Stories tagged with: worship

• Trump calls churches 'essential' as Baptist leaders urge equal treatment in reopening

  by Tom Strode, posted Friday, May 22, 2020 (2 years ago)

  

  Screen capture from Fox News

  WASHINGTON (BP) -- Southern Baptist leaders are urging government officials to treat churches and other religious groups more justly in their reopening policies regarding the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

  The calls for change came after churches in Minnesota and California told their governors they would begin holding in-person services in defiance of policies they consider to be unequal in treatment. Guidelines issued by Govs. Tim Walz of Minnesota and Gavin Newsom of California are less restrictive on retail businesses than they are on religious groups. Read More

• 57 days and counting: Kentucky church has online service streak

  by Mark Maynard/Kentucky Today, posted Monday, May 11, 2020 (2 years ago)

  

  Screen capture from Facebook

  LOUISA, Ky. (BP) -- Louisa First Baptist Church Pastor Chuck Price didn't set out to break any records when he committed to doing daily online services when the coronavirus pandemic first arrived.

  "We thought it was going to be two weeks," he said. "Now we're on day 57." Read More

• Fellowship Church 'blown away' by response to on-site worship

  by George Schroeder, posted Friday, May 08, 2020 (2 years ago)

  

  Submitted photo

  GRAPEVINE, Texas (BP) -- They wore masks. They maintained plenty of distance. They worshiped. They ... cried.

  Despite planning for weeks, leaders of Fellowship Church weren't quite sure what to expect when they resumed in-person worship services last weekend (May 2-3). Ed Young Jr., senior pastor of the multisite church, knew people wanted to get back to church after weeks isolated because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The response, he said, "blew me away." Read More

• 'Be our guest': Onsite worship resumes at various churches

  by Diana Chandler, posted Monday, May 04, 2020 (2 years ago)

  

  Submitted photo

  FARMERSVILLE, Texas (BP) -- The joyful hospitality Sunday in the sanctuary of First Baptist Church of Farmersville reminded Pastor Bart Barber of a scene from the fairytale musical "Beauty and the Beast."

  The worship service at First Farmersville was the first time in weeks during the COVID-19 pandemic that church members had greeted, ushered, played music or performed any number of other volunteer activities inside the sanctuary. Read More

• Few Protestant churches met in person for worship services in April

  by Aaron Earls, posted Friday, May 01, 2020 (2 years ago)

  

  NASHVILLE (BP) -- As federal, state and local governments weigh relaxing stay-at-home guidelines, most churches continued to avoid gathering physically throughout April.

  Nine in 10 Protestant pastors say their congregations did not meet for an in-person worship service last month, according to a new study from Nashville-based LifeWay Research. Read More

• FIRST-PERSON: 24 questions your church must answer before welcoming people back

  by Ken Braddy , posted Wednesday, April 29, 2020 (2 years ago)

  

  Ken Braddy, director of Sunday School for LifeWay Christian Resources, helps church leaders think through what on-site worship will look like in a post-COVID-19 world. Read More

• FROM THE SEMINARIES: MBTS offers pastors recorded sermons; SWBTS hosts online music conferences

  by Staff, posted Tuesday, April 21, 2020 (2 years ago)

  

  Midwestern Seminary offers pastors recorded sermon resources during pandemic; Myers at SWBTS: Musical beauty 'contains a summons' to glorify God. Read More

• FIRST-PERSON: Giving an effective, online Gospel invitation

  by Shane Pruitt, posted Friday, April 17, 2020 (2 years ago)

  

  One of the key aspects of serving a new online audience well is giving an effective Gospel invitation, Shane Pruitt says. He offers several applicable practices to keep in mind. Read More

• FIRST-PERSON: Just Imagine It

  by Kevin Parker, posted Thursday, April 09, 2020 (2 years ago)

  

  The COVID-19 pandemic has forced churches to do things that would have been unthinkable a few months ago. Kevin Parker says that's not all bad. Read More

• Most churches have stopped gathering, few plan to meet on Easter

  by Aaron Earls, posted Thursday, April 02, 2020 (2 years ago)

  

  NASHVILLE (BP) -- The coronavirus outbreak has had ripple effects across the country, including in U.S. churches, according to a new study of pastors.

  Nashville-based LifeWay Research asked Protestant pastors how the pandemic has impacted their congregations and what their plans are for the near future. See related Baptist Press story. Read More