SBC Archives - Baptist & Reflector

PASTORS LESS OPTIMISTIC ABOUT ECONOMY’S IMPACT

December 11, 2019

By Aaron Earls
LifeWay News Office

NASHVILLE — As retail stores hope the holiday shopping season gives their bottom line a lift, American Protestant pastors are less sure the economy is helping their congregations this year.

Around two in five pastors of Protestant churches in the United States (41 percent) say the economy is having no impact on their church, according to a new survey from Nashville-based LifeWay Research.

The rest are nearly split on whether the effect is positive (30 percent) or negative (26 percent).

“Fundamentally, the U.S. economy is in a similar place that it was a year ago,” said Scott McConnell, executive director of LifeWay Research. “Yet pastors are less optimistic about this outside influence on their church than they were in 2018.” [Read more…]

SPECIFIC WAYS TO PRAY FOR MISSIONARIES

December 10, 2019

IMB Communications Staff

The 2019 goal for the Lottie Moon Christmas offering is $165M. For information on how to give, visit IMB.org.

RICHMOND — IMB president Paul Chitwood came home from a recent trip to East Africa with a plenty of memories — and 1,000 snapshots.

He knew missionaries faced challenges in taking the Gospel to the unreached. He knew the logistical and spiritual struggles could be intense for those on the front lines of pushing back the darkness.

But while he was in Africa visiting with IMB missionaries, every ride down a dusty road and every walk down a city street was a reminder that each missionary faces unique challenges.

And every single prayer for missionaries matters — he says it’s so important that missionaries know they are loved, remembered, and prayed for. [Read more…]

NEW REPORT SHOWS ABORTIONS CONTINUE TO DECLINE

December 5, 2019

By Tom Strode
Baptist Press

WASHINGTON — The latest statistics demonstrate once again reported abortions in the United States have continued to decline.

The number of abortions fell in one year by more than 13,000 to 623,471 in 2016, the latest year for which data is available, the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said in a Nov. 29 report. That 2 percent drop matched a 2 percent decrease in the abortion rate to 11.6 abortions per 1,000 women aged 15 to 44 years, according to the CDC. The abortion ratio — the number of abortions per 1,000 live births — decreased by 1 percent to 188 in the same time period. [Read more…]

CHINESE GOVERNMENT DESIGNATES LOTTIE MOON’S CHURCH AS HISTORICAL SITE

December 3, 2019

By Catherine Finch
Baptist Press

The Chinese government has designated Lottie Moon’s home church, Wulin Shenghui Church, a nationally protected historical and cultural site. — China Christian Daily photo

PENGLAI, China — The name, “Lottie Moon,” is known by Southern Baptists far and wide. From the Woman’s Missionary Union’s Lottie Moon Christmas Offering to movies, books and documentaries detailing her life of service, Lottie Moon is often hailed as a “missionary hero.”

Lottie Moon’s legacy will now be preserved beyond the Southern Baptist realm. Wulin Shenghui Church of Penglai in Shandong province, where Lottie Moon was a member during her time in Dengzhou, China, has been designated as a nationally protected historical and cultural site by The State Council of the People’s Republic of China, the China Christian daily reported Nov.14.

The announcement came just before Southern Baptists observe the Week of Prayer for the annual Lottie Moon Christmas Offering for international missions. This year’s offering goal is $165 million. The Week of Prayer is Dec. 1-8. [Read more…]

THE FALL OF THE BERLIN WALL, THIRTY YEARS LATER

November 11, 2019

By Mike Creswell and Joanna Pinneo
IMB communications

Editor’s note: Thirty years ago, on November 9, 1989, East Germans were allowed to travel to the West, and the Berlin Wall was subsequently dismantled. To commemorate this world-changing event, we’re republishing an excerpt from the Foreign Mission Board’s (now IMB’s) The Commission magazine. The following excerpt was printed in January 1990, two months after East Germans were allowed to travel to the West. We hope this article will inspire you to continue praying for the people of Europe and the peoples of the world who are still behind walls that bar them from hearing the gospel.

Soldiers stand on the Berlin Wall in front of Brandenburg Gate in November 1989 and watch the crowds below. That month, East Germans were allowed to travel to the West for the first time in 28 years. Today, only remnants of the Berlin Wall still stand as a reminder of the past. — IMB photo by Joanna Pinneo

When the Berlin Wall went up in 1961, a barrier 103 miles long and 13 feet high enclosed West Berlin. It cut off some people from jobs, churches, families and friends. Several Baptist churches in West Berlin lost hundreds of members, some half their membership. In East Germany the wall was considered a necessary way to staunch the loss of its people who went West and didn’t return. At least 77 people died trying to cross the barrier.

The middle of West Berlin became one big pedestrian mall in the days after the Berlin Wall opened last November. Hundreds of thousands of East Berliners visited former homes, friends and family, [and] looked and shopped in stores they had only heard about before. At least for a time, there were no barriers of age, background or ideology. Everyone, from old West Berliners to young East Berliners, celebrated just being together. [Read more…]

Go2 CHALLENGES COLLEGE STUDENTS TO LIVE ON MISSION

November 6, 2019

By Rebecca Manry
Baptist Press

NASHVILLE — “Lots of factors go into where someone pursues their career. Why wouldn’t the Kingdom and mission of God be the largest of those factors?”

That’s how Southern Baptist Convention President J.D. Greear describes the motivation behind Go2, an initiative that challenges college students to commit their first two years after graduation to serving with a church plant in the US or overseas as they begin their careers. [Read more…]

MOHLER: ‘I WILL ACCEPT NOMINATION’ AS SBC PRESIDENT

November 5, 2019

By Diana Chandler
Baptist Press

BP EDITOR’S NOTE: This story was changed to reflect updated attendance and financial statistics from Third Avenue Baptist Church.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Southern Baptist Theological Seminary President R. Albert Mohler Jr. will accept a nomination in June 2020 to serve as Southern Baptist Convention president, he told Baptist Press Friday (Nov. 1).

“I am honored by the announcement by Pastor H. B. Charles, and I will accept nomination as president of the Southern Baptist Convention in June,” Mohler told BP. “All my life, I have sought to serve whenever asked by my denomination, and I would hope, if elected, to serve in a way that would unite Southern Baptists, strengthen our work together, add energy to our evangelism, and keep our hearts set on taking the [G]ospel to the nations.” [Read more…]

SBC EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE ANNOUNCES STAFF RETIREMENTS

October 31, 2019

By BP Staff

NASHVILLE — The Southern Baptist Convention Executive Committee announced Monday (Oct. 28) that Roger “Sing” Oldham and Ken Weathersby are retiring from their respective vice presidential posts.

Weathersby, vice president for Convention advancement, began his role in 2013 and was the first African American to hold an EC vice presidential position. He came to the EC after holding a series of leadership roles at the North American Mission Board, including associate vice president for multiethnic mobilization and vice president for the church planting group. During his time with the Executive Committee, he has worked tirelessly to increase ethnic participation and grow relationships with demographic subsets in the SBC. [Read more…]

RETIRED PASTORS SATISFIED, SEE ROOM FOR IMPROVEMENT

October 31, 2019

By Aaron Earls
LifeWay News Office

NASHVILLE — Most retirement age pastors and missionaries say their current life is close to ideal, but some who have entered retirement say they could’ve been better prepared.

In a survey sponsored by Shepherd’s Fold Ministries, Nashville-based LifeWay Research asked 2,451 pastors, ministers and missionaries who were retired or at least 67 years old about their life, health, relationships, reflections on ministry, and how they’ve adjusted to their current life stage.

“Our number one goal is to provide relevant resources to help retired ministers,” said Brent Van Hook, director of Shepherd’s Fold Ministries. “The results of this study show specific ways retired ministers can experience genuine higher well-being related to social, spiritual, physical and financial health.” [Read more…]

TENNESSEE CHURCHES HELP REACH ANNIE ARMSTRONG RECORD

October 22, 2019

Baptist Press

SAN FRANCISCO — For the third straight year, the Annie Armstrong Easter Offering (AAEO) for North American missions has hit a record high.

The 2019 offering total was announced during an Oct. 7 gathering with North American Mission Board (NAMB) trustees. Southern Baptist Convention Executive Committee President Ronnie Floyd revealed the $62.2 million total in a video call.

“This record-breaking offering that our churches have given this past year through our Annie Armstrong Easter Offering for North American Missions demonstrates the passionate desire our churches have to reach each person for Jesus Christ in North America,” Floyd said. [Read more…]

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