MANY CHURCHES PRIORITIZE DISCIPLESHIP, BUT HAVE NO PLAN
Pastors have a lot of thoughts about discipleship, but they aren’t sure it’s happening in their churches. In the first part of the State of Discipleship study from Lifeway Research, U.S. Protestant pastors shared their understanding of what discipleship means and how it best occurs. The full State of Discipleship will be released over the […]
FEDERAL JUDGE BLOCKS DISPLAYING OF TEN COMMANDMENTS IN TEXAS
SAN ANTONIO — A federal district judge in San Antonio blocked implementation of a law mandating the display of a prescribed version of the Ten Commandments in every Texas public school classroom. U.S. District Court Judge Fred Biery issued the preliminary injunction Aug. 20 in Rabbi Mara Nathan, et al, v. Alamo Heights Independent School […]
CHURCH BRANDING: IT’S ABOUT MISSION, NOT JUST LOGOS
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (BP) – The brouhaha over a certain country-themed restaurant/store’s brand redesign touches on a topic that churches encounter at some point. Words like “branding” and “marketing” can cause ministers to flinch, because there is no greater example of either than the work of the Gospel in a person’s life. But a logo is […]
FOCUS ON THE FAMILY FOUNDER JAMES C. DOBSON DIES
James C. Dobson — founder of Focus on the Family, one of the world’s largest faith-based organizations — died Aug. 21. He was 89. Dobson founded Colorado-based Focus on the Family in 1977 with the vision of strengthening marriages and parenting. He wrote more than 70 books, many of which are still widely read today. […]
SBC PARTNERS WITH ABUSE PREVENTION EXPERTS TO LAUNCH ENHANCED HELPLINE
NASHVILLE — Abuse survivors now have enhanced resources and support through expanded services at the SBC Abuse Response Helpline, powered by a new partnership with The Evangelical Council for Abuse Prevention. The Helpline delivers gospel-focused abuse support for survivors and ministry leaders through the collaborative partnership. The first abuse tipline was launched by the SBC […]
WHAT REALLY DRIVES PASTORS TO LEAVE MINISTRY
BRENTWOOD – Few pastors leave the pulpit each year, but those who do mostly say it was a personal decision. According to a Lifeway Research study of former senior pastors in four Protestant denominations who stepped down before retirement age, 4 in 5 (81 percent) felt sure during most of their ministry at their last church that […]
4 IN 5 CHURCHES ENGAGE WITH LOCAL PUBLIC SCHOOLS, NEW SURVEY REVEALS
BRENTWOOD – As students head back to the classroom, they’re likely to see the impact of local churches in their schools this year. According to a Lifeway Research study, 4 in 5 U.S. Protestant pastors identify at least one way their congregations have engaged with local public schools in the last year. Only 18 percent of […]
CP GIVING REMAINS AROUND 3% UNDER BUDGET
NASHVILLE (BP) – Cooperative Program giving in July came in more than 6 percent below budget, while designated giving showed a marked increase over July of last year. Southern Baptists gave more than $14 million in undesignated receipts last month, bringing the year-to-date total to $155,238,788.72 – 3.13 percent below the year-to-date budget goal of […]
LEATHERWOOD RESIGNS FROM ERLC
NASHVILLE (BP) – Brent Leatherwood has resigned as president of the Southern Baptist Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission, ending nearly nine years of service that began in 2017 as director of strategic partnerships. The ERLC Board of Trustees accepted Leatherwood’s resignation in a called meeting today (July 31) in Nashville, gratefully noting his character and […]
THE PASTOR BURNOUT CRISIS IS REAL, BUT THE MASS EXODUS ISN’T
Each week, headlines tell us pastors are burnt out. They’re leaving the ministry. They’re throwing in the towel. Pastoral ministry is too hard on the family. The demands are too high. The challenges are too difficult. The message we hear: There’s a mass exodus of pastors. While this story isn’t all wrong, the assertion that […]