(ChurchLeaders) October is Pastor Appreciation Month and as such is an opportunity for church members to show that they see and value the service of their ministry leaders. But pastor appreciation can be a source of struggle for some church leaders, as one South Carolina pastor shared Tuesday. “’Pastor Appreciation Month’ is strange for a lot of pastors (myself included),” … [Read more...] about Pastor Finds Pastor Appreciation Month ‘Strange’ — Can You Relate?
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Youth Pastor Charged With Raping a Student Receives Probation, No Jail Time
(ChurchLeaders) Jason Greathouse, former Alabama youth pastor who was charged with raping a 14-year-old student, will not face jail time after reaching a plea deal with Coffee County prosecutors. Greathouse will serve two years of unsupervised probation and will not have to register as a sex offender. Greathouse’s charges were downgraded from felony second-degree rape, … [Read more...] about Youth Pastor Charged With Raping a Student Receives Probation, No Jail Time
SBC’s NAMB Clarifies ‘Only Qualified Men’ Can Preach at Their Church Plants
The Southern Baptist Convention’s (SBC) North American Mission Board (NAMB) released a statement last Thursday, October 14, 2021, clarifying its stance on women in church leadership. NAMB is the SBC’s domestic church-planting and revitalization organization. In 2020, NAMB planted over 550 new churches and reported 3,057 domestic … [Read more...] about SBC’s NAMB Clarifies ‘Only Qualified Men’ Can Preach at Their Church Plants
Menlo Church Investigation Finds No Direct Evidence or Disclosures of Sexual Abuse
by Bob Smietana (RNS) A third-party investigation at one of Northern California's most prominent megachurches that consumed its congregation and former pastor's fractious family ended this week with a report that found no evidence the pastor's adult child had acted on his confessed attraction to minors. “After interviewing 104 witnesses and reviewing or analyzing more … [Read more...] about Menlo Church Investigation Finds No Direct Evidence or Disclosures of Sexual Abuse
The Reformed Church in America Moves Toward Restructuring, Prepares for Departures
by Kathryn Post (RNS) The Reformed Church in America’s 214th General Synod, taking place in Tucson, Arizona, voted Saturday (Oct. 16) to appoint a team to develop a restructuring plan for the nearly 400-year-old denomination as it divides over LGBTQ ordination and same-sex marriage. The convention also adopted regulations for churches that have chosen to leave the RCA to … [Read more...] about The Reformed Church in America Moves Toward Restructuring, Prepares for Departures