|
Courier Publishing
Filter by:
It is no secret that we live in a post-modern culture infected with feminism. Traditional marriage, motherhood, and homemaking are seen as oppressive prisons that women must escape. Young women are taught to passionately pursue their careers and climb... Continue Reading »
As Artemis II captured the nation and world during its journey toward the moon, Andrew Riddle, an engineer contracted by NASA and a member of First Baptist Church, New Orleans, said the lunar orbit highlighted God’s creation. After graduating... Continue Reading »
Want to get a clearer picture of others’ needs? Take a walk. It’s been a consistent ministry among the people of Midtown Fellowship Church/Two Notch in Columbia for many years now. Prayerwalking includes prayer, of course, but the encounters... Continue Reading »
Editors’ note: On April 15, 1947, Jackie Robinson made his debut for the Brooklyn Dodgers against the Boston Braves. In so doing, Robinson became the first black player to appear in a Major League game, and his arrival led... Continue Reading »
An increase in personal Bible use in the U.S. in 2025 was short-lived, the American Bible Society said in its latest State of the Bible release, with newest engagement numbers receding to 2024 levels. But ABS isn’t ready to... Continue Reading »
If you’re a church leader, you need to spend intentional time with a senior adult — or with a lot of them. Even a monthly lunch and conversation will pay dividends in your ministry. Here’s why you need to... Continue Reading »
I prepared well. I prayed for pure motives and repented from impure ones. I disciplined myself not to dwell on “what others would think.” I drove to the church with one aim: to glorify God and encourage the ladies... Continue Reading »
Evangelical giving has stabilized after several years of significant decline, but almost no one gives a biblical tithe to the church, a new study from Grey Matter Research and Infinity Concepts found. Ron Sellers, Grey Matter Research president, said... Continue Reading »
In remote villages of the Himalayan mountains, women’s health trainings are opening doors for believers to build relationships and share the gospel. International Mission Board worker Sidney Barr and her team are partnering with local believers to share the... Continue Reading »
How does your church measure success? For many churches, the ABCs of success are attendance, buildings and cash. While these are the easiest things to measure, pastors know they aren’t the best. There has to be a better way... Continue Reading »
Empty – it’s not one of our favorite terms. It’s not one of our preferred greetings. When someone asks you, “How are you doing?” you probably don’t respond by saying, “Empty, thanks for asking!” Many popular songs through the... Continue Reading »
The coffee shop barista spoke about her upcoming trip. She plans to drive in her Crosstrek Subaru from South Carolina to Alaska to work on a train during the summer. The barista’s coworker also spoke of her plans for... Continue Reading »
I love getting to spend time with church people, especially playing board games. But if you tell me you likes games and you pull out Apples to Apples, I will storm out of your house. Do you know this... Continue Reading »
There’s a tendency among fallen humans to believe that the larger an institution is, the more successful it must be. We think that, of course, because it’s often true. In the ubiquitous realm of technology, Apple and Microsoft are... Continue Reading »
I regularly hear the voice of William D. Downs Jr. echoing in my mind. Dr. Downs was the department chair and professor of communications and journalism at Ouachita Baptist University for 41 years. He was relentless, hounding us want-to-be... Continue Reading »
Church growth writers talk about the bell-shaped curve that characterizes the growth of many churches. The left side of the bell curve is exciting (vision, outreach, growth, etc.), but the right side is challenging (nostalgia, decline, division, etc.). Based... Continue Reading »
The Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission’s presidential search team has announced Mississippi College academic administrator and longtime ERLC research fellow Evan Lenow as its candidate to lead the entity. The announcement follows a seven-month search. Search team chair Mitch... Continue Reading »
Could creed, cult (meaning worship), and code be the answer to the cultural collapse of dehumanization happening around us? Carl Trueman, professor of biblical and theological studies at Grove City College and author of Strange New World, thinks so.... Continue Reading »
You have probably heard some of the troubling statistics about teens and young adults. The data points are piling up like symptoms for a very ill patient. Since 2010: Anxiety is up 139 percent among 18-25-year-olds. Depression is up... Continue Reading »
I checked the phone again hoping that someone texted me — anyone. But there was nothing. No one was home, but me. And my phone didn’t help the cause. I could pick up my Bible and read it, but... Continue Reading »
Jesus Christ is Lord. This is one of the most fundamental statements that a Christian can make. The statement has a deep history in the Christian tradition going back to Matthew 16, where Peter declares of Jesus, “You are... Continue Reading »
“The First Hymn,” showcasing Chris Tomlin’s and Ben Fielding’s contemporary rendering of the oldest known Christian hymn, enjoys a wide release in U.S. theaters March 24 and 26. The hymn with the earliest evidence of the Trinity in praise... Continue Reading »
In the previous article, we defined what boldness is and said that prayer, God’s presence, God’s power, and our preparation help us become bold in evangelism. In this article we’ll cover the last four P’s. 5. Practice Typically the... Continue Reading »
We’ve heard the commandment—go and make disciples of all nations. We know the gospel, but we’re too scared to share it. We sense the Holy Spirit’s prompting but rationalize disobedience by promising ourselves that “we’ll share next time.” So... Continue Reading »
More than 1,000 college students from church groups and university ministries across South Carolina gathered in Myrtle Beach on Feb. 6–8 for CONVERGE, a weekend event that challenges and equips college students to passionately follow Jesus. This year marks... Continue Reading »
America’s favorite Bible verse seems to be Matthew 7:1, where our Lord says, “Judge not that you be not judged.” Yet Jesus also said in John 7:24, “Judge with a righteous judgment.” Are Christians called to judge? It may... Continue Reading »
One distinctive of Southern Baptists is congregational government, which means the congregation (defined as the regular gathering of the covenant community, Matthew 18:19-20) governs the church. The congregation holds the authority to make decisions pertaining to the life of... Continue Reading »
During World War II, Adolf Hitler’s armies planted more than 1 million “Bouncing Betty” mines across Europe. They killed thousands of allied soldiers because they were small and difficult to detect. Difficult conversations often feel like trying to get... Continue Reading »
Don’t be a fool. Don’t be fooled. The late 20th century began what is sometimes called “The Age of Information” with the rapid acceleration of information technology through the internet and other digital mediums. However, the proliferation of non-peer... Continue Reading »
Words are vital because God has spoken to us through words. When we are reading and meditating on His Word, what are we doing? We’re hearing from Him. When we listen to sermons, we are hearers of the Word... Continue Reading »
A record 1,379 South Carolina Baptist pastors and leaders converged at Shandon Baptist Church in Columbia under the theme “Called Out,” marking the beginning of a multi-year emphasis to raise up the next generation of pastors and church leaders.... Continue Reading »
This summer, the world’s attention will turn toward North America and the 2026 FIFA World Cup. With Atlanta being the site of several matches, including a semi-final, Georgia Baptists are looking to take advantage of the excitement around the... Continue Reading »
Around a quarter of Americans don’t identify with any religion, but many still hold some religious perspectives. Lifeway Research surveyed more than 2,000 U.S. adults who are atheist, agnostic or have no stated religious preference to discover their perspective... Continue Reading »
Some 540 Southern Baptists serve as trustees among the Southern Baptist Convention’s 11 entities and the Executive Committee. They now have access to the first denomination-wide tool designed to resource them for that role. An SBC trustee training course... Continue Reading »
Our January issue carried the story of Ken Lewis and Jeremy Chasteen planting Crosspoint Church in Clemson in 2005. Now, the focus turns to Crosspoint Church’s first church planting partnership: Crosspoint Church, Bluffton, led by Carl Martin. Ken Lewis,... Continue Reading »
I’d wanted to be a missionary for years, and I loved the two years my husband and I lived overseas. Thanks to the cooperation of Southern Baptists around the world, we were freed up to focus entirely on evangelizing... Continue Reading »
“What’s for dinner?” my daughter asked for the millionth time. The day held a long list of to-dos before dinner, and then a full calendar of sports practices after. Still, “Sorry. Mom’s busy. No dinner tonight!” wouldn’t have been... Continue Reading »
Reading Scripture and telling others about it is “bigger than football,” New England Patriots quarterback Drake Maye told reporters. Leaning on the Lord “is a constant” in his life, Maye said. “It’s such a thing for me to lean... Continue Reading »
At a local Baptist church, a pastor is sitting in on a monthly deacons meeting, and they are discussing the path forward for the church. Like many other established churches, they have amassed a lot of names on the... Continue Reading »
Not everyone in ministry is married — whether it be pastoral ministry, a deacon, a pastoral assistant, a missionary, an intern or a resident. That being said, not all singles in ministry have an official position. Every member, whether... Continue Reading »
While the world whirls around us in chaos and confusion, we need a safe, peaceful place. We, a people bought by the blood of Christ, have that place: the local church. It is a retreat from the world, and... Continue Reading »
I pastor a church that was founded in 1832. Our church records show church discipline was a regular practice for our congregation well into the 19th century. Church discipline was a regular practice for most Baptist churches of that... Continue Reading »
Former summer staff of Ridgecrest Baptist Conference Center in Black Mountain, N.C., will hold an alumni homecoming May 29–31. In 2020, Lifeway Christian Resources sold the conference center and its summer camps, but the location has remained one of... Continue Reading »
How should a church practice church discipline? Jesus provides the basic outline in Matthew 18:15–17. He says to His disciples: “If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault, between you and him alone. If he... Continue Reading »
A lighthearted challenge issued by a western North Carolina pastor turned into a statewide movement of comedy and connection following this past weekend’s historic winter storm. Bobby Rogers, lead pastor of Dellwood Baptist Church in Waynesville, said he was... Continue Reading »
The Church and the Surprising Offense of God’s Love: Reintroducing the Doctrines of Church Membership and Discipline (Crossway/9Marks, 2010) by Jonathan Leeman When the world speaks of “love,” it often means unconditional acceptance. Many churches have adopted this mindset... Continue Reading »
What would you think of a coach who instructs his players but never drills them? Or a math teacher who explains the lesson but never corrects her students’ mistakes? Or a doctor who talks about health but ignores cancer?... Continue Reading »
I have always loved that math problems are black and white. 2 + 2 is always 4. Fifteen percent of 1,000 is always 150. But math problems can be harder to solve when applied to real-life situations. I majored... Continue Reading »
If discipleship were a test, the average churchgoer would pass — but not by much. In the second half of the State of Discipleship study, Lifeway Research studied churchgoers’ levels of discipleship by asking dozens of questions related to... Continue Reading »
It’s often hard to see the ways that God uses catastrophes to draw you closer to Him. But not for George and Allison. Before the COVID-19 pandemic erupted, George and Allison Karkanis had already spent roughly eight years involved... Continue Reading »
Sign Up For Email Alerts
