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Articles by Kris Buckman
FIRST-PERSON: 3 steps in reporting abuse
For some churches, reporting abuse is an area of the unknown. Many times church leaders or volunteers don’t know whom to call to report, when to call, who makes the call, and who else needs to know a call has been made. But reporting is the first and most crucial step for churches to take when abuse is disclosed, observed or suspected.
FIRST-PERSON: Policies and procedures protect everyone
Having solid policies and procedures in place at your church, first and foremost, protect those you’re serving – children, youth and vulnerable adults. Second, they protect those that serve them – volunteers, staff and the church at large. Once your plans are developed, being intentional about following them is imperative for the protection of everyone involved.
Legacy of Crossover’s evangelism efforts set to continue in New Orleans
NEW ORLEANS – Southern Baptists were venturing to Las Vegas in 1989 for the SBC’s Annual Meeting, a controversial location due to the city’s negative reputation. Many reportedly threatened to boycott the meeting, but others recognized the intent – to emphasize evangelism and make an impact for the Gospel in the host city.
Teaching Students to Love the Church
Most students who come to our student ministry enjoy their time of learning, fellowship, and growth. I find this the case with students who are regular attenders of student ministries across the country. Students enjoy being with other students and spending time with the volunteers who invest time and energy in them. However, in multiple contexts and congregations, I have noticed that students seem disinterested in the broader church.
Fifteen Reasons Our Churches Are Less Evangelistic Today
By almost any metric, the churches in our nation are much less evangelistic today than they were in the recent past. In my own denomination, we are reaching non-Christians only half as effectively as we were 50 years ago (we measure membership to annual baptisms). The trend is disturbing. We certainly see the pattern in the early church where “every day the Lord added to them those who were being saved” (Acts 2:47).
Jared Wellman to be nominated to lead SBC Executive Committee
NASHVILLE (BP) – The SBC Executive Committee (EC) has a candidate to consider for the entity’s leader. Jared Wellman will be nominated to serve as EC president/CEO in a special called meeting in Dallas on May 1 at noon. Wellman, 39, is the pastor of Tate Springs Baptist Church in Arlington, Texas. He served as a member of the EC from 2015-2023, serving as chairman from June 2022.
FIRST-PERSON: Policies and procedures protect everyone
Having solid policies and procedures in place at your church, first and foremost, protect those you’re serving – children, youth and vulnerable adults. Second, they protect those that serve them – volunteers, staff and the church at large. Once your plans are developed, being intentional about following them is imperative for the protection of everyone involved.
Sudan civil conflict destroying churches, displacing Christians
KHARTOUM, Sudan (BP) — At least four churches have been destroyed and a congregation directly assaulted in Sudan, signaling the earliest reports of religious suffering in the fight for governmental control that erupted April 15. While it’s not clear whether the damages are the result of targeted religious persecution in the country that has failed to find democracy through decades of civil war, religious liberty advocates have expressed concern.
FIRST-PERSON: Policies and procedures protect everyone
Having solid policies and procedures in place at your church, first and foremost, protect those you’re serving – children, youth and vulnerable adults. Second, they protect those that serve them – volunteers, staff and the church at large. Once your plans are developed, being intentional about following them is imperative for the protection of everyone involved.
EXPLAINER: 3 reasons to require sexual abuse awareness training
Photo from Unsplash. April is National Child Abuse Prevention Month. We are committed to helping every church become a safe place for children and youth and offer many resources to help your church prevent and respond to sexual abuse within the church. I led children’s ministry at a small church for many years before I participated in an hour-and-a-half sexual abuse awareness training that changed everything. I simply didn’t know what I didn’t know.
EXPLAINER: 3 reasons to require sexual abuse awareness training
April is National Child Abuse Prevention Month. We are committed to helping every church become a safe place for children and youth and offer many resources to help your church prevent and respond to sexual abuse within the church. I led children’s ministry at a small church for many years before I participated in an hour-and-a-half sexual abuse awareness training that changed everything. I simply didn’t know what I didn’t know. I was not aware of the types of sexual offenders that target churches.
Yom HaShoah day grieves murder of 6 million Jews, honors survivors, rescuers
ISRAEL (BP) – Ric Worshill learned early that it was not something his family discussed, the murder of 6 million Jewish civilians during World War 2 that ended an entire side of his family. “It’s too heartbreaking, I think. It’s very hard,” Worshill told Baptist Press as Israel marks Yom HaShoah beginning this evening (April 17). “It’s a whole side of the family that basically doesn’t exist anymore because they were killed in the camps, or killed in the resistance.
FBC Dadeville, Alabama, ministers to community following mass shooting
DADEVILLE, Ala. (BP) – Hundreds of people from this tight-knit, east Alabama town and surrounding areas filled a large portion of the FBC Dadeville parking lot Sunday evening, April 16, for a time of prayer. The gathering also served as an opportunity to comfort one another. It had only been about 18 hours since a shooter or shooters (details not yet released by law enforcement officials) left four people dead and 28 wounded at an April 15 Sweet 16 birthday party.
Youth sports don’t have to be a graveyard for testimonies
EL CAJON, Calif. (BP) — Rolland Slade loves youth baseball. It’s been a part of his life for 25 years as a parent, coach and administrator for Little League Baseball and Softball. He’s seen how it bonds communities and gives young people a place to grow. As a pastor, he’s been a spiritual lifeline for many through it. He’s conducted funerals, weddings and vow renewals, a few times at home plate. With anything positive, though, some negative will creep in.
A long journey, paved with steps of faith
CEDAR HILL, Texas (BP) – Years after making a boyhood commitment to follow Christ, planting churches, and founding Bible institutes under the heavy-handed regime of Fidel Castro in Cuba, Misael Rodríguez found himself washing pots and pans at a fast food restaurant in the Dallas area with no prospects of returning to the lifelong calling for which he was created.
What You Are Likely Missing in Your Church Membership Class
We’ve researched membership classes for over two decades. Every one of our projects reveals the value of these classes. Here are some research highlights from our findings. In the late 1990s, less than 20 percent of churches required someone to attend a new member class to join. Through our anecdotal observations, we are seeing figures over 80 percent today. The two most essential items to teach in the class are doctrine and expectations.
10 Ways a Local Church Can Help a Missionary
I spend a lot of time with missionaries. Based on my conversations with them over the last year, here are some ways your church can help them: Actually pray for them. This one’s probably not a surprise, but here’s the point: many churches say they pray for missionaries but seldom actually get there. Missionaries depend on your church’s prayer – so really do it. Regularly. Strategically. Passionately. Plan your trips with their input.
Shooting personal for at least three Kentucky Baptist churches
LOUISVILLE, Ky. (BP) – Monday morning’s bank shooting became personal for Andy Mikel, pastor of Immanuel Baptist Church in Danville, Ky., in a short time. One of the nine wounded in the shooting was Deana Eckert, the 57-year-old sister of Immanuel worship pastor Scott Hurst. Brother and sister grew up in Harrodsburg. Mikel said he only communicated via text with Hurst, who went to be with his grieving family.
SBC DIGEST: Frank Ingraham dies; Nominations reopen for BGCT exec
Frank Ingraham, influential Southern Baptist layman, dies By BP Staff NASHVILLE (BP) – Frank Ingraham, a longtime advocate for Southern Baptist ministries and causes, died March 20. Ingraham was 93. Ingraham practiced law for 60 years from 1954 until 2014. He argued a 1986 case on behalf of the Tennessee Baptist Children’s Home that preserved the organization’s right to privacy in filing its 990 Form with the Internal Revenue Service.
Post-COVID Perspective: Pandemic challenges brought refocus to many churches
NASHVILLE (BP) – College basketball fans know the third month of the year as March Madness. Fans fill out brackets and college teams compete for their one shining moment. For pastors, March 2020 will be forever remembered as a time of madness, but for very different reasons. COVID-related mandates and executive orders forced businesses, schools, churches, and community resources to cease public gatherings for months. Even NCAA basketball shut down.
Post-COVID Perspective: Pandemic catalyzes churches to cast evangelistic net with online services
NASHVILLE (BP) – Of all the years to plant a new church, most people would likely put 2020 on the bottom of the list. But when God clearly called Frank and Maria Urroz to start a new church to reach the growing Hispanic population of Gallatin, Tennessee, how could they say no? The couple had heard William Burton, who serves on the church planting team at the Tennessee Baptist Mission Board, preach on the Great Commission at First Baptist Church of Hendersonville, Tennessee.
EXPLAINER: 6 best practices for screening staff and volunteers
COLUMBIA, Md. (BP) – April is National Child Abuse Prevention Month. At the BCM/D, we are committed to helping every church become a safe place for children and youth. We offer many resources to help your church prevent and respond to sexual abuse within the church. We encourage you to visit the Pathways page on our website to learn more about how you can reduce the risk of sexual abuse within the church.
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