Insights from the Annual Church Profile
By Tim Lubinus and staffChurches affiliated with the Baptist Convention of Iowa had a strong year in 2014. We gather information in the Annual Church Profile (ACP) and we would like to share some key information in four areas: baptisms, worship attendance, small...
Boost Up Follow-Up
by Diana Davis When a first-time guest completes a guest registration card at your church, what happens next? The most common answer to that question: absolutely nothing. No, it’s not an intentional oversight, but without an ongoing, immediate follow-up plan, your...
Giving that makes a difference every day
by Kevin Ezell ALPHARETTA, Ga. (BP) -- We are grateful for every dollar Southern Baptists give to the Annie Armstrong Easter Offering for North American Missions. Sometimes you might feel far-removed from the results of the offering so let me remind you of a few. What...
National CP shows signs of rebounding
by Sing Oldham NASHVILLE (BP) -- Despite a five-year decline in church membership and a corresponding decrease in per capita giving, the national portion of the Cooperative Program shows signs of rebounding through the first five months of fiscal 2014–2015....
Progress report: 10 burdens about the Southern Baptist Convention
By Ronnie Floyd When I began serving as President of the Southern Baptist Convention, I also began working daily on listening to people and their concerns about our convention. Some of the ways I’ve accomplished this is through meetings with pastors and leaders as...
Student Leadership Applications – The Salt Company Ames
By Jenn Lee, TSC Ministry Leader Over the course of the history of Salt Company, especially within the last few years, it has become increasingly obvious that the student leadership team is the heartbeat of this ministry. The students that are influential among their...
3 Ways Christians Will Address Cultural Issues in the Coming Years
The way we engage culture as Christ followers matters. It matters a lot. By Ed Stetzer At some point during the 1980s and 90s, a desire birthed among politically conservative Christians to begin to stand for things that mattered to them culturally in more active ways...
Facing missions with a “whatever it takes” spirit
By Jim Burton CHICAGO—Gabriel Revilla recalls a “Nike moment” when his college pastor in Miami approached him with a question. “What do you think about recruiting an actual team of students and allowing them to come to Miami to reach lostness here?” Gus Hernandez,...
Texas roots now planted in South Dakota
By Jim Burton SIOUX Falls, S.D. — More than 180 years ago, anyone living in the Mexican controlled Texas territory had to speak Spanish and could only attend a Roman Catholic Church. As Stephen F. Austin led the effort toward Texas independence, a friend of his,...
7 Encouraging Trends in Global Christianity
by Aaron Earls With more conflict over religious liberty in the United States and high-profile martyrdoms around the world, it would seem Christianity is in global peril. But that’s not the case, according to a new report. Published in the International Bulletin of...
