News

SEVENTH CIRCUIT PANEL RULES TO UPHOLD MINISTER’S HOUSING ALLOWANCE

By Roy Hayhurst GuideStone director of denominational and public relations  DALLAS — A three-judge panel of the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals in Chicago ruled that the minister’s housing allowance is constitutional under two landmark legal precedents, reversing a lower court’s ruling that declared the minister’s cash housing allowance unconstitutional because it violated the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment. That ruling — issued December 31, 2017 — had been

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SMALL, STRUGGLING CONGREGATIONS FILL U.S. CHURCH LANDSCAPE

By Aaron Earls LifeWay Research In many congregations in the United States, new faces in the pews have become rare. A new study from Exponential by LifeWay Research found 6 in 10 Protestant churches are plateaued or declining in attendance and more than half saw fewer than 10 people become new Christians in the past 12 months. “Growth is not absent from American churches,” said Scott McConnell, executive director of

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20,000 HOMES: CROSSOVER’S GOAL FOR SBC JUNE OUTREACH

By Tobin Perry Baptist Press BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — As Southern Baptists from across the country make plans for the SBC annual meeting in June, they’re also preparing to engage more than 20,000 homes with the Gospel through Crossover activities. The North American Mission Board and Alabama State Board of Missions will mobilize 400 teams of volunteers to knock on 20,000 doors in the metro Birmingham area on Saturday, June 8,

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NEW KIDS’ BOOK ABOUT BAPTIST MISSIONARY BILL WALLACE RELEASED

Baptist and Reflector KNOXVILLE — A new book on the life of Bill Wallace, a Southern Baptist missionary doctor who served in China from 1935 until his death in 1951, is now available, debuting on Amazon as the No. 1 children’s religious biography. Based on the 1963 bestselling book, Bill Wallace of China, by Jesse Fletcher, BILL: An American Doctor in China by Ann Lovell is written specifically for fourth

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TENNESSEE WMU ANNOUNCES WORLDCRAFTS ADVOCATES

By Kendall Christian WMU news office BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — WorldCrafts, the fair trade division of national WMU, develops sustainable, fair-trade businesses among impoverished people around the world. Its vision is to offer an income with dignity and the hope of everlasting life to every person on earth.  Tennessee WMU desires to offer churches and small groups the opportunity to discover how they can get involved in missions through the ministry

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VBS, BUS MINISTRY LED ASHLEY VIRTO TO CHRIST

By Lonnie Wilkey Editor, Baptist and Reflector [email protected] FRANKLIN — Ten years ago Ashley Virto was a Catholic teenager in Ripley, Miss., who knew about Jesus Christ, but didn’t know Jesus Christ. Thanks to a bus ministry and a Vacation Bible School, Ashley Virto (now 24) is a Christian serving Jesus Christ in her local church (Judson Baptist in Nashville) and the Tennessee Baptist Mission Board and is now helping

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THE ROOT OF MANY LEADERS’ FAITH BEGINS WITH GOSPEL SHARED AT VBS

By Vicki Hulsey Childhood Ministry Specialist, TBMB I recently heard Landry Holmes, author of It’s Worth It, talk about the “snapshots” he has in his mind regarding Vacation Bible School. I began to think about the pictures people have in their minds of their childhood and VBS memories. As I talk with ministry leaders across Tennessee, I often hear the stories of faith that originated in Vacation Bible School. And,

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VBS: TRIED, PROVEN — AND STILL EFFECTIVE

By Lonnie Wilkey Editor, Baptist and Reflector [email protected] FRANKLIN — Ever since the first Vacation Bible School was held in New York City in 1898, the program has reached thousands upon thousands of children with the gospel of Jesus Christ. Despite its record of success, some churches view VBS as an outdated tool of evangelism and are “abandoning one of the best conduits for sharing the good news of Jesus

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DR FLOOD RECOVERY TEAMS NEEDED ACROSS STATE

Baptist and Reflector MOUNT JULIET — Tennessee Baptist Disaster Relief flood recovery teams will be needed en masse in the weeks ahead, according to Wes Jones, disaster relief specialist for the Tennessee Baptist Mission Board. Teams are already at work in Knoxville, which was hit hard by flooding almost two weeks ago. An incident command center has been set up at Glenwood Baptist Church in Knoxville, Jones said.

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N.C. MISSION VOLUNTEER DIES IN PUERTO RICO

By David Roach Baptist Press SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico — Paul Fisher, the leader of a North Carolina Baptist mission team repairing roofs in Puerto Rico, died Feb. 28 in a swimming accident near San Juan. He was 36. Fisher and his wife Carrie were heading up a team assembled by North Carolina Baptists on Mission to fix homes damaged by Hurricane Maria in 2017. On Thursday, the team completed

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