Good News for Today

The state of Nevada is a state of contrasts. The state features the lights of Las Vegas, mountain ranges and a vast desert.

In some places, you could travel miles and miles without encountering another person.

But, there are people who call the state home. In fact, more than 3.1 million people live in Nevada and they need to hear the Gospel of Jesus Christ, grow in the faith and be loved in a community of believers.

The Northeast Association is a group of 23 churches who partner together…but they span 55,000 square miles in Nevada. Some of the churches are separated by more than 200 miles.

Robin Stork leads the association. 

He’s grateful for the partnership among the churches and says they are always looking for churches outside the state who will come and help existing churches or consider planting a church.

Read the full story at Baptist Press.

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We’re grateful for first responders who run toward emergencies while the rest of us are running away. But who cares for those first responders as they process the pain and trauma they’ve just witnessed?
 The North American Mission Board is working to train chaplains to work alongside first responders.

“First and foremost, chaplaincy is being the hands and feet of our Lord Jesus through the ministry of presence,” said Michael Koontz, who is a chaplain and pastor in Knoxville, Tennessee. 

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In the Baptist Press Toolbox, Chuck Lawless wonders if you’ve lost your wonder when it comes to your relationship with Jesus Christ. He says this may be one reason you aren’t telling others about Jesus. Lawless encourages you to find friends to pray that you’ll regain that wonder and you’ll share your hope with other. 

Read the full piece from Lawless at Baptist Press.

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The world’s greatest problem is lostness. Learn how you can share hope at IMB.org.

In Paris for the Olympics, visitors may stumble upon a unique freebie: water bottles with QR codes. Scanning the code leads to an immersive virtual reality experience designed by the International Mission Board (IMB). This innovative VR journey, available via the VRChat app, takes users through a series of emotionally charged scenes, from Olympic athletes’ highs and lows to personal moments of joy and struggle.

Upon reaching a crossroads with two doors symbolizing celebration and defeat, users choose their path. Opting for celebration transports them to a picturesque island party, but the experience takes a twist as they descend into a dark tunnel—a metaphor for life’s challenges. This journey reflects the struggles and triumphs of the human experience, ultimately leading participants to a serene island where they encounter a gospel presentation.

IMB’s Bryson Holtson, part of the organization’s MXLabs innovation team, explains that this VR project aims to connect individuals with the message of Christ in a new, engaging way. As virtual reality becomes a growing social space, Holtson emphasizes its potential for missions, inviting everyone to explore this novel approach to sharing the gospel during the Olympic Games.

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Religious freedom no longer exists in Russian-occupied areas of Ukraine, where religious leaders have been abducted and sometimes tortured, several Ukrainian journalists said during a recent visit to the United States.

Vlasta Lazur with Radio Liberty/Radio Free Europe was one of the journalists in the U.S. recently.

Lazure said there have been multiple violations of religious freedom in Russian-occupied regions of Ukraine.

Earlier this year, a Ukrainian priest in the occupied area of Kherson Oblast was kidnapped from his home by Russian forces and killed, he said.

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Are churches stuck in the past? Around 3 in 10 (29%) U.S. Protestant churchgoers say their church’s ministry activities and methods would fit best in a time period before the turn of the new millennium, according to a new study from Lifeway Research. Close to half (52%) say their church’s ministry belongs in the 2000s or later. Another 19% aren’t sure.

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The world’s greatest problem is lostness. Learn how to carry light into the darkness at IMB.org.

His Instagram account proclaims “GOD FIRST!” and U.S. Olympic swimmer Hunter Armstrong tries to be faithful to that description whether he’s winning gold medals or not.

“That’s the first thing I want people to see and know about me,” Armstrong told Baptist Press. “As we grow, we have to make sure we have our priorities in line. I keep God as a priority. I can’t really live without him. I can live without swimming or being an Olympian or any of that stuff.”

Armstrong captured one gold medal in the Paris Olympics as part of the men’s 4×100 meter freestyle relay team with Caeleb Dressel, Jack Alexy and Chris Guiliano that held off Australia to win the title on Saturday. 

While Armstrong is delighted to have the gold medal, he says he is honored to be representing the U.S.

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Religious liberty advocate Brent Leatherwood is asking the Olympics planning committee to take a look at the closing ceremony following a scene in the opening ceremony that many Christians found offensive.

A group of LGBT activists mimicked the scene from Leonardo DaVinci’s painting The Last Supper.

Dismay and disappointment rang out over the weekend.

Leatherwood is asking the Olympic leaders to invite faith leaders to look over plans for the closing ceremonies to ensure they honor all involved and watching around the globe.

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Whether your church calls them small groups, Sunday School classes or by some other name, church leader Thom Rainer says groups are vital to the life of the local church.

Rainer says it’s also important for church leaders to think about the purpose of the group. The aim of the group dictates the size and purpose of the group.

You can read an article from Rainer about how to get the most out of small groups in your church at our website Baptist Press.com.

The world greatest problem is lostness. Learn how you bring light and hope to the world at IMB.org.

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The arrival of the Paris 2024 Olympics and Paralympics offers an unparalleled opportunity. More than 10,500 athletes are gathering from nearly every nation on Earth…many who do not have access to the Gospel. The Olympic games also shift the mindset of locals, whose hearts may be open to different ideas they hear from visitors. Protestants account for less than 2% of the French population, and evangelicals only 1%. There are 32 sports planned for the summer games and the competition spans all the way through August 11. Pray that athletes and fans who are believers and Gospel workers who are in Paris will have opportunities for conversations and building relationships to help share their hope with others.

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A law blocking most abortions in Iowa goes into effect today. The law bans abortions past six weeks. Since being passed by the Iowa legislature it has faced legal hurdles with the latest ruling coming just last week. Gov. Kim Reynolds called it a win for life. Fourteen states have laws similar to the one in Iowa. According to Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America, “The Fetal Heartbeat Act passed in Iowa protects 2,093 lives annually at the point in pregnancy when unborn children have over a 90% chance of surviving.

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In his book Deeper, Dane Ortlund says painful honesty is necessary for spiritual growth. ““You restrict your growth if you do not do the painful, humiliating, liberating work of cheerfully bringing your failure out from the darkness of secrecy into the light of acknowledgment before a Christian brother or sister,” he writes. If we are not honest with ourselves and others about our need for growth, we will not grow. First John 1:7 speaks of “fellowship with one another,” that helps believers grow. Ortlund says it depends on honesty and authenticity.

The world’s greatest problem is lostness. Learn how to take good news to humanity at IMB.org.

In one sub-Saharan African nation, terrorist attacks have led to a refugee crisis across four countries. With their husbands unable to farm after having been displaced from their land, women became the primary breadwinners.In these makeshift camps, women lack opportunities for education or trade skills to support their families. A Send Relief partner surveyed the camps and found many women interested in learning to make soap to sell, rather than begging for food. One of the village women says, “Before we learned how to make soap, we didn’t know how to do anything to help our families make money other than farm”. Send Relief provided materials and training for soap-making, leading to a successful program. Grateful participants shared their appreciation, noting how the training empowers them to support their families and avoid begging, with hopes to continue if they are able to return to their villages.
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The Black church is facing a crisis of desertion, says Pastor Greg Perkins of The View Church in CA, while speaking at the Black Church Leadership and Family Conference in Ridgecrest, NC. Perkins, president of the National African American Fellowship, highlighted that nearly half of young Black individuals seldom or never attended church in recent years. He emphasizes the unique value of the Black church, saying it understands and embraces the lived experiences of its members. Pastor Perkins says, “I want to pursue a church that models Christlikeness,” … “And whatever the ethnic composition of that church is, it doesn’t matter to me, because if we’re pursuing Christlikeness, He’ll be glorified.” The Black Church Leadership and Family Conference aims to equip leaders in African American and urban churches with preaching, worship, teaching, and fellowship.
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A recent study by GuideStone Financial Resources reveals many pastors struggle with financial, physical, and mental wellness. Over 80% of surveyed pastors sacrifice their own well-being for their ministry, with more than half also sacrificing their family’s well-being. Financial struggles are significant, with 32% identifying it as the hardest area to maintain, often due to rising costs and insufficient income. Many pastors are unprepared for emergencies or retirement, with almost half having less than $5,000 in savings and 49% taking on debt for emergencies. GuideStone President. Hance Dilbeck highlights the importance of financial wellness, noting its impact on other wellness areas. GuideStone has launched a Ministerial Resources Center to help pastors navigate financial challenges.

Lawyers for the Union Gospel Mission in Yakima, Washington, recently challenged a state anti-discrimination law in federal appeals court. The law requires the mission to hire LGBTQ + people and others who don’t share its religious beliefs, including those on sexuality and marriage. The Mission, assisted by the Alliance Defending Freedom, argues the law infringes on its religious freedom to hire only fellow believers to advance its religious purpose. Washington’s law does exempt religious organizations but only for ministerial positions. The state attorney general’s office claims the Mission’s lawsuit is premature and speculative, as there is no current investigation. However, the appeals panel showed skepticism toward the state’s position. The case follows a 2017 lawsuit by Matt Woods, a bisexual professed Christian denied a legal aid job at the Mission. The U.S. Supreme Court previously declined to review that case, but the issue of religious hiring autonomy remains contentious.

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In Central Asia, Christianity is rare, and the Bible is less popular. Daler (Dahlair), a local man, surprised International Mission Board missionary Brent Dorsett and local believer Arman, by delving deeply into the Bible. After reading Genesis, Psalms, and Matthew, Daler reached Revelation. 

Daler’s questions about Revelation led to a two-hour exchange that felt different for Dorsett—not a debate, but a genuine search for understanding. In a town where Christians are discouraged, Daler’s deep reading was a miracle. After finishing, he proclaimed, "I believe Jesus is God," a rare declaration in this region where many only see Jesus as a prophet. Dorsett marvels at this transformation, which usually takes years. Amazingly, two other families in Daler’svillage have also become believers, highlighting the impact of prayer and mission efforts in spreading the gospel.

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According to a 2022 study, 77% of pastors struggle with developing leaders and volunteers, and 76% with connecting with unchurched people. Young pastors and those of large churches especially face these challenges. Effective outreach involves mobilizing church members to engage with unchurched people, often through relationships built over time. Successful strategies include encouraging genuine relationships, using smaller groups, leveraging curriculum with evangelistic lessons, and ensuring groups focus outward. By focusing on these areas, churches can revitalize their mission to reach the unchurched effectively.

Erika Meza prayed for nine years for her husband Luis to come to faith in Jesus. Initially resistant, Luis felt a change after a personal invitation from Hiram Ramos, leader of First Church of Odessa, TX, Hispanic ministry. Luis became a regular attender and after guidance from Pastor Ramos, accepted Jesus during a Good Friday service in 2023. He was the first person baptized at First Odessa en Español.

First Odessa aims to reach the city’s growing Hispanic population, which makes up nearly 60% of the community. / Starting with a Spanish Bible class, they eventually launched a Hispanic church led by Pastor Ramos. Since its first service in December 2023, the church has seen over 50 people come to faith in Christ. They focus on discipleship and meeting the unique needs of bilingual families. 

First Odessa en Español continues to grow, united in their mission to spread the Gospel among the Hispanic people of Odessa.

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Chyler Hughes, a student at Lincoln University, recently experienced her first international mission trip to São Paulo, Brazil. Growing up, Hughes had never seen a Black missionary, but through her collegiate ministry, she encountered IMB missionaries Eric and Ramona Reese. The trip opened her eyes to the diversity in missions. Hughes says, “Seeing that representation shows you missions is for everybody.”

Pastor Jon Nelson, who led the group, emphasized the importance of diversity in missions. Nelson pointed out that only 8.4% of missionaries are of African descent. He says, “Some fruit from this trip is just in the way the students [will] see the world now. My students were able to see people that look like them,”

The trip had a profound impact on the students. Hughes herself went from thinking "Somebody else can do missions" to asking, "Why not me?" She now realizes the universal need for Jesus and the importance of spreading the Gospel worldwide.

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Reflecting on 13 years in ministry, Weddington NC, pastor, Jordon Willard shares valuable insights from his ministry journey, documented in the Baptist Press Toolbox. He emphasizes that the church belongs to Jesus, not the pastor and that God's Word is the true transformative power in ministry. Pastor Willard also points out the importance of prioritizing family, studying biblical languages, and having mentors.

Willard says, A long-term perspective in measuring growth and maintaining healthy work-rest patterns are crucial for pastoral longevity, and he states the importance of always remembering that God's approval matters most in ministry.

Two days after a four-alarm fire devastated the historic sanctuary at First Dallas, the church held its Sunday worship service at the nearby Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center. 
 Addressing over 3,000 attendees, Pastor Robert Jeffress, said, “It’s not the building, it’s what that building represents: it represented the bedrock foundation of God’s Word that never changes… He went on to say, “We are going to rebuild and recreate that sanctuary as a standing symbol of truth,”

The destroyed sanctuary, built in 1890, was a Texas Historic Landmark. The extent of the damage to the other buildings remains unclear.

Under Jeffress's leadership, the church has grown to nearly 16,000 members and completed a massive building project including a new and updated worship center which opened in 2013. 

Pastor Jeffress expressed optimism, urging the congregation to see the fire as a catalyst for their mission to spread the Gospel. Future worship plans are still being finalized, but reconstruction efforts are already underway.

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In 2020 Ypsilanti Missionary Church was hit hard by COVID-19. Meeting in person was crucial for this congregation of just over 100, and Michigan’s strict COVID response brought an immediate impact, marking the beginning of a long road back … but results are showing. Pastor Joe Kennedy, initiated kids' worship on Sunday mornings and youth services on Sunday nights, eventually finding success with monthly youth-led services. These services allowed youth to lead in various roles, giving Pastor Kennedy the chance to grow as a mentor. The church's attendance is nearly back to 90, and recently two attendees accepted Christ.

The church’s annual kids' fishing derby, has also been a hit, drawing volunteers and creating memorable moments. Pastor Kennedy says, All the honor, credit and glory goes to God. He’s been so amazingly good to us.
 
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The upcoming election is on everyone's minds, creating a sense of heaviness and division in our nation and churches, writes Tony Martin. As Christians, we need to remember not to make politics an idol, placing our faith solely in Jesus, not in political leaders. 

Here are his key points of focus. 
The first is Courage. Trust in Christ over flawed human leaders. 
The second is Unity. Politics can divide us, but our unity in Christ is more important. 
And the third is Disagreement. Disagreeing doesn’t mean we can’t be friends. 

Martin says, as we approach the election, pray for wisdom, listen to others, focus on the Gospel, love unconditionally, and strive to be peacemakers.  Let's be a beacon of hope in these uncertain times. 

Most Americans still identify with a religion, and Christianity is by far the largest faith group in the United States. But the percentage of Christians has fallen to a historic low. In 2023, 68 percent of U.S. adults said they were a Christian, the lowest percentage since Gallup began asking in the 1940s.

Specifically, 33 percent of Americans identify as Protestant, 22 percent Catholic, and 13 percent say they are another Christian group  or simply refer to themselves as “Christian.”

Still, fewer Americans see religion as an important aspect of their lives, and it shows in their beliefs and actions.

A Gallup survey finds U.S. adults are less likely to identify with a religion, say religion is very important to them, belong to a congregation or attend worship services.

Much of the decline of Christianity has happened in the past 20 years. In 2003, 83 percent of Americans claimed to be Christian, statistically unchanged from 84 percent in 1993 and only a slight drop from 86 percent in 1983. The high-water mark for Christian identification in Gallup’s survey was 96 percent in 1956.

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Like many pastors, Ron Metheny has long admired the writings of Charles Spurgeon and considered them to be educational, inspiring and encouraging.

Metheny, the pastor of Roland Memorial Church in Greenville, Kentucky, has taken one of Spurgeon’s popular works, “Eccentric Preachers,” and revised it, updating it into modern English.

Metheny said he was “very careful” in revising the edition. “I’m attempting to maintain faithfulness to the design, meaning, doctrine and purpose of Charles Spurgeon who lived, preached and wrote in Victorian England. I wanted it to still have Spurgeon’s voice in it while updating the language.”

His editing process has included reading the book from cover to cover more than a dozen times, Metheny said. He’s read it even more than that, saying he was introduced to it 

during his first pastorate 26 years ago. He has pastored five churches, including the last four years at Roland Memorial.

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Maybe your church is about to start planning their next budget. Church leader Sam Rainer offers some tips in our Baptist Press Toolbox.

1.    Start by projecting revenue first. Too many churches start by projecting expenses. It’s an understandable mistake because expenses represent how funds are spent on ministry. The problem is you can’t spend the funds unless they are first given. Dreaming about big-ticket ministry efforts may be fun, but it’s not wise to dream up a budget. When you start with what you expect to take in, you can better prioritize your expenses.
 
 

2.    Include deferred maintenance in your operating budget. Deferred maintenance is what happens when you postpone needed repairs to save money. The problem with deferring these repairs is that they become more expensive the longer you delay them. Repairing a leaky roof doesn’t get any cheaper with time. Put a deferred maintenance line item in your budget to take care of delayed repairs. Some churches have decades of delayed deferred maintenance projects. Start working on them this year.
 
 

3.    Include a contingency fund in your operating budget. Many churches do not have a contingency fund for unforeseen expenses. A church should have about three months of expenses set aside for emergencies. Start building this fund through your operating budget. In essence, you pay yourself with this tactic. As funds come into the operating budget, a portion is set aside for the contingency fund.
 
 

4.    Keep personnel costs between 45% and 55% of the total budget. Personnel costs include the salaries and benefits of all employees, part-time and full-time. A church with limited or no debt can be on the higher end of this range. A church with substantial debt will need to be on the lower end of this range, if not lower.

Texans on Mission chainsaw units continue working across Texas. Ten teams are working, including ones from Mississippi and Tennessee.

“The damage from Hurricane Beryl is severe and widespread,” said David Wells, disaster relief director for Texans on Mission. “This relief effort is a powerful picture of what it looks like when the body of Christ works together. We are delivering help, hope and healing in Christ’s name.”

The hurricane knocked out electricity to millions, leaving large portions of the region powerless for days. Without refrigeration and air conditioning, residents struggled to get food.

The Texans on Mission state feeding unit stepped up to the challenge. Waking up early in the morning, volunteers cooked more than 60,000 meals for Houstonians. They were distributed to 26 locations across the city, focusing on areas of particular need.

In conjunction with Texans on Mission, Sugar Land Baptist Church helped meet the needs of preschoolers across the city. The congregation put together roughly 3,500 sack lunches to distribute.

One of the meals was given to a woman who hadn’t eaten in two days. When she lost electricity, all the food in her refrigerator went bad. She’s elderly and doesn’t drive, so she was silently suffering.

“Christ cares about the suffering,” Wells said. “He commands his followers to meet needs and share God’s love with those who are hurting. That’s what the feeding team is doing.”

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Erica Patrick was called to international missions before she met her husband David, who also wanted to pursue ministry overseas. Together, they served in East Asia and raised their family overseas for almost 16 years before David died unexpectedly in 2020 at age 41. But Erica’s call to the nations remained. 

In the days following David’s death, Erica returned to the words from Psalm 115 her husband had used to comfort her during an earlier season of suffering – “Our God is in the heavens; he does whatever pleases him.”  

After a season of grief, she felt led by God to return to the field.

“Daddy’s not with us,” Erica told her children. “But this is what God has called us to as a family, so we will keep going in that.” 

Erica now serves in Taiwan with her three children. She has many roles – serving alongside the local church, teaching English as a Second Language classes, sharing the Gospel, discipling women in leadership and being a mother. 

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How can your church reach young adults? Experts say be authentic.

Authenticity is the currency of young adults. More than 2 in 5 (45%) young people feel as if no one understands them. To reach them in our churches, we need to help them be noticed, named, and known just as Christ has done for us. 

For your church to reach young adults, it must involve them in leadership, missions, and discipleship. The church exists today because it reached young adults in the past. Be encouraged that you and your church can reach and engage young adults.