The Week's Top News NEWS COVID-19 impact on churches realized in CP giving drop By Baptist Press Staff May 05 2020 Stay-at-home orders around the country due to the COVID-19 pandemic continue to affect churches and church giving. As a result, all aspects of Southern Baptist life are beginning to feel the economic changes... read more

NEWS Few Protestant churches met in person for worship in April By Aaron Earls, LifeWay Christian Resources May 05 2020 As federal, state and local governments weigh relaxing stay-at-home guidelines, most churches continued to avoid gathering physically throughout April. Nine in 10 Protestant pastors say their congregations did not meet for an in-person worship service last month, according to a new study from Nashville-based LifeWay Research... read more

NEWS BeDoTell cancels June youth camps By Biblical Recorder Staff May 04 2020 The Baptist State Convention of North Carolina's youth ministry, BeDoTell, announced May 1 that it is canceling its June camps at Fort Caswell in Oak Island, N.C. The decision came in response to statewide restrictions on public activity due to a global outbreak of COVID-19... read more

NEWS Cedarville places president on leave, announces investigations By Baptist Press and Biblical Recorder Staff May 04 2020 Cedarville University trustees placed school president Thomas White on administrative leave May 1 amid controversy over his hiring and firing of a faculty member accused of criminal sexual misconduct... read more

NEWS IMB's 175th anniversary remembrance continues with prayer emphasis, virtual timeline By Ann Lovell, IMB May 04 2020 2020 has been a year like no other. COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus, has taken lives across the globe and caused untold sickness and suffering. Closed borders limit international travel... read more

How to be the church in a post-pandemic world

The Baptist State Convention of North Carolina launched a coaching opportunity to help churches evaluate their mission strategies in the wake of COVID-19. "How to be the church in a post-pandemic world" is meant to start a deeper conversation beyond the common metrics of buildings, bodies and budgets. One of the BSC staff leading the effort, Brian Upshaw, told me that churches have three options as they grapple with the effects of the coronavirus crisis: close, survive or thrive. He and others want to help churches emerge from the crisis better than before. One webinar is scheduled for today and two for tomorrow, followed by six-week training cohorts. Sign up now. Email me: [email protected] Follow me on Twitter Follow the Biblical Recorder on Twitter		Seth Brown Executive Editor