March 20, 2019 Undercover child sex probe leads to Louisville church worker's arrestMarch 19, 2019 by Kentucky Today & Biblical Recorder Staff | |
 | A Louisville church employee was arrested Thursday and accused of sending sexual images to an investigator in an undercover probe. Nicholas Lynch, 33, who worked at Highview Baptist Church ... READ MORE  |
4 ways to reach post-Christian AmericaMarch 19, 2019 by Maina Mwaura, Special to the BR | |
 | On the surface, Hope Church looks like any other mega-church in America, with two campuses, a diverse lineup of talented staff, coveted creativity and a 2,000-plus membership led by a well-known senior pastor. Yet ... READ MORE |
Timothy+Barnabas in 25th year for pastors and spousesMarch 19, 2019 by Brandon Elrod, NAMB | |
 | “I heard pastors share stories about how they were close to hanging it up, and I just knew there had to be some way to inspire them to stay the course.” That desire led Johnny Hunt to create ... READ MORE |
SBC EC to vote on presidential nominee April 2March 19, 2019 by David Roach, Baptist Press | |
 | “The Southern Baptist Convention Executive Committee (EC) will hold a special called meeting in Dallas April 2 to vote on a presidential nominee, EC chairman Mike Stone announced March 19. READ MORE |
Texas bill would shield churches that report sex abuse
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 K. Allan Blume BR Editor | Trained interim pastors On page 12 of this week’s print edition of the Biblical Recorder there is a short article titled “7 Reasons Why Churches Need a Trained Interim Pastor.” This is one of several features in each print edition that is not available on our website, so I want to call attention to it. The article’s writer, Eddie Thompson, is senior consultant for pastoral ministries of the Baptist State Convention of North Carolina. I recently became more familiar with Thompson’s ministry of training interim pastors after attending a training seminar at Caraway Conference Center. In the interest of full disclosure, I am preparing to become one of those interim pastors after my retirement on May 31. However, I am not writing from self-interest. I write from concern for the health of our churches. Also, N.C. Baptists need to know about valuable resources like this. Serving as your editor for eight years, I have been exposed to a broad perspective regarding the needs of our N.C. Baptist churches. One of the great needs I have discovered relates to the struggles many churches face when a pastor leaves and the search for a new pastor begins. Oh the horror stories I have seen and heard about! Don’t get me wrong – not all transitions are horror stories, but many are sad accounts of conflict, confusion, self promotion and manipulation. That’s where a skilled interim pastor can help. This person is trained to listen, love and minister to the local congregation. He can help the church avoid many perilous pitfalls and prepare the way for an effective ministry when the new pastor arrives. This is a great need in churches that want to build positive relationships with the community they intend to reach for Christ. Their community does not need to see a church that is divided and bickering. Such division destroys the church’s witness externally and robs the membership of their joy and energy internally. Please read Thompson’s article in the print edition and contact him when your church needs an interim pastor. Sunday I was honored to preach the word for Pastor Ferran Roper at Corinth Baptist Church in Elizabeth City. I'm grateful for Corinth and churches like this across our state that are strongly committed to reaching the world with the gospel through hands on missions and generous giving through the Cooperative Program. People need to know! Email me: [email protected] Follow me on Twitter Follow the Biblical Recorder on Twitter |
