Submitted by philip on Thu, 03/13/2014 - 13:22 During his address to the Southern Baptist Convention Executive Committee Feb. 17 in Nashville, SBC President Fred Luter thanked the body for prayers and encouragement offered during his tenure as the first African American president of the SBC. By Diana Chandler, Baptist Press NASHVILLE (BP) -- The Southern Baptist Convention will encounter affliction as it serves the Lord, but will complete its God-given mission because of the Lord's promises, Luter said in his presidential address to the SBC Executive Committee Feb. 17 in Nashville. Using Psalm 34:19 as a text, referencing the Old Testament's Job and adding humor with the fictional James Bond, Luter said the Lord not only brings tribulation to the righteous, but successfully brings the righteous through those same troubles. "Many are the afflictions of the righteous," the Scripture reads, "but the Lord delivers him out of them all" (NKJV). "One of my favorite James Bond movies of all time was 'Goldfinger.' The guy had James Bond on this saw, and James Bond was about to get killed. … And some way, somehow, [Bond] turned his watch, and his watch becomes a laser, and stopped the saw. And I said how does he do that? "I … [Read more...]

Submitted by philip on Thu, 03/13/2014 - 13:24 Frank Page, president of the SBC Executive Committee, told committee members that Southern Baptists face “challenging days” with Cooperative Program giving. But he also expressed hope for future. By Shawn Hendricks, Baptist Press NASHVILLE (BP) -- Southern Baptists face "challenging days" with Cooperative Program giving, Frank Page, president of the SBC Executive Committee, told committee members in Nashville, voicing hope for an upswing in giving. While sharing his passion for CP and its role in supporting missions and ministry around the globe, Page said the momentum for the "1% CP Challenge" continues to grow for churches to increase CP giving by 1 percentage point of their budgets. "I have written personal letters to almost 3,000 pastors thanking them for their involvement" in the 1% CP Challenge, Page said Feb. 17. "Our state executives are saying, 'Frank, please don't stop. Our people are just starting to get it.…' We won't stop. "It is my passion that fuels my heart belief in this," Page said. "I supported this before I was paid to support this. As a pastor I strongly supported over 10 percent of our church's undesignated receipts to the Cooperative … [Read more...]

By Staff, Baptist Press NASHVILLE (BP) -- A more visual redesign of sbc.net, the official website of the Southern Baptist Convention's Executive Committee, has officially launched, Frank Page announced to committee members in Nashville. While the new website will feature much of the same information and resources that readers have logged on to the site to access, it also will include a variety of new visual updates, said Page, president of the Executive Committee. One of those updates includes a rotating slideshow of images and stories across the top of the site. "SBC.net has a new look," Page told committee members Feb. 17 as he pointed out new features of the site displayed on a video screen. "We believe it's going to be an excellent resource for our convention. "Everything that you've always seen and [that is] important will be on there," he said. Two of the most popular features of the site, he said, allow people to search for jobs in Baptist Life and for cooperating churches. The site also features a daily devotional and a newsfeed of Baptist Press stories. "We want it to be a one-stop shop," Page said. "Anything you need to deal with SBC-wise will be on sbc.net." … [Read more...]

Submitted by philip on Thu, 03/13/2014 - 13:28 By Bob Smietana, LifeWay Communications NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Most pastors know that having well-trained volunteers and lay leaders is essential for the health of any local church. But few have a strategy for training, said Todd Adkins, director of leadership at LifeWay Christian Resources. Enter MinistryGrid.com, a new online training site designed to deliver easy, affordable and high quality training at anytime, anywhere. The site features more than 2,000 original training video sessions on topics from church leadership and finances to parking ministry and childcare. The idea behind the site is to give churches a framework for their training programs, said Adkins. “If you don’t give people a framework, they won’t grow,” he said. Adkins said in the past, local congregations sent volunteers to conferences or used denominational programs such as Training Union to equip church members for ministry. That’s no longer the case. “People used to take a week of vacation to attend training events like Sunday school week at Ridgecrest,” he said. “They don’t do that anymore.” Instead of sending volunteers or staff members to an event, Ministry Grid allows churches to bring the … [Read more...]

Submitted by philip on Thu, 03/13/2014 - 13:50 Naghmeh and Saeed Abedini by Trillia Newbell, Baptist Press BOISE, Idaho (BP) -- On a hot summer day in 2012, Naghmeh Abedini drove her husband Saeed to an Idaho airport. They shared a casual goodbye, assuming they would see one another in two or three weeks. Instead he was imprisoned in Iran, and they haven't seen or spoken to one another since. Saeed Abedini, 33, was sentenced to eight years in prison after returning to Iran for a work trip. This began an almost two-year nightmare for his wife, who is now fighting for his release while raising their two children alone. "It has been the hardest time of my life," Abedini said of her husband's imprisonment. "I feel like my life was taken from me. I experienced extreme anxiety and depression at first. I cried out to the Lord and felt like the woman bleeding for 12 years" (Mark 5:25-34). Abedini's imprisonment has caught the attention of major news sources as well as President Obama. At the 2014 National Prayer Breakfast, Obama mentioned Abedini in calling for international religious freedom: "We pray for Pastor Saeed Abedini. He's been held in Iran for more than 18 months, sentenced to eight years in prison on charges … [Read more...]

By Shelly Moon, GuideStone Communications DALLAS — Ministers and church employees are invited to participate in the 2014 SBC Church Compensation Survey: a tool used by churches of all sizes to determine fair wages and benefits. Participants will be entered for a chance to win an iPad. The survey and complete contest rules are available atwww.GuideStone.org/CompensationSurvey. “GuideStone continues to be an advocate for pastors and church staff, ensuring that they are compensated fairly,” said O.S. Hawkins, President of GuideStone Financial Resources. “That’s why we partner with LifeWay Christian Resources and Baptist state conventions to produce this bi-annual study.” Survey results are not reported individually. Compensation and benefit information can be contributed anonymously. Each Southern Baptist church employee who participates in the survey plays a vital role in building one of the largest databases of church compensation information in the United States. Survey results provide a baseline of compensation data among similar-sized churches within each state convention. Therefore, a higher number of participants leads to a more accurate baseline of compensation data. “We receive numerous requests to answer compensation … [Read more...]

by Jennifer Carter, GuideStone Communications DALLAS (BP) -- The 2014 edition of GuideStone's annual Tax Return Preparation and Federal Reporting Guide is now available. The guide provides both active and retired minsters step-by-step help in understanding the latest tax laws, along with sample tax forms to assist them in preparing their 2013 federal tax returns. This year's edition contains a special supplement addressing key points of the recent housing allowance ruling. Also, church treasurers and other church leaders can refer to the guide's special section about important federal requirements for churches. The guide was written once again by Richard Hammar, a noted CPA, attorney and widely published author who specializes in legal and tax issues for ministers. Additionally, the material is edited by GuideStone's compliance staff to address the tax issues that affect the greatest number of Southern Baptist pastors. "This year, it's particularly important for ministers to have access to this useful resource," GuideStone president O.S. Hawkins said. "From late changes to tax law to challenges to the housing allowance, ministerial tax issues grow more complicated each year." Hawkins considers it a "joy and a privilege for … [Read more...]

By Shelly Moon, GuideStone Communications DALLAS — Business officers from Southern Baptist churches and ministries are invited to attend the annual Southern Baptist Business Officers Conference, March 17-19, in Dallas, Texas. GuideStone Financial Resources of the Southern Baptist Convention is once again the host for the meeting. The event offers business administrators from Baptist churches and organizations the opportunity to learn about legislative and health care reform issues, as well as participate in networking opportunities. “The SBBOC annual meeting is the one go-to event for business administrators from Baptist churches and organizations,” said Susan May, SBBOC secretary and treasurer. “There is no other conference that touches on such a wide variety of subjects that affect their everyday work.” This year, the conference will feature sessions on social media, working with the millennial generation and leadership lessons. Attendees will also hear the latest news on human resource policies, employment law and health care reform. This year’s conference speakers include: Richard R. Hammar, a CPA, attorney and author who writes extensively about legal and tax issues for churches and clergy, including GuideStone’s annual … [Read more...]

Submitted by philip on Thu, 03/13/2014 - 14:00 By Gregory Tomlin, Baptist Press NASHVILLE (BP) -- Hundreds of marijuana smokers lined up outside new state-sanctioned "pot dispensaries" in Colorado Jan. 1, the first day citizens, as well as tourists, could legally buy the drug for recreational use. More than 30 shops in the state, capitalizing on the new "green rush," netted nearly $1 million during the first day of sales, according to the deputy director of the National Cannabis Industry Association, Betty Aldworth. Aldworth told CNN "adult use" of marijuana -- meaning use by those legally allowed to buy and possess one ounce of the drug -- will develop into a $208 million industry in the Rocky Mountain state alone. That figure does not include the $250 million in projected sales of "medical marijuana," which proponents claim eliminates nausea associated with chemotherapy, relieves pain and lessens the effects of diseases such as glaucoma and multiple sclerosis. In 2012, voters in Colorado and Washington became the first to legalize recreational use of marijuana. More than a decade before, both states had enacted laws for use of the drug for medical purposes. In November 2013, Colorado voters authorized excise and … [Read more...]

By Barrett Duke, ELRC   WASHINGTON (BP) -- President Obama's recent comments about marijuana are very troubling. Having smoked marijuana myself for many years as a teenager and young adult, I can say that the president's claim that marijuana is less dangerous than alcohol is an inadequate comparison. Both alcohol and marijuana are dangerous. To say one thing is less dangerous than another doesn't mean very much if both things are extremely dangerous. Claiming alcohol is more dangerous than marijuana is essentially a distinction without a difference. Marijuana is associated with a long list of physical and psychological problems. Further, the Justice Department's own statistics indicate marijuana is associated more often with other criminal behavior than any other illicit drug. In a 2002 Department of Justice survey of convicted inmates in jail, 14 percent reported using marijuana at the time of their offense -- more than cocaine/crack at 11 percent. In addition, marijuana is acknowledged by millions of users and multiple studies as the gateway to even more destructive drugs. Contrary to alcohol, marijuana almost cannot be taken in moderate doses. It is nearly immediately debilitating upon the first intake. Alcohol … [Read more...]