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Articles by Troy Bush
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.
Refugee resettlement up in U.S., still below government limit
WASHINGTON (BP) – Refugee resettlement in the U.S., a cause promoted by Southern Baptists and other evangelicals, doubled in March from the previous month, the Department of State said in its monthly report. The U.S. accepted 6,122 refugees in March, double the February total of 3,069 and far surpassing previous months this fiscal year ranging from 2,152 to 2,481.
9 Factors to Consider When Choosing Someone to Disciple
Imagine two church members. Let’s call them Bob and Bill. Bob is a Bible student. He likes to know what the Bible says about everything. He can even explain the doctrine of the Trinity if you ask him to. Some of his actions may not seem to show he’s a Christian. In fact, his life doesn’t seem very Christian at all. But he knows his Bible! Then there’s Bill. Bill doesn’t advertise the fact but he doesn’t read his Bible much. Certainly he wants to be “good.” He tries to love others.
Thomas Elliot, son-in-law of Roy Honeycutt, killed in bank shooting
LOUISVILLE, Ky. (BP) – A crisp spring morning turned deadly Monday morning (Apr. 10) when a gunman opened fire inside the Old National Bank in downtown Louisville. Four people were killed and multiple others were injured, including two police officers, before the Louisville Metro Police killed the gunman, according to LMPD.
State of the Bible 2023: Scripture engagement still down, but interest up
PHILADELPHIA (BP) – Scripture engagement remains down among Americans, but a widespread curiosity gives ground for evangelism, the American Bible Society (ABS) said in releasing the first chapter of its 2023 State of the Bible survey. Only 47 million Americans, or about 18 percent of the adult population, ranked as Scripture-Engaged in the 2023 study, using a descriptor based on Bible use and its impact in one’s life.
FIRST-PERSON: The empathetic leader
Sympathy is feeling sorry for someone; empathy seeks to understand them. Sympathy feels bad when you are in a dark deep hole, but empathy crawls down in the hole with you and may eventually help you out. My mother died when she was 54, so whenever I hear of someone losing their mother at a relatively young age, I feel sorry for them. That is sympathy.
Pastor and garbage collector: Two ways he serves his Frankfurt, Germany, community
Pastor Bodo is probably the only garbage man in Frankfurt, Germany, with a master’s degree. At least, that’s what IMB worker Kelly Seely quipped. Together, Seely and Bodo planted a church in an economically diverse area of Frankfurt five years ago. And they’ve been intentional to make the church, Frankfurt-Süd Projekt (Frankfurt South Project), look like its community and serve the needs there.
Transgender rights advance in recent actions
WASHINGTON (BP) – Defenders of religious freedom and the biblical view of sexuality have objected to recent actions by the executive and judicial branches of the federal government that advance transgender rights for now.
Association of Native American churches focused on growth through the Gospel
LOWER BRULE, S.D. (BP) – For two months, Christian Little prayed. He fasted. He sought God’s guidance on his place in ministry. One night he had a dream and woke up at 3:15 a.m. He felt called to be a missionary and assumed that meant he’d leave northwest Arkansas to go overseas. “God said, ‘No. You’re going back to your people,’” Little, pastor of Hilltop Baptist Church, told Baptist Press.
China’s ‘Mayflower Church’ members granted safety, religious liberty in U.S.
TYLER, Texas (BP) – Sixty-three Chinese Christians landed safely in Texas on Good Friday (April 7) after fleeing persecution in their homeland and receiving a less than warm welcome in South Korea and Thailand. The members of Shenzhen Holy Reformed Church – nicknamed the “Mayflower Church” for their commitment to religious freedom – were arrested in Thailand March 30 and were told their expired visas would not be renewed unless they reported to the Chinese Embassy.
Pastor, encourage a pastor
As the three-day training drew to a close, Moea, a village chief and pastor, spoke firmly and gently to a younger generation of African pastors. He reminded them that it is a great honor to call and check in on your fellow pastors. The words of this older, respectable leader found their mark, as his exhortation encouraged the young pastors to band together in the work of the Lord by praying for and encouraging one another.
6 Best Practices for Screening Staff & Volunteers
It’s critical that churches implement a thorough screening process for anyone that will have access to children and youth. A thorough process ensures candidates are suitable and compatible with your church’s policies and procedures. Every potential staff and volunteer should go through the same screening process. It does not matter how well “everyone knows everyone.” Statistics tell us that 90% of children who are abused are done so by people they know and trust.
Texas judge halts prescribing FDA-approved chemical abortion pill
AMARILLO, Texas (BP) – A Texas judge has put a halt to the prescribing of Mifepristone, the drug commonly referred to as the abortion pill. The order by Judge Matthew Kacsmaryk was announced late Friday afternoon (Apr. 7). “The Court does not second-guess FDA’s decision-making lightly but here, FDA acquiesced on its legitimate safety concerns – in violation of its statutory duty – based on plainly unsound reasoning and studies that did not support its conclusions,” the judge said.
Florida leadership conference equips Haitian Southern Baptist churches
CORAL SPRINGS, Fla. (BP) – The 500 Haitian churches within the Southern Baptist Convention are thriving and flourishing, ready to help the SBC push back darkness in the U.S. and abroad, Florida Baptist Convention (FBC) Haitian Church Catalyst John Voltaire believes. He saw the vibrancy of the community at the FBC Haitian Church Leadership Conference that drew 1,300 people from at least 125 Haitian churches, including Haitian-American pastors from Florida and other states.
FIRST-PERSON: The sadness and joy of Holy Week
I came across a Facebook “memory” a few days ago, reminding me of a sad and haunting Easter three years ago where, for the first time in our lives, we couldn’t leave our homes because a deadly virus was on the prowl. I recall the uncertainty and sadness of that moment. Yet, there was a sober confidence that Easter was just what we needed. I’m writing this with a similar sense of grief and sadness, lamenting so much brokenness.
‘Incredible destruction’: Disaster Relief responds after deadly tornado hits southeast Missouri
GLENALLEN, Mo. –Missouri Baptist Disaster Relief (MODR) has already deployed in response to a deadly tornado that hit the southeast Missouri town of Glenallen in the early morning hours of April 5. Sgt. Clark Parrott of the Missouri State Highway Patrol Troop E confirmed at least five deaths in Glenallen, FOX News reported on April 6. According to the 2020 census, Glenallen has a population of 57 people.
Accreditors give tips for Christian school security
NASHVILLE (BP) – As shootings on school properties hold the nation’s attention, school administrators are focused on how to stop such a tragedy before it starts. “I don’t think private Christian schools or churches or any faith-based organizations are immune to the inevitable violence that is permeating our society,” said Caitlyn Harding, a spokesperson for the Association of Christian Schools International (ACSI).
Easter video from missionary leads to long-term discipleship of teenager
A stranger slid into Carina Beaty’s Instagram DMs. The message would open not just chat windows but doors to discipleship Carina couldn’t have imagined when she and her husband decided to open their apartment windows three years ago. On Easter Sunday in 2020, Caleb and Carina Beaty stood by their windows and began playing worship music that echoed through the central courtyard of their Madrid apartment complex. Heads leaned out of the windows of apartments surrounding the IMB missionaries.
Claims against Southwestern, Patterson dismissed in Roe case
PLANO, Texas (BP) – A civil suit claiming defamation and negligence by Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary (SWBTS) and its former president, Paige Patterson, has been dismissed. The suit, originally filed in 2019 in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas, alleged “Jane Roe” was sexually assaulted at gunpoint by “John Doe”, a student with a criminal history who also was employed as a plumber at the seminary, on at least three occasions from October 2014 through April 2015.
Bible Study: Jesus is alive
NASHVILLE (BP) — This weekly Bible study appears in Baptist Press in a partnership with Lifeway Christian Resources of the Southern Baptist Convention. Through its Leadership and Adult Publishing team, Lifeway publishes Sunday School curricula and additional resources for all age groups. This week’s Bible study is adapted from the Bible Studies For Life curriculum.
Barber, Wright visit Arkansas to encourage SBDR volunteers, survivors
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (BP) — The indescribable roar of the approaching tornado sent Yolanda Spencer scrambling to take cover in her bathtub. The Friday, March 31, vortex churned through her west Little Rock neighborhood, and by Tuesday, April 4, volunteers with Southern Baptist Disaster Relief (SBDR) were removing downed trees from her property. “I’m very delighted and overwhelmed with joy, honestly, because the immense amount of love that’s been shown from outside my community,” Spencer said.
Jerusalem pastors ask Israel for safety at Easter amid rising violence
JERUSALEM (BP) – Pastors of churches in Jerusalem appealed in their joint Easter message for freedom to worship safely in the Holy Land this Easter as violence has mounted against Christians. In their 2023 joint Easter message, the patriarchs and heads of the churches of Jerusalem noted violence that Christians have suffered at worship services, funerals and other public gatherings, as well as government intervention that limited access to holy sites during Holy Week of 2022.
Cooperative Program is ‘lifeblood’ of Southern Baptists’ ministry, pastor says
BETTENDORF, Iowa (BP) – “Easter is about missions,” says Cory Gonyo, pastor since 2014 of First Baptist Church of Bettendorf. “It’s about God’s mission to save the nations in Jesus Christ.” The church celebrates the baptism of those who have accepted Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior throughout the year, and especially on Easter, the pastor said.
National CP giving tops $97 million at six-month mark
NASHVILLE (BP) – Southern Baptist churches have given more than $97 million through the National Cooperative Program Allocation Budget in the first six months of the fiscal year with $15.8 million given in March.
How to Develop the Next Generation of Leaders
I have been serving in student ministry for close to 20 years, and I have recently become burdened with the responsibility of raising up the next generation of leaders in the church. When I look out into the crowd of students that I have the honor of leading, I see nothing but world-changing potential. I wholeheartedly believe that as student ministry leaders, we have the responsibility to identify, equip, train and send out the next generation of leaders.
ERLC resource highlights importance of the Cooperative Program
NASHVILLE (BP) – To coincide with the 75th anniversary of being an entity supported by the Cooperative Program of the Southern Baptist Convention, the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission (ERLC) released a booklet resource chronicling the history of its advocacy work titled “The ERLC and the Cooperative Program.” The booklet details the various advocacy endeavors the entity has taken up since beginning to receive CP funding as the Social Service Commission in 1947, then as the Christian Life...
A Simple Tool to Raise Missional Awareness in Your Church
For a church revitalizer or replanter, the heartbeat of their ministry is the desire to be obedient to the Great Commission (Matt. 28:18-20) and to lead others to obey it as well. What if I told you that a tiny tweak to your worship service could raise the missional awareness of your congregation? I have experienced this in our church, and I believe it will work elsewhere.
Protect moral objections to mandate, ERLC tells federal agencies
WASHINGTON (BP) – A newly proposed rule would crush the freedom of conscience of Americans with a moral objection to the provision of “life-threatening contraceptives,” a Southern Baptist entity has told the Biden administration. The Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission (ERLC) filed public comments Monday (April 3) in opposition to the administration’s proposal to repeal the exemption for employers’ moral objections to coverage of contraceptive services under the 2010 Affordable Care Act.
FIRST-PERSON: 3 ministry mistakes I wish I could take back
Failure is a refusal to learn from mistakes. All of us mess up, and no leader is fully free from regrets. To turn back the clock to key moments in life and get a mulligan – what a dream that would be! But that’s not how life in this fallen world works. What are some of the biggest blunders you’ve made as a leader? Recently, I took time to reflect on a few of my “what-was-I-thinking” moments?
College ministry, biblical counseling among Puerto Rico convention goals
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (BP) – Baptist college ministry, biblical counseling and enrichment for pastors’ wives are among key goals Puerto Rican Southern Baptists voiced at their 2023 annual meeting in San Juan. The Convention of Southern Baptist Churches of Puerto Rico (CIBSPR) also elected a new board and celebrated partnerships with Southern Baptists of Texas Convention (SBTC) and Send Relief. Cooperation and an emphasis on edifying pastors were especially evident at the Feb.
ARITF pivots, moves away from Guidepost Solutions
CHARLESTON, S.C. (BP) – Abuse Reform and Implementation Task Force chair Marshall Blalock announced Tuesday (April 4) the task force will no longer recommend Guidepost Solutions to establish and maintain a database for those credibly accused of sexual abuse. Messengers approved the creation of a “ministry check” website at the 2022 SBC Annual Meeting in Anaheim, Calif.
Tom Strode retiring after 32 years as BP’s D.C. bureau chief
WASHINGTON (BP) – When God called a young sportswriter named Tom Strode to ministry 40 years ago, Strode thought that meant leaving journalism forever. But God had other plans. After serving several years on staff at Bellevue Baptist Church in Memphis, Tenn., Strode became Washington bureau chief for Baptist Press.
SBDR volunteers, storm survivors begin the long recovery in Arkansas
WYNNE, Ark. (BP) — Matt Dunavant, pastor of Wynne Baptist Church, was 10 miles outside of town when the tornado carved up his beloved community on Friday, March 31, as part of a system that ravaged much of the South and touched parts of the Midwest. “I could see the tornado going through Wynne from my driveway. Immediately after the storm, we drove into town,” Dunavant said.
Arkansas disaster relief after deadly storms evokes Patton’s WW2 strategy
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (BP) — Arkansas Baptist Disaster Relief Director Randy Garrett was responding to tornadoes in north Mississippi March 31 when he heard the news that storms were heading to his home state of Arkansas. “And so, what we’ve done, we did what Patton’s army did in World War II. We turned the whole army around out of Mississippi and came back to Arkansas to deal with this,” Garrett said, referencing Patton’s maneuver at the Battle of the Bulge.
China’s ‘Mayflower Church’ in Thailand not deported but fined, detained
Authorities in Thailand fined but did not immediately deport members of a persecuted Chinese church, but the Christians continue to be detained three days after their deportation hearing. Members of the Shenzhen Holy Reformed Church – nicknamed the “Mayflower Church” for their commitment to religious freedom – were arrested March 30 and faced deportation hearings the next day. Fleeing persecution and harassment in their native country, the Chinese Christians first sought refuge in South Korea.
After tornado cancels Easter outreach, Illinois church shifts gears to serve
SHERMAN, Ill. (BP) – Living Faith Baptist Church had planned to host its annual Easter Palooza outreach event on April 1. Thousands of plastic Easter eggs had been filled with candy, cakes were baked for the cake walk, and church members had packed hundreds of grab-and-go sack lunches for the 300-500 kids who were expected to attend. But a tornado that struck the night before prompted a big change in plans. With tornado damage and no electricity, Easter Palooza could not go on.
Refugee journeys from jungles to gangs to Baptist children’s homes in Oklahoma
Lun’s journey from hiding in the jungle in a Southeast Asian country to working at the Oklahoma Baptist Homes for Children is a journey of the Holy Spirit’s protection and guidance. Lun lost her father and brother to the civil war in her country. Her country’s recent history is a blood-spattered one. People groups have struggled and fought the ruling party for self-governance and independence for decades.
Adrian Rogers’ Spanish voice: ‘gifted interpreter & communicator’
TAMARAC, Fla. — Lenin De Janon, the voice of Adrian Rogers in the Spanish-speaking world, died March 12 at the age of 89. A native of Ecuador, De Janon delivered sermons in Spanish for 26 years from Rogers’ Love Worth Finding broadcast. Rogers, who died in November 2005 at age 74, was a three-time president of the Southern Baptist Convention and pastor of the Memphis-area Bellevue Baptist Church from 1972 until the spring of 2005.
SBC EC calls May 1 special meeting to consider presidential candidate
NASHVILLE (BP) – The search for a new president and CEO of the SBC Executive Committee (EC) may be nearing a completion. The EC will hold a special-called meeting on May 1 in Dallas to consider a recommendation from the search team.
You, Me, and Easter Pharisees
On Easter, we see two diametrically opposed groups of religious leaders find common cause in opposing Jesus; Sadducees because they saw Jesus’ claims of deity, His talk of resurrection and kingdom, and His dismissing of the temple as a threat to their hold on power; and Pharisees because they saw Jesus as a threat to God’s coming kingdom reign, an assault on their desire for spiritual renewal.
How to Respond to Deconstructionists Social Media
Last week, a young adult I pastor came into my office to ask about something he’d seen. It was a video of a deconstructionist influencer on TikTok “proving” that the Gospels are unreliable. He wanted to know what I thought. The video had shaken his faith. Videos on social media like these have millions to hundreds of millions of views. If you pastor younger generations, you’re likely already aware of this new reality. If you’re not, welcome.
Okla. Baptist DR responds to Okla. wildfires, Ark. tornadoes
Wildfires spread quickly in north Oklahoma City, Edmond and Guthrie on Friday, March 31 causing many to lose their homes. Oklahoma Baptist Disaster Relief (DR) supported first responders providing meals on Friday and Saturday (April 1). State DR Director Jason Yarbrough reported DR will continue helping those affected by the fires, beginning Monday, April 3, with assessors, clean-up and ash-out teams.
Beach Reach van rides lead to professions of faith
SOUTH PADRE ISLAND, Texas (BP) – It isn’t Haley’s first time at South Padre. So, the college student from Nebraska thought she knew the reason why the vans provide free rides, anywhere on the island, during spring break. “It’s about your religion,” she said. A student from East Texas nodded. That’s it—sort of, she said. And as she began explaining the purpose for the “Jesus vans,” a Gospel conversation unfolded.
Liberty names Dondi Costin next president, Jonathan Falwell as chancellor
LYNCHBURG, Va. (BP) – Trustees for Liberty University announced in a press release today (March 31) the appointment of retired Maj. Gen. Dondi E. Costin, PhD, as its next president and Jonathan Falwell as chancellor. Both will assume their duties ahead of the 2023-24 school year, trustees announced at their spring meeting.
Immigration bill infringes upon churches’ outreach ministries, pastors say
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (BP) – An immigration bill advancing through the Florida legislature would infringe upon religious freedom of churches to minister to immigrants there, pastors and other evangelical leaders say. Senate Bill 1718, introduced by Republican Sen. Blaise Ingoglia, would accuse churches of a class three felony of smuggling if they provide transportation to undocumented immigrants, whether knowingly or unknowingly of the immigrants’ status.
Tuscaloosa church deeds property to neighboring congregation as tangible expression of the Gospel
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. (BP) – When Big Sandy Baptist Church deeded its facilities and property to Covenant Church in early March, it was not a somber moment. Rather, it was a time to celebrate partnership, friendship and a continuing legacy of the Gospel. On Sunday, March 5, the two churches held a joint service to commemorate the occasion and cast a vision for the future of the new Covenant Church. Familiar faces reunited, the fellowship hall was bustling and there was hardly a parking spot to be found.
Leadership Lessons From a Fellow Laborer
Books and articles on the subject of leadership are plentiful. A trip to the bookstore or shopping online for eBooks will verify this assertion. Sometimes, I am stunned by the titles of such books. A few years ago, I saw one titled Leadership Principles of Attila the Hun. In all honesty, I must say I bought it. Well, I bought the book — not all the content. For a Sunday School Leadership conference held in one of our associations, I was asked to speak on the subject of leadership.
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