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2 weeks ago | 
texanonline.net | Karen L. Willoughby |Jayson Larson
Executive pastors and administrators are often called to do a little bit of everything, from managing church staff and overseeing day-to-day finances to meeting the HVAC tech at the building on Saturday night to ensure the building is climate-controlled by Sunday morning. It’s a challenging calling that can often leave its servants feeling worn out and disconnected.
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2 weeks ago | 
baptistpress.com | Ken Camp |Aaron Earls |Karen L. Willoughby |Scott Barkley
Metadata:Topic(s): Culture, ERLC, SportsFormat(s): Text ArticlesShare this post: FORT WORTH, Texas – Sports gambling feeds on greed and thrives on the exploitation of the vulnerable, Baptist pastor and former college football coach RaShan Frost said.
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2 weeks ago | 
baptistpress.com | Aaron Earls |Karen L. Willoughby |Scott Barkley |Tom Strode
Metadata:Topic(s): LifewayFormat(s): Text ArticlesShare this post: BRENTWOOD, Tenn. — Every church aims to welcome guests in some way. Those efforts may just look different in different churches and may have changed over the last decade. According to a Lifeway Research study of U.S. Protestant pastors, more than 99 percent of churches welcome visitors in at least one of 11 ways. Fewer than 1 percent say they don’t do any of the almost one dozen efforts.
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2 weeks ago | 
brnow.org | Karen L. Willoughby
CORVALLIS, Ore. — Redemption Church started what Pastor Bryan Bernard calls a gospel initiative last September. Since then, 39 people have made professions of faith in Jesus and 17 have been baptized. The gospel initiative thrust is to last two years. Its goals: 1,000 gospel conversations, 150 people sent on short-term mission trips, 100 new believers, and five people called into full time missions or ministry.
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2 weeks ago | 
baptistpress.com | Chris Doyle |Karen L. Willoughby |Brandon Porter |Scott Barkley
Metadata:Topic(s): International Mission BoardFormat(s): Text ArticlesShare this post: Seth Shelton’s life took a dramatic turn years ago when he embarked on a short-term mission trip to Nicaragua. While there, he felt an unmistakable call from the Lord to ministry. He believed he and his wife, Amy, were going to be missionaries, and then through the next 10 years, the Lord refined his plans.
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2 weeks ago | 
baptistpress.com | Karen L. Willoughby |Brandon Porter |Scott Barkley |Tom Strode
Metadata:Topic(s): Cooperative ProgramFormat(s): Text ArticlesShare this post: CORVALLIS, Ore. – Redemption Church started what Pastor Bryan Bernard calls a Gospel Initiative last September. Since then, 39 people have made professions of faith in Jesus and 17 have been baptized. The Gospel Initiative thrust is to last two years. Its goals: 1,000 Gospel conversations, 150 people sent on short-term mission trips, 100 new believers, and five people called into fulltime missions or ministry.
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3 weeks ago | 
texanonline.net | Jane Rodgers |Karen L. Willoughby |Jayson Larson
Many of us have experienced it: the unexpected blessing when someone ahead of you in the drive-thru pays for your coffee or an unknown benefactor covers the cost of your restaurant meal. Unexpected blessings. Random acts of kindness. Since 1995, the U.S. has celebrated a national Random Acts of Kindness Day on Feb. 17. Today, churches are finding that acts of kindness need not be random at all, but rather, intentional acts to share the love of Christ.
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3 weeks ago | 
texanonline.net | Erin Roach |Karen L. Willoughby |Jayson Larson
Heights Baptist Church is energized to grow the kingdom of God rather than focusing on growing its own congregation. Its pastor, Lee Peoples, says any church, no matter its size or resources, can help start a new church to reach the unreached. “In the book of Acts, you often see the kingdom growing by multiplication, not just addition,” Peoples said. “The blessing has always been as we have sent people out, we turn around and reach new people.
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3 weeks ago | 
texanonline.net | Michael Visy |Karen L. Willoughby |Jayson Larson
“It’s not personal.”When members leaving the church tell us this, it’s hard not to take it personally. Even as they express their gratitude for your friendship, your ministry, and the church, it hurts when people leave.
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3 weeks ago | 
texanonline.net | Danny Forshee |Karen L. Willoughby |Jayson Larson
The Empower Conference in February was fantastic. The biblical teaching, worship, and fellowship were outstanding. We had people from our church attend, but next year I want to get the word out and invite more to come and be blessed by this annual evangelism conference. What a blessing to be one of the 2,812 churches in the SBTC!One of my favorite scenes in the book of Acts is when the apostle Paul meets with the Ephesian elders in Miletus while wrapping up his third missionary journey.
