Wednesday, November 19, 2014

• Collegiates 'Elevate' skills for ministry

  by Tobin Perry, posted Wednesday, November 19, 2014 (9 years ago)

  

  Photo courtesy Resonate Church

  SAN DIEGO (BP) -- When Arsenia Ivanov came to the end of her freshman year at Washington State University she had a choice to make.

  The first generation Russian-American had little background in Christianity before attending Resonate Church on WSU's campus in Pullman, Wash. As summer approached the young believer could either go home -- away from her newly discovered spiritual support system -- or join her Resonate friends for a high-commitment summer missional adventure in San Diego called Elevate. Read More

• Warren at Vatican: be 'winsome under attack'

  by Staff, posted Wednesday, November 19, 2014 (9 years ago)

  

  Photo from Rick Warren

  VATICAN CITY (BP) -- Christians must defend marriage by facing opponents winsomely and demonstrating that God's plan of one man and one woman for life promotes human flourishing, Rick Warren told international religious leaders at the Vatican Nov. 18.

  Warren, pastor of Saddleback Church, a Southern Baptist congregation in the Los Angeles area, said he supports God's unchanging model for marriage and opposes gay marriage because "the only way to always be relevant is to be eternal. ... Read More

• ERLC, Ministry Grid partner to provide ethics training

  by Tom Strode, posted Wednesday, November 19, 2014 (9 years ago)

  

  NASHVILLE (BP) -- Southern Baptist ethics and leadership training entities are partnering to help pastors and churches address ethical issues from a Gospel perspective.

  The Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission (ERLC) announced Nov. 6 a partnership with Ministry Grid, a service of Lifeway Christian Resources, to provide training for pastors and other church leaders. Ministry Grid is LifeWay's year-old, web-based video service that enables churches of all sizes to train pastoral staff and lay leaders in customizable ways. Read More

• Ferguson, Mo., church hosts prayer summit

  by Brian Koonce/Missouri Pathway, posted Wednesday, November 19, 2014 (9 years ago)

  

  Photo by Mark Snowden/Pathway

  FERGUSON, Mo. (BP) -- As rumors of potential grand jury action swirled across Ferguson, Mo., a hundred Baptists met for a prayer summit at First Baptist Church to pray for the community, the state and the nation.

  The prayer summit was led by the North American Mission Board's Gary Frost and Arkansas pastor Bill Elliff. Read More

• Okla. Baptists 'Together' in prayer, ministry

  by Staff, posted Wednesday, November 19, 2014 (9 years ago)

  OKLAHOMA CITY (BP) -- With "Together" as their theme, 674 messengers to the Baptist General Convention of Oklahoma annual meeting met at Quail Springs Baptist Church in Oklahoma City, Nov. 10-11.

  Prayer was a key emphasis as messengers were provided opportunities in all four sessions to pray together for awakening in the church today. Surrounding these prayer times, Oklahoma Baptists joined together in reports, sermons and business matters in demonstrating the importance of sharing the Gospel to the world today. Read More

• Ga. Baptists cut budget, plant new churches

  by Joe Westbury/The Christian Index, posted Wednesday, November 19, 2014 (9 years ago)

  MACON, Ga. (BP) -- Georgia Baptists launched a church planting partnership in Augusta and decreased their budget to its lowest level in 17 years during the 193rd annual meeting of the Georgia Baptist Convention. Read More

• FIRST-PERSON: The gritty reality of freedom

  by J. Randy Forbes, posted Wednesday, November 19, 2014 (9 years ago)

  Congressman Randy Forbes writes about "the gritty reality of protecting freedom" at a time when First Amendment guarantees face the threat of restrictions "in the name of tolerance or social benefit." Read More