Bob Smietana – ChurchLeaders

As Election Day Looms, Wisconsin Clergy Pray and Stress That Every Vote Is Sacred

Bob Smietana — Mon, 04 Nov 2024 14:51:00 +0000

As two dozen pastors, poll chaplains and other leaders gathered for a pre-election press conference outside of First United Methodist Church in Wisconsin's capital Wednesday (Oct. 30), they got a taste of what life is like in a battleground state.

In Helene’s and Milton’s Wake, Faith-Based Disaster Relief Groups Prepare for the Long Haul

Bob Smietana — Fri, 18 Oct 2024 13:46:42 +0000

In the aftermath of back-to-back hurricanes, faith-based disaster groups deliver relief while planning for a long, slow recovery from Hurricane Helene.

Nuns on the Bus Tour Members Say God Wants Everyone To Thrive—So Vote Accordingly

Bob Smietana — Thu, 10 Oct 2024 12:38:40 +0000

After six years without hitting the road for a political advocacy tour, the Nuns on the Bus are back, and this time they have brought friends along for the ride.

Donald Trump’s Favorite Bible Might Be on the Way to Oklahoma Schools

Bob Smietana — Fri, 04 Oct 2024 20:39:17 +0000

The state of Oklahoma is in the market for some Bibles. They might get some help from Donald Trump.

In a New Film, 12 Pastors Take a Leap of Faith—Hoping Friendship Can Overcome Their Divides

Bob Smietana — Thu, 03 Oct 2024 12:59:23 +0000

A new documentary, directed by Nicholas Ma, looks at whether friendship and faith can overcome polarization in the age of Donald Trump. Ma's father, the famed cellist Yo-Yo Ma, has been helping promote the film.

In North Carolina, Sound of Chainsaws Brings Hope as Faith-Based Workers Clear Roads

Bob Smietana — Thu, 03 Oct 2024 12:52:56 +0000

While emergency officials continue to search for victims of Hurricane Helene, faith-based groups start the long, slow cleanup efforts.

After Hurricane Helene, Faith Groups Ramp Up Disaster Relief

Bob Smietana — Mon, 30 Sep 2024 14:05:50 +0000

Even before Hurricane Helene made landfall in the United States, near Tallahassee, Florida, on Thursday (Sept. 26), faith-based disaster groups were on the move.

Proposed Deal with Vanderbilt Could Keep a Struggling Episcopal Seminary in NYC Afloat

Bob Smietana — Fri, 27 Sep 2024 13:18:38 +0000

An earlier plan to partner with a music school with ties to a conservative Catholic donor fell through. The new lease, if approved, could help GTS through a fiscal crisis.

Settlement Talks With Johnny Hunt Fail. SBC and Former President Likely Headed to Trial.

Bob Smietana — Thu, 26 Sep 2024 14:59:43 +0000

Court-ordered mediation between former Southern Baptist Convention President Johnny Hunt and lawyers for the nation’s largest Protestant denomination failed last week—meaning the dispute between the two parties is likely headed to a trial in November.

The SBC Will Sell Its Nashville Headquarters To Defray Abuse-Related Legal Costs

Bob Smietana — Thu, 19 Sep 2024 13:50:08 +0000

SBC leaders also set up a new department to deal with the issue of abuse, though the fate of a long-delayed database of abusers remains unknown.

Want To Succeed as a Leader? Ask for Help, Says Joni Eareckson Tada

Bob Smietana — Tue, 17 Sep 2024 14:05:02 +0000

Good leaders are often told to play to their strengths and hide their weaknesses. That has never really worked for disability activist and nonprofit leader Joni Eareckson Tada.

Want To Write a Hit Worship Song? Invite a Few Friends to Church.

Bob Smietana — Thu, 05 Sep 2024 13:04:47 +0000

When the CCLI Top 100 chart first appeared in 1988, most of the songs had one writer. Today, the average hit worship song has at least two writers.

The Meeting House, Once One of Canada’s Largest Churches, Shuts Down After Scandal

Bob Smietana — Thu, 05 Sep 2024 12:59:14 +0000

Leaders of The Meeting House, a Toronto area megachurch with multiple locations and once one of the largest congregations in Canada, has shut down its public ministry, becoming a consortium of smaller congregations.

Some Nonprofit Newspapers Endorse Candidates. So Why Can’t Churches, New Lawsuit Asks.

Bob Smietana — Tue, 03 Sep 2024 14:26:34 +0000

The federal lawsuit, filed by the National Religious Broadcasters, is the latest challenge to the so-called Johnson Amendment, which bars charitable nonprofits from taking sides in campaigns.

How Much Does Forgiveness Cost? $7 Million for One Christian College.

Bob Smietana — Mon, 26 Aug 2024 14:33:18 +0000

A dispute with the federal government over how to count employees, mixed with some bad timing, could cost Gordon College, a small evangelical Christian college in Boston, more than $7 million.

Parallel to DNC, a Chicago Interfaith Vigil Mourns the Loss of Life in Gaza

Bob Smietana — Thu, 22 Aug 2024 13:59:30 +0000

On Tuesday, about 100 people from different faiths gathered in Chicago to remember those killed in Gaza over the past 10 months in a vigil hosted by the American Friends Service Committee, a Quaker organization.

Why Catholic Bishops Rocked out to Megachurch Worship Hits

Bob Smietana — Fri, 16 Aug 2024 13:42:25 +0000

In mid-July, Lucas Oil Stadium, home of the Indianapolis Colts, was transformed into a place of worship as more than 50,000 Catholics gathered for the National Eucharistic Congress.

Would Jesus Park in a Bike Lane? For Philadelphia Churches, It’s a Real Question

Bob Smietana — Wed, 14 Aug 2024 13:44:41 +0000

A dispute over weekend parking in bike lanes has left a group of inner-city congregations in Philadelphia dealing with a tricky urban dilemma.

Appeals Court Rules Against Dave Ramsey’s Company in COVID-Era Religious Discrimination Case

Bob Smietana — Mon, 12 Aug 2024 13:46:06 +0000

Brad Amos, a former video editor at Ramsey Solutions, claimed he was fired for failing to follow Ramsey's faith-based beliefs on how to deal with the COVID-19 pandemic.

What Is the ERLC and Why Do Southern Baptists Keep Getting Mad at Its Leader?

Bob Smietana — Mon, 29 Jul 2024 13:52:21 +0000

Turmoil at the Southern Baptist Convention's Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission has increased calls to disband the denomination's public policy arm, but some SBC pastors say it can and should be saved.

In Small-Town Illinois, a Little Church Says Goodbye

Bob Smietana — Tue, 23 Jul 2024 13:42:23 +0000

For 156 years, church members at First Baptist Church in Mount Vernon, Illinois, gathered to sing hymns, study the Bible and lift each other in prayer. They also ate barbecue, laughed, cried, reached out to their neighbors and cared for one another. But nothing lasts forever.

How a Perfect Storm Sent Church Insurance Rates Skyrocketing

Bob Smietana — Thu, 11 Jul 2024 14:34:33 +0000

An ongoing wave of disasters along with skyrocketing construction costs have left the insurance industry reeling. As a result, some companies that specialize in insuring churches have seen their reserves shrink.

California Baptists Cut Staff, Citing Decline in Cooperative Program Giving

Bob Smietana — Fri, 05 Jul 2024 13:59:55 +0000

The California Southern Baptist Convention, one of 41 regional groups that make up the Southern Baptist Convention, announced this week that it had cut six staff jobs, citing an ongoing decline in giving.

Church Led by SBC Candidate Clint Pressley Reports Volunteer to Police for Alleged Abuse

Bob Smietana — Mon, 10 Jun 2024 13:56:32 +0000

A volunteer at Hickory Grove Baptist Church, an SBC megachurch in Charlotte, North Carolina, pastored by Clint Pressley, was arrested last month after church leaders learned he had been accused of sexual abuse by a student at the church’s Christian school.

SBC Abuse Reform Task Force Ends Its Work With No Names on Database and No Long-Term Plan

Bob Smietana — Wed, 05 Jun 2024 12:01:06 +0000

Their report marks the second time a proposed database for abusive pastors has been derailed.

Southern Baptist Ethics Committee Says IVF Is Immoral, Tells Christians To Oppose It

Bob Smietana — Tue, 04 Jun 2024 13:53:02 +0000

Echoing Catholic teaching, ERLC President Brent Leatherwood says the procedure causes moral harm and separates procreation from sex.

Have the Nones Jumped the Shark? Maybe.

Bob Smietana — Thu, 23 May 2024 14:14:03 +0000

Since the mid-2000s, the fastest-growing religious group in America has been the so-called nones. But all things pass. And the skyrocketing growth of the nones may be fading.

PCA Cancels Anti-Polarization Panel With David French for Being Too Polarizing

Bob Smietana — Thu, 16 May 2024 13:43:55 +0000

Leaders of the conservative denomination canceled the discussion of dealing with polarization after online backlash.

Southern Baptists, Losing Members, Find Solace in Baptisms and Better Attendance

Bob Smietana — Wed, 08 May 2024 13:07:22 +0000

While membership in the nation’s largest Protestant denomination is down, participation in worship and baptisms went up in 2023. But a new statistical report found that many Southern Baptist Convention churches do little to address sexual abuse.

Monster Truck Rally or Holy Spirit Barbie Party? A Missouri Megachurch Offers Both

Bob Smietana — Mon, 29 Apr 2024 13:21:33 +0000

The Stronger Men’s Conference made headlines after Mark Driscoll was kicked off the stage. But the church’s women’s conference may actually undermine evangelical stereotypes.

Near Chicago, a Lutheran Church Finds New Life at the YMCA

Bob Smietana — Fri, 19 Apr 2024 20:37:19 +0000

In early April, just a few days after Easter, Good Shepherd Lutheran Church was filled with sounds of new life. And hammers.

Nancy French Had It All—Then Along Came Trump. Her New Book ‘Ghosted’ Tells All.

Bob Smietana — Thu, 18 Apr 2024 14:45:14 +0000

Nancy French's memoir is a story of friends lost and found and starting over after the life you thought you had vanishes.

Feud With Ex-President Leads to Lawsuit, Alleged Threats of Violence at Calvin University

Bob Smietana — Tue, 16 Apr 2024 14:04:03 +0000

The prominent evangelical school hired a former business executive as president in hopes of turning around years of decline. But his tenure ended abruptly after the board alleged he'd sent inappropriate messages to a woman he was not married to.

An Episcopal Seminary Found a Solution to Its Fiscal Woes. Then 7 Bishops Intervened.

Bob Smietana — Mon, 15 Apr 2024 13:50:48 +0000

A plan to save a troubled historic Episcopal seminary in New York has come under fire after seven bishops registered their opposition to offering a long-term lease of the seminary to a nonprofit with alleged ties to a Catholic music school funded by a conservative donor.

As Trump Hawks Bible, Debate Over ‘Christian America’ Spreads Outside Church

Bob Smietana — Thu, 11 Apr 2024 14:09:04 +0000

During the heyday of American churchgoing, some presidents sought to use religion to unite the country. In the age of Trump, it is one more thing to fight over.

Calvin University Board Stands by Its Decision That Former President Had To Go

Bob Smietana — Tue, 02 Apr 2024 14:05:05 +0000

A group of Calvin alumni have reportedly asked the board of trustees for a third-party investigation into the board’s handling of the allegations against Boer.

In ‘God Gave Rock & Roll to You,’ Leah Payne Details the Rise and Fall of CCM

Bob Smietana — Tue, 26 Mar 2024 13:53:37 +0000

For years, pastors, parents and music executives tried to harness the power of rock 'n' roll to reach the souls of teenagers. It worked — until it didn't.

Gallup Poll: More Than Half of Americans Rarely Go to Church

Bob Smietana — Tue, 26 Mar 2024 13:49:34 +0000

The percentage of Americans who never attend services outnumbers those who go every week, according to a new Gallup report.

A Feud Over a Coffeemaker and Christmas Decor Leads to Another Southern Baptist Lawsuit

Bob Smietana — Mon, 25 Mar 2024 14:12:42 +0000

The lawsuit, filed by former Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary President Adam Greenway, is the latest of the seminary's long-term fiscal woes.

Southern Baptists Elect Jeff Iorg To Lead Executive Committee

Bob Smietana — Fri, 22 Mar 2024 13:55:52 +0000

After more than two years of uncertainty and at times, chaos, the Southern Baptist Convention’s Executive Committee has a new president.

In ‘Exvangelicals,’ Sarah McCammon Looks at the Fragility and Power of Religion

Bob Smietana — Thu, 21 Mar 2024 13:47:23 +0000

While covering Donald Trump, NPR correspondent Sarah McCammon discovered a community of people who, like herself, no longer felt at home in the evangelical world they'd been raised in.

Thousands of Churches Will Likely Close Down. What Happens to All That Real Estate?

Bob Smietana — Mon, 18 Mar 2024 14:42:42 +0000

Rev. Mark Elsdon's prediction of 100,000 church closings is based on the unrelenting math of religion in America—there are ever more church pews with not enough people to fill them.

American Bible Society to Shutter $60 Million Faith and Liberty Discovery Center

Bob Smietana — Fri, 15 Mar 2024 14:31:16 +0000

Exhibits at the state-of-the-art center sought to portray the role Scripture played in American history.

In ‘God’s Ghostwriters,’ Scholar Candida Moss Looks at the Hidden Hands Behind the Bible

Bob Smietana — Thu, 14 Mar 2024 14:04:03 +0000

In her new book, Moss argues that slaves and other lower-status workers played a key role in producing and preserving the Christian Scriptures.

For Infertile Couples, the Fate of Frozen Embryos Is Deeply Personal

Bob Smietana — Thu, 07 Mar 2024 14:56:15 +0000

The fate of frozen embryos has been the subject of fierce debate in recent weeks after the Alabama Supreme Court ruled that embryos are “extra-uterine children” and protected by the state’s wrongful death law.

Matthew Slater, a Super Bowl Champ With His Eye on Higher Things, Retires From Football

Bob Smietana — Fri, 23 Feb 2024 15:04:54 +0000

The player’s longtime coach, Bill Belichick, once referred to him as a ‘perfect player.’ Teammates and opponents alike praised Slater for his leadership skills, which he says were built on his faith.

Heads of SBC Mission Boards Say They Will Not Fund New Abuse Reform Nonprofit

Bob Smietana — Thu, 22 Feb 2024 15:38:28 +0000

Leaders of two major Southern Baptist mission boards said they will not help fund a proposed independent nonprofit meant to implement the denomination’s abuse reforms.

Southern Baptist Leaders Expel 2 Churches for Allegedly Mismanaging Abuse

Bob Smietana — Wed, 21 Feb 2024 15:37:58 +0000

Trustees of the Southern Baptist Convention voted to cut ties with four churches on Tuesday (Feb. 20), two for alleged mismanagement of sexual abuse. One other had failed to give to the SBC’s common fund, while another hired a woman pastor.

Will the Southern Baptist Convention’s Cooperative Program Crumble?

Bob Smietana — Mon, 19 Feb 2024 19:44:22 +0000

For nearly a century, the Southern Baptist Convention's Cooperative Program — which pools money to fund missions, evangelism and seminaries — has been a remarkable success, collecting more than $20 billion since 1925 and becoming the lifeblood of the nation’s largest Protestant denomination.

Henry Blackaby, Author of ‘Experiencing God,’ Has Died at Age 88

Bob Smietana — Mon, 12 Feb 2024 15:32:57 +0000

Henry Blackaby, a pastor and author whose “Experiencing God” Bible study sold more than 8 million copies, has died at age 88.