptist pastors has not kept pace with inflation over the past two years, while salaries for other full-time ministers and office staff increased at a rate higher than national inflation. These findings are part of the SBC Church Compensation Study, an in-depth survey of 12,907 staff members in Southern Baptist churches. Baptist state conventions along with LifeWay Research and GuideStone Financial Resources conduct this survey … [Read more...]
Court considers pastors’ housing allowance
CHICAGO (BP) – Supporters of the ministerial housing allowance should be hopeful about a federal appeals court’s anticipated ruling on the 60-year-old provision, a religious liberty lawyer said after oral arguments in the case. The Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals in Chicago appeared Sept. 9 to lean toward either dismissing the case because the allowance’s challengers lack legal standing or upholding the allowance as constitutional, a lawyer with the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty … [Read more...]
Larry Lewis: leading SBC to support life
Dr. Larry Lewis was shocked when in 1979 he opened a St. Louis newspaper to see the full-page ad listing the religious denominations and groups who favored a “pro-choice” – a pro-abortion – position. He learned that the ad was also in other major newspapers throughout the country. In that listing “… right along with the Unitarians … ” was the Southern Baptist Convention, the nation’s largest protestant denomination! This shock set him in motion. He discovered and was further … [Read more...]
ERLC: Town’s sign code violates church freedom
WASHINGTON (BP) -- The Southern Baptist Convention's religious freedom entity has called for the U.S. Supreme Court to strike down a municipal sign ordinance it says violates a church's free speech and assembly rights. The Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission (ERLC) joined in a friend-of-the-court brief filed Sept. 22 that contends the sign code of Gilbert, Ariz., discriminates against churches while favoring political and ideological messages. The brief, filed by the Christian … [Read more...]
Ferguson: National Day of Prayer bus sparks prayers for unity
FERGUSON – When the National Day of Prayer (NDP) bus stopped at First Baptist Church Ferguson Sept. 13, the prayer warriors moved beyond their planned emphasis and prayed for unity. According to Dion Elmore, the NDP task force conducted more than 43,000 prayer activities this year through their many volunteers across the country. “We want to pray strategically and intentionally,” Elmore, director of public relations for the NDP task force, said. “We’ve taken our bus into 34 states and … [Read more...]
MBC asks Supreme Court for a sign – of freedom
The Missouri Baptist Convention has filed a brief in the U.S. Supreme Court in joining other religious groups asking for a sign – that religious freedom trumps local sign codes which discriminate against churches and church plants. The case, Reed v. Town of Gilbert, originating the Phoenix area, is potentially the most important religious freedom case on the Supreme Court's docket in the new term beginning Oct. 6. Michael and Jonathan Whitehead, a father-son legal team in Kansas City, … [Read more...]
- « Previous Page
- 1
- …
- 20
- 21
- 22
- 23
- 24
- …
- 28
- Next Page »