RICHMOND, Va.—When a minister gets fired, will a search committee automatically set his or her resume aside or give it a fair hearing?

Many pastors who had to leave their churches discover search committees are reluctant to interview them for fear they have done something wrong or lack competence. Although they believe God has called them, churches often are hesitant to do so.

"Any time you go through a forced termination, you are under a cloud of suspicion," said Charles Chandler, executive director of Ministering to Ministers, a Richmond, Va.-based advocacy group. "And when those who engineered the termination withhold specific reasons from the rest of the congregation, it fuels the suspicion that some moral or ethical transgression was involved.

"This may not have been the case at all, but when people are told, 'If you just knew what we know, you would feel the same way we do,' church members think, 'It must have been something big.'"

According to statistics compiled by LifeWay Christian Resources, 609 clergy in Southern Baptist churches were terminated in 2010. Chandler is quick to point out, however, what LifeWay freely admits—that figure is only an approximation.

Each year, LifeWay asks associational directors of missions to report to Baptist state conventions the number of forced terminations in their associations. Since directors of missions cannot include firings they do not know about, not all the directors of missions report, and not all state conventions forward the results, the total number of dismissals is assumed to be higher—perhaps substantially so. Also, the figure does not include those who were forced out by threat or by conditions that make it too unbearable to stay.

Chandler maintains if a pastor search committee likes everything else about a candidate, a forced termination should not automatically disqualify the person. He also recommends, however, that all serious candidates be carefully vetted. Candidates' references should be called, and they should be asked for names of other people who know the candidate. Likewise, these should be called and asked for other names.

Chandler calls this "going three deep." The committee will get beyond references selected by the candidate who almost are certain to say positive things.

According to LifeWay research, the top 10 reasons pastors are dismissed are:

• Control issues: Who is going to run the church?

• Poor people skills on the part of the pastor.

• The pastor's leadership style is too strong.

• The pastor's leadership style is too weak.

• The church already was in conflict when the pastor arrived.

• The church is resistant to change.

• Conflict with other staff.

• Unethical conduct, such as mismanaged money or dishonesty.

• Administrative incompetence on the part of the pastor.

• Decline in attendance.

It is one thing for a pastor to be fired over leadership issues and another when ethical or moral transgressions have occurred. What happens when a pastor experiences moral failure?

Denominations respond in various ways to these circumstances. Highly structured denominations usually outline a process by which fallen ministers may be restored to positions of service. An article in the Assemblies of God bylaws is devoted to discipline, which, in the cases of moral failure, calls for the pastor's credentials to be suspended one or two years. During this period, the minister follows a process outlined by local denominational representatives. Credentials are not automatically restored; it depends on the recommendation of those supervising the process.

Baptists' congregational governance often isolates churches experiencing this kind of trauma and prevents them from getting the help they need, said the Virginia Baptist Mission Board's Ken Kessler.

"Because our polity makes it difficult to impose a specific restoration process, we deal with issues on a case-by-case basis," said Kessler, who helps match ministers and congregations. "We encourage churches to contact us if a pastor or staff member experiences a moral or ethical failure of some kind. But in truth, when such cases occur, we often don't even hear of them, because they are handled internally by the church leadership."

Cecil Deadman of the Baptist General Convention of Texas, agrees, but said: "What we would try to do is get (those ministers) into counseling. I try to get them to someone in leadership who knows them so they can work with them."

Kessler emphasizes a coaching approach, such as one provided for both the fallen minister and the grieving congregation through Virginia Baptists.

Baptist congregational polity restricts state or national organizations from suspending the rights or credentials of a minister. Texas Baptists, however, have found a way to protect churches from calling a minister with a moral problem. The Baptist Building maintains a file containing the names of ministers who have confessed to inappropriate sexual behavior, have been disciplined or fired by action of the church, or have been convicted of wrongdoing.

By submitting the names of individuals a search committee is considering, the committee can learn if potential candidates are in the file.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (ABP)—Matching clergy supply and demand is a chief concern for all denominations, but various church traditions address it in different ways.

Hierarchical denominations like Episcopalians, Methodists and Lutherans view matching clergy and congregations as part of their spiritual duty.

Free-church traditions like Baptists and the Churches of Christ value the autonomy of local churches and take more of an advisory role in helping to facilitate the process.

The United Methodist Church, for example, seeks to provide lifetime employment for every pastor. Regional conferences control the number of clergy who are ordained, appoint new ministers to churches and reappoint them every few years in an effort to ensure that clergy and church are a good fit.

In the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, the seventh-largest religious body in the United States, seminary graduates are appointed to one of 65 synods headed by a bishop and council. They recommend candidates for available positions and particularly are influential if it is the minister's first congregation.

The Presbyterian Church USA maintains a national referral service matching all candidates to available pastorates. Congregations receive profiles of prospective ministers that meet their requirements and contact them directly, usually with help from a regional executive. The hiring is not official until approved by the presbytery of which the congregation is a member.

In the Christian and Missionary Alliance, a district superintendant suggests to a congregation's board of elders the names of workers judged to have proper qualifications for the church's senior pastor. The board must select a pastor from those candidates.

Free-church traditions like Baptists that value congregational autonomy may say such top-down decision-making is heresy, but they are not completely hands-off when it comes to helping candidates and search committees connect.

The Southern Baptist Convention uses multiple informal networks such as state conventions, seminaries, personal relationships and points of theological agreement to get resumes into the right hands.

American Baptists agree with Southern Baptists about local-church autonomy, but they have a more formal process for ministerial placement.

American Baptist Churches USA maintains a national employment database. Both churches and ministerial candidates submit profiles that are made available to regional executives.

Regional staff screen applications and suggest viable candidates for a congregation to consider.

Officials say the screening allows churches to analyze candidates more cheaply and efficiently and make informed hiring decisions based on objective criteria rather than personal taste.

The Cooperative Baptist Fellowship offers an online database of resumes and church profiles as part of its "reference and referral" service. The name is chosen over "placement," because churches choose their leaders, not the CBF.

The Alliance of Baptists facilitates a "search and call" process to help member churches with vacancies find candidates who desire to minister in an Alliance church.

The United Church of Christ, also congregational in polity, offers both pastoral care and technical assistance in the minister-search process. Ministry candidates submit a profile to a state conference that is sent to a search committee at his or her request.

The Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) denomination recommends churches consider only candidates who apply through a "church and call" office. The denomination also credentials clergy that are in good standing.

WACO—Age means more than the number of birthdays a person has celebrated. It's a mix of chronological, psychological, functional and social factors, creating a complicated environment for churches to minister to older adults, said Amy Hanson, a national expert on gerontology.

Perceptions and lifestyles play a larger role in determining functional age than does chronological age at times, Hanson said. How mobile people are, how physically active they are, who they connect with and what they are concerned about typically influence how people live and, correspondingly, how congregations can minister to them.

Hanson breaks adults older than 50 into three groups—frail elderly, senior adults and new-old Baby Boomers.

The frail elderly are limited physically and are a growing population segment with significant physical needs.

Senior adults are older than 70 and deal with loss of loved ones, financial security, health and mobility. They desire relationships and purpose.

The new-old Boomers are between ages 50 and 70, live active lifestyles and do not want to be referred to as senior adults.

Divisions between lifestyles means effective church ministries for older adults will be multifaceted to meet the needs and desires of those they are trying to serve, Hanson said during the Beckoning the Boomers conference at Baylor University, cosponsored by the Baptist General Convention of Texas, the Baylor School of Social Work, Collin Baptist Association and First Baptist Church in Allen.

"A one-size-fits-all approach to adults 50-plus probably has never worked but definitely will not work now," she said.

Congregations typically have been effective at ministering to the older two groups of adults, Hanson said. For frail elderly, churches have programs that deliver meals and provide transportation, and ministers regularly visit shut-ins. Churches also have developed effective efforts at reaching senior adults, usually focused on fellowship opportunities.

The newest group of older adults is proving challenging to churches, Hanson said. "They are approaching aging completely differently."

New-old Boomers seem reluctant to accept they are aging, Hanson said. Some start new careers. Some begin dating again. Some are raising grandchildren. They are tech savvy.

Their lifestyles may be different, but Hanson believes they have the same desires as their elders—relationships and purpose. Churches that help Boomers engage with others and in meaningful activities will minister well to the new-old Boomers.

Keith Lowry of Texas Baptists' Bible study/discipleship team said some churches are starting ministries specifically aimed at engaging aging Baby Boomers. Although it still falls under the supervision of a senior adult minister, it is entirely led by a "dream team" of Baby Boomers looking to engage their cohorts with the gospel. The result is a ministry with organic relationships among Boomers but with the distance needed from the "senior adult" label Boomers despise.

"When Baby Boomers lead out in reaching out to other Baby Boomers, the ministry that results is natural," Lowry said. "They know what other Baby Boomers want and how to connect with them."

Jim Ellor, professor in the Baylor School of Social Work, reminded conference participants people can continue to grow spiritually no matter their age. Older adults face change regularly, forcing them to consider various serious life issues.

If congregations have a plan for encouraging spiritual growth in a person's latter years, they can be there for older adults to help them interpret the changes they are undergoing, Ellor said. God continues calling people to serve throughout their lives and calls them to follow him, he said.

Evangelistic efforts particularly are effective among older adults, Hanson said. They are open to authentic relationships and spiritual matters. They face changes and are getting closer to the end of their lives. They ask large questions about the meaning of life and seek answers.

"There is no age qualifier on the gospel," she said. "There are all kinds of verses that say salvation is for everyone."

WACO—Milton Friedman, meet Rick Warren. Americans who strongly believe God has a plan for their lives are most likely to believe God guides the United States through a free market—and they want to see the government get out of God's way.

That's one of the latest findings from the Baylor Religion Survey, an ongoing study of values and beliefs of the American public, released Sept. 20. Baylor University researchers based their analysis on a random sample of 1,714 adults surveyed by the Gallup Organization during fall 2010.

The survey showed a clear link between economic conservatism and belief in a God who is engaged in human affairs, said researcher Paul Froese, associate professor of sociology at Baylor University.

He compared it to a wedding of the philosophies of free-market economist Friedman and evangelical pastor Warren, author of The Purpose-Driven Life.

"The invisible hand (of the free market) spoken of by (18th century economic philosopher) Adam Smith has become God's hand for many Americans," Froese said.

Ironically, the survey revealed Americans who most strongly believe in God's plan for their lives earn less and have less education, but they are most likely to believe in the fairness of the United States' economic system and be opposed to government intervention.

Specifically, Americans who strongly believe in God's plan are more likely to believe government is intrusive (53 percent), able-bodied people don't deserve unemployment benefits (53 percent) and "anything is possible for those who work hard" (54 percent).

The study also revealed a close relationship between work and worship for a significant minority of Americans.

About one-fourth of working adults (25 percent) report they often or always see their work as a mission from God, and more than one-third (36 percent) regularly pursue excellence in their work because their faith motivates them to do so.

For the most part, entrepreneurs generally look like people who are not entrepreneurs in regard to belief in God, view of the Bible, religious affiliation, worship attendance and frequency of reading scriptures. One characteristic sets them apart. A higher percentage of entrepreneurs pray several times a day (34 percent) or practice meditation (32 percent).

Christians affiliated with an African-American Protestant congregation are most likely to receive encouragement in their churches to start a business or make a profit. Forty-two percent of Black Protestants report their churches encourage worshippers to start businesses, compared to 17 percent of Catholics and 15 percent of evangelicals or mainline Protestants.

People who attend churches of 2,000 or more worshippers are twice as likely as people in smaller congregations to report they are encouraged at church to start a business.

The Baylor Religion Survey also provided findings related to:

• Mental health.

Researchers found Americans who believe in an active and engaged God who loves them and is responsive to their needs report significantly fewer mental health issues.

On the other hand, respondents who believe in a judgmental God who is critical, punishing and angered by sin report 45 percent more concerns related to social anxiety, 37 percent more concerns related to paranoia and 33 percent more concerns related to compulsions.

The study found chronic worriers are less likely than non-worriers to attend religious services regularly, read religious texts, consider themselves religious or have a religious affiliation.

• Afterlife.

More than six of 10 Americans (62 percent) say they "absolutely" believe in heaven, but barely half (51 percent) have that same degree of certainty about hell.

Confidence is greatest among Americans who attend religious services at least once a week—93 percent who believe in heaven and 85 percent who believe in hell—and among those who accept a literal view of the Bible—98 percent who believe in heaven and 92 percent who believe in hell.

A higher percentage of African-Americans believe in heaven (78 percent) and hell (67 percent) than do Anglos and Hispanics.

The survey also revealed Americans who absolutely believe in heaven and hell are more satisfied with their jobs and more likely to pursue excellence in work.

• Homosexuality.

Americans make a clear distinction between withholding opportunities from gays and lesbians and granting them rights. More than 89 percent of Americans agree or strongly agree gays and lesbians should have equal employment opportunities, but they are significantly more divided on same-sex marriage.

Support for same-sex marriage is greatest among the religiously unaffiliated (88 percent) and lowest among evangelical Protestants (37 percent). Similarly, the religiously unaffiliated are most supportive of same-sex civil unions (92 percent) and adoption by same-sex couples (80 percent).

However, same-sex civil unions also drew support of 64 percent of Catholics, 61 percent of mainline Protestants, 59 percent of evangelical Protestants and 52 percent of African-American Protestants.

Less than half of Americans (41 percent) believe homosexuality is a choice, and more than half (57 percent) believe it is genetic in origin.

The survey found Americans who believe homosexuality is a choice are much more likely to label it "always wrong" (76 percent), and people who think genetics determines sexual orientation are far more likely to consider homosexuality "not wrong at all" (56 percent).

Three-fourths of the self-described religiously unaffiliated view sexual orientation as genetic in origin, compared to only 15 percent of the unaffiliated who see homosexuality as a choice.

More than three-fourths (78 percent) of those who see homosexuality as a choice disagree or strongly disagree with same-sex marriage. In comparison, two-thirds (67 percent) of those who believe genetics determines homosexuality agree or strongly agree with same-sex marriage.

PAIGE—When wildfires swept through the Bastrop area, Timberline Fellowship lost its office supplies, pastor's library and lawn equipment when two small mobile buildings burned.

Some of the siding on its Sunday school building and sanctuary also melted, and smoke damaged the parsonage and church buildings.

Still, the church serves people who lost their homes as a result of the wildfires.

The congregation, initially buoyed by a Texas Baptist Men feeding unit, provides meals for about 15 to 20 people a day.

Using TBM shower and laundry units at the church, area residents can shower and do their laundry for free.

The congregation rented a small tractor and is helping people clean off their lots. The church also is distributing clothes.

Pastor Gordon Friday estimates 500 homes were destroyed within two miles of the church. Of the 34 households that are part of Timberline Fellowship, 16 lost their homes and everything in them.

The area was evacuated for nine days. Friday is thankful every member of the congregation survived.

"All church members came out safe," he said. "That's all I care about. Everything else can be replaced sooner or later."

In the wake of the fires, the congregation gave away much of its money, draining its account from $3,000 to $400.

Friday admitted he was worried about the church running low on funds, but he quickly saw God bless the church financially. A woman driving from Austin to College Station stopped at the church and asked to speak to someone. After visiting briefly with Friday, she wrote a check for $2,000.

"A total stranger drove by and saw the need, and God moved her to replenish our treasury."

The Baptist General Convention of Texas is in the process of providing the congregation a $5,000 disaster relief grant and another $1,000 to replace Friday's library.

Friday thanks Texas Baptists for praying for Timberline Fellowship and asks them specifically to pray for people with evangelistic zeal who could help minister to people in the wake of the wildfires.

Area residents are seeking answers and are open to conversations about God, Friday said. Now, he hopes Christians will share the hope of Christ with these families.

FALLS CHURCH, Va. (ABP) — The Baptist World Alliance and the European Baptist Federation conducted a joint human-rights visit to Uzbekistan Sept. 8-12. The purposes were to promote religious freedom in Uzbekistan and strengthen the relationship between the Baptist Union of Uzbekistan and the larger Baptist family.

Religious freedom concerns in Uzbekistan include a law against proselytism, tough conditions and the long process required for churches to be registered, and actions against congregations and individual Christians by state authorities.
 
Religious liberty violations reported to the BWA/EBF team included the detention of a Sunday school teacher at Third Baptist Church of Tashkent, and the April 2011 police raid of Second Baptist Church of Tashkent for allegedly running an unauthorized Bible school and illegally printing and selling Christian literature. An estimated 53,000 books and brochures, along with computers and a printer, were confiscated in the raid.
 
The Baptist delegation was comprised of Raimundo Barreto, BWA director for freedom and justice, Christer Daelander, EBF religious freedom representative, and Pavlo Unguryan, a Baptist youth leader from Ukraine and a member of the Parliament of Ukraine. They met with Baptist leaders and pastors, as well as leaders from the Orthodox Church in Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Kirgizstan and Tajikistan; the Pentecostal church and the Bible Society.
 
Meetings were also held with Juriy Savchenko, the ambassador of Ukraine to Uzbekistan, Behzod Kadyrov, chief expert of the State Committee of Religious Affairs, as well as with the project coordinator for the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe. The Baptist delegation raised issues of concern on religious freedom in Uzbekistan
 
Baptists in Uzbekistan are primarily Russian speakers who are a small ethnic minority in the Muslim majority country. The Baptist union comprises 20 registered and 30 unregistered congregations with a total of 5,500 members. 

ETBU expands relationship with Chinese college. Officials from East Texas Baptist University and Guandong Teachers College of Foreign Language and Arts of Guangzhou, China, recently signed agreements that will continue and expand a 20-year relationship between the two schools. The agreement allows professors and students from both schools to exchange campuses for a semester or longer. Li Qusheng, party secretary of the Guandong Teachers College and chief executive official of the school system, signed the agreement along with ETBU President Dub Oliver.

Orosco to address TBC Event. Ellis Orosco, pastor of First Baptist Church in Richardson, will speak at the Texas Baptists Committed breakfast, scheduled in conjunction with the Baptist General Convention of Texas annual meeting in Amarillo. The breakfast will be at 6:30 a.m. Oct. 25 in the Amarillo Civic Center and will conclude by 8 a.m., in time for participants to join in "Igniting Hope in the Community" ministry and service projects.

BCFS receives healthcare grant for colonias. The Texas Health and Human Services Commission awarded Baptist Child & Family Services a $150,000 grant to increase access to and improve the quality of health and medical care for more than 1,400 families living in Webb and Zapata County colonias. The grant is for one year with the possibility of extension. The BCFS health initiative will improve access to immunizations, vision and hearing screenings, dental health, and disease management programs, and it will include educational programs in nutrition and health. The initiative expands BCFS community-based programs that provide mobile community-based medical care and case management services to colonia residents.

South Texas School, HSU provide undergraduate classes. The South Texas School of Christian Studies in Corpus Christi is offering classes leading to a bachelor's degree through a partnership with Hardin-Simmons University. Through Hardin-Simmons, the South Texas School of Christian Studies offers three undergraduate degree programs—a bachelor of arts in religion, a bachelor of arts in biblical studies and a bachelor of behavioral science in ministry. Hardin-Simmons University's Logsdon Seminary already offered graduate-level theological classes through the school.

Baylor prof receives NEH grant. Sarah-Jane Murray, associate professor in the Great Texts program in the Honors College at Baylor University and resident scholar at Baylor's Institute for Studies of Religion, has received a $210,000 grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities to translate the Ovide moralisé from Old French into English. An anonymous Franciscan friar composed the Ovide moralisé—14th century French interpretation of an epic poem by the Roman writer Ovid—to guide Christian readers on a redemptive quest.

• John Jay Alvaro to Wilshire Church in Dallas as a pastoral resident.

• Colby Benavides has resigned as youth minister at First Church in Mathis.

• Bob Billups to First Church in Midland as senior associate pastor from First Church in Denton.

• Adam Brock to First Church in Clyde as minister of youth.

• Jon Burton has resigned as youth minister at Calvary Church in Abilene.

• Ryan Busby to First Church in Baird as minister of youth.

• Adan Cancino has resigned as pastor of Iglesia La Esperanza in George West.

• Ron Earley to First Church in Portland as pastor from First Church in Kingsville.

• Matt Edwards to Faith Community Church in Paradise as pastor from First Church in Seminole.

• Morris Kamire to Bethel Church in Rockport as pastor.

• Todd Nivens to First Church in Grapeland as pastor.

• Kristin Pool to Calvary Church in Tyler as children's ministry coordinator.

• Annette Thornburg to Wilshire Church in Dallas a pastoral resident.

• David Tull to Pleasant Valley Church in Jonesboro as pastor.

• Milton Tyler has completed an interim pastorate at First Church in Sonora and has begun a new interim pastorate at Immanuel Church in San Angelo.

• Phil Wheeler to Amazing Grace Church in Seguin as music minister.

• Susan Womack to First Church in Waco as intentional interim minister to children.

• Jerry Young to Mount Vernon Church in Kennard as pastor.

• Hardin-Simmons University will host the 2011 Southwest Conference on Christianity and Literature Sept. 29-Oct. 1. The conference is an enrichment opportunity for scholars who teach in fields that connect religion and literature, especially English, theology and philosophy.

• The Cici's Pizza Barefoot Run, benefiting Shoes for Orphan Souls, will be held at 8 a.m. Oct. 8 at Andy Brown Park East in Coppell. The 5K and 1-mile fun run is open to children and adults, and shoes are considered "optional," said Rachel Garton, director of Shoes for Orphan Souls. "Barefoot running has become a popular trend, but it's something the kids we serve around the world face every day. They run barefoot because they have to, not by choice. We hope that by hosting a barefoot run we can help raise awareness of the need for shoes and have fun, as well." Prizes and medals will be awarded to the winners who run the race barefoot or with shoes. Special games and activities, like the Shoe-put Toss, also will be offered for children or adults who participate. All proceeds from the race will benefit children in Africa who need shoes. To sign up for the race, visit www.shoesfororphansouls.org/barefootrun.

• Dallas Baptist University will hold a preview day for prospective students Oct. 10. The day allows students who are out of school for Columbus Day to visit DBU and experience university life. Included will be a tour of the campus, visits with faculty and administrators, and an opportunity to receive information about admissions, financial aid and campus life. Visitors also will have an opportunity to attend a chapel service and eat in the cafeteria. The event is free for the student and up to two guests. For more information, call (214) 333-5360.

• "Blue & Gold Forever—A Legacy that Lasts" is the theme for East Texas Baptist University's homecoming activities Oct. 14-16. For a complete schedule of activities, go to www.etbu.edu.

• Bill Ellis, president of Howard Payne University, has been elected to the board of the International Association of Baptist Colleges and Universities.

Anniversaries

• Mike Simmons, 20th, as pastor of Hillcrest Church in Cedar Hill, Sept. 8.

• Field Street Church in Cleburne, 100th, Oct. 1-2. The Saturday dinner begins at 6 p.m. and includes music and remembrances in the Family Life Center. A centennial worship service also will be held at 10:30 a.m. on Sunday. Former pastor Douglas Laird plans to attend. Reservations for Saturday's dinner can be made at (817) 645-4376. John Hall is pastor.

• Frio River Association, 50th, Oct. 15. First Church in Devine will host the annual meeting and anniversary celebration from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Former director of missions James Watson will preach the annual meeting sermon. A barbecue lunch will be provided. A children's fun zone will include inflatables. Missionaries to South Central Asia, Craig and Terry Keller, also will speak. Jimmy Smith is director of missions.

• Calvary Church in Lufkin, 100th, Oct. 15-16. Saturday activities begins at 2 p.m. with individual and group singing. An anniversary choir rehearsal begins at 3:30 p.m. At 4:15 p.m., a fellowship of family fun with a bounce house and other outside games will be held. Sunday's activities begin at 9:30 a.m. with a joint adult Sunday school in the sanctuary. Former pastor Lewis Abbott will speak in the morning service, and former minister of music David Campbell will lead worship. A meal will follow the morning service. Randy Brown is pastor.

• Palo Duro Church near Wildorado, 110th, Oct. 23. A meal will follow the morning worship service. An anniversary celebration and reception will begin at 2 p.m. Ron Muller is pastor.

• Travis Avenue Church in Fort Worth, 100th, November 5. The celebration will be held at the Omni Hotel and begins with a coffee reception at 10:30 a.m. and continues with the luncheon and program at 11 a.m. Tickets are $25, which includes valet parking at the hotel or free bus transportation from the church (with reservation). Childcare also is available by reservation. Tickets may be reserved by calling the church office at (817) 924-4266 before Oct. 19. Michael Dean is pastor.

Deaths

• Delfina Garza, 67, Aug. 7 in Rockport. Her husband, Pablo, was pastor of Bethel Church in Rockport until his death. She is survived by her sons, Pablo Jr., Joe and Mark; daughters, Graciela Romero, Christina Garza, Priscilda Garza and Thelma Hinojosa; brothers, Amado and Arnoldo Rios; sisters, Ida Moreno, Rosie Garza and Thelma DeLeon; 15 grandchildren; and 18 great-grandchildren.

• Fred DeVaney, 91, Aug. 28 in San Angelo. A graduate of Baylor University and South-western Seminary, he was pastor of McClanahan Church in Marlin, Blue Ridge Church in Reagan, and a church in Troy. He also served several Central Texas churches as interim pastor. He was a member of First Church in San Angelo at the time of his death. He was preceded in death by his brother, Jack. He is survived by his wife of 65 years, Lola.

• Tim Martin, 43, Sept. 13 in Honey Grove. An avid motorcycle rider, he hit a bull that had wandered into the roadway in the early morning hours. He had served as minister of music and youth at First Church in Bogata the last three years. He was preceded in death by his father, Ronnie. He is survived by his wife of six years, Shawna; mother, Barbara Martin; brother, Marty; and grandmother, Margie Martin.

• Doyle Lumpkin, 89, Sept. 17 in San Angelo. A graduate of Southwestern Seminary, he was a pastor in Texas, Arkansas and Oklahoma. His Air Force career spanned 28 years in active duty, the Air Force Reserves and Air National Guard. As Air Force chaplain, he retired as a major. He also served as a hospital chaplain in Oklahoma and Arkansas. He retired in 1985 from the missions department of the Arkansas Baptist State Convention. After retirement, he and his wife spent 23 months in Germany as volunteers with the Foreign Mission Board. He moved to San Angelo in 1990 and was a member of First Church in San Angelo. He was preceded in death by his wife of 62 years, Marie. He is survived by his sons, David, Daniel and James; daughters, Elizabeth Murphy and Nancy Kane; 10 grandchildren; and 13 great-grandchildren.

Ordained

• Robert Hatfield to the ministry at First Church in George West.

• Steve Callaway, John Cox, Mike McFarland, Daniel Thiebaud and Jeff Timmons as deacons at First Church in Dublin, Sept. 18.

• Bill Barnett as a deacon at First Church in Smithfield.

• James Peregory and Kevin Graham as deacons at Cibolo Valley Church in Cibolo.

Revival

• First Church, Odem; Oct. 16-19; evangelist, Mike Keahbone; music, Jim and Rhonda Willeford; pastor, Willis Moore.

Jimmy Hester, cofounder of the True Love Waits sexual purity movement, has announced plans to retire Sept. 30 from LifeWay Christian Resources.

Hester and Richard Ross developed the True Love Waits concept more than 18 years ago.

In less than two decades, about 3 million American young people have signed True Love Waits cards pledging sexual abstinence outside marriage, and 1.1 million in Africa have made the commitment.

Hester has been on the LifeWay staff 26 years.

GLORIETA, N.M. (ABP) – The Southern Baptist Convention is scaling back operations at Glorieta Conference Center and considering sale of the 2,100-acre campus near Santa Fe, N.M.

Glorieta Conference Center

Trustees of LifeWay Christian Resources voted recently to cut back from year-round operations to summer-only programs for student groups at Glorieta, one of two national conference centers owned by the publishing arm of the Southern Baptist Convention. The change, which goes into effect Nov. 1, will reduce staff from 23 to seven employees.

LifeWay officials said Glorieta has been losing money for years. LifeWay receives no funding from the denomination and can no longer afford to subsidize a ministry that has finished in the black just once in the last 25 years, according to a statement.

Officials said there are no plans to close Glorieta completely, but trustees are exploring options for disposition of the property including sale or alliances with other ministries.

"Significant changes in the training needs and practices of local churches, the challenges of travel to Glorieta, continued rising fuel and utility costs, an aging infrastructure, the volatile economy, and changes in state convention structures have combined to make financial viability increasingly difficult," said Jerry Rhyne, LifeWay's chief financial officer. "As a matter of fiscal stewardship, LifeWay must be prudent controlling costs and managing resources in order to provide biblical solutions for life to individuals and churches in the most effective way."

Rhyne said LifeWay’s other retreat center, Ridgecrest Conference Center in North Carolina, is more accessible, continues to show a profit and will not be affected by the trustee decision.

Located in part of the Rocky Mountain chain, Glorieta evokes nostalgia for generations of Southern Baptists. Hundreds of thousands of children, youth and adults have retreated there for spiritual renewal since the camp opened in 1952. About 3,000 campers a year make spiritual decisions like professions of faith and rededications. More than 75,000 individuals have accepted a call to ministry at Glorieta.

The Southern Baptist Convention voted in 1949 to establish a western conference center in addition to Ridgecrest, which opened in 1907. Originally 1,200 acres and named Glorieta Assembly, the camp grew to become one of the largest Christian conference centers in the country. Together the two conference centers host about 100,000 campers a year.

LifeWay trustees adopted a 15-year revitalization plan for both camps in 2000, which included new buildings, renovation and demolition of facilities falling out of use. In 2009 Glorieta shifted to a new operational model that allowed it to stay open year-round but focused on smaller ministries and events during the winter to better fit demand. At the time rumors swirled that Glorieta was closing, but officials said in Baptist Press that “nothing could be further from the truth.”

Rhyne said if selling the property turns out to be the best option, any sale would have to be approved by the board of trustees. In 2009 trustees approved sale of 12.5 acres to the Glorieta Condominium Development, Inc. LifeWay officials said the conference center didn’t need the land and expected a pre-tax profit of $1.3 million to go toward the $27 million price tag for the revitalization of Glorieta and Ridgecrest.

OAK RIDGE, Tenn. (ABP) – Two Baptist ethicists released an open letter opposing “Christian Zionism” and its effect on U.S. policy toward Israel.

As Palestinian leaders prepared to make a unilateral declaration of statehood before the United Nations — expected to be opposed by the United States — professors David Gushee and Glen Stassen called out the movement in evangelical Christianity that believes the Bible plots boundaries that by divine right belong to Israel.

Gushee, distinguished university professor of Christian ethics at Mercer University, and Stassen, a professor at Fuller Theological Seminary who formerly taught at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, issued a 3,500-word treatise challenging Christian Zionism on theological, moral and security grounds.

Gushee, a columnist for Associated Baptist Press, and Stassen are co-authors of Kingdom Ethics, published in 2003 by InterVarsity Press and board members of the New Evangelical Partnership for the Common Good, which distributed their letter. This summer they took 50 Fuller Seminary students to visit the Occupied Territories, where they witnessed firsthand how Israeli settlements are eating away at territory designated as part of a future Palestinian state.

“Not to put too fine a point on it, we wish to claim here that the prevailing version of American Christian Zionism — that is, your belief system — underwrites theft of Palestinian land and oppression of Palestinian people, helps create the conditions for an explosion of violence, and pushes U.S. policy in a destructive direction that violates our nation’s commitment to universal human rights,” the professors said. “In all of these, American Christian Zionism as it currently stands is sinful and produces sin.”

Gushee and Stassen said they believe Christian Zionists have good intentions, but their theology is wrong. They suggested that the Promised Land in the Old Testament is not the same thing as the modern state of Israel and cited numerous Bible verses in which God’s covenant is conditional on Israel’s obedience.

“At a theological level, we are claiming that even if one accepts a.) a divine promise of land to the Jewish people as recorded in Scripture, b.) a belief that this promise extends even to this day, and c.) the modern state of Israel as, in part, God’s gracious fulfillment of this promise, one must also say d.) the Bible, in the prophetic writings, also teaches that persistent injustice on the part of Israel has evoked, and still can bring, God’s judgment, which can extend even to war and exile,” they wrote. “Israel’s remaining in the land depends on Israel’s now doing justice to Palestinians and making peace with its Arab neighbors that surround Israel.”

“Indeed, Jesus, as prophet and Savior, also prophesied that Jerusalem would be destroyed because they did not know the practices that make for peace (Luke 19:41-44),” they continued. “And Jerusalem was destroyed, 40 years later. Do you not fear that it could happen again? Does not your love of Israel make you want to do all you can to prevent that from happening? And yet your actions actually make it more likely to happen!”

Gushee and Stassen described a Holy Land on a “precipice” of resentment that could eventually lead to war, and if it happens American Christians will be partly to blame.

“We genuinely fear that someday someone or some nation inflamed with resentment at the seemingly eternal Israeli subjugation of the Palestinian people will ‘make your land desolate so no one can live in it’ (Jeremiah 6:8),” they said. “That sounds like a nuclear bomb.”