Fred Luter Jr. Announces Retirement from Franklin Avenue Baptist Church, Backs Son as Successor

Fred Luter Jr. Announces Retirement from Franklin Avenue Baptist Church, Backs Son as Successor

Fred Luter Jr., longtime senior pastor of Franklin Avenue Baptist Church in New Orleans and the Southern Baptist Convention’s first and only Black president, has revealed that he will retire from his role. His retirement will take effect in October 2026, coinciding with his 40th anniversary leading the congregation.

Half of U.S. Protestant Pastors Say Economy Is Hurting Their Churches, Research Finds

Nearly half of all Protestant pastors in the United States say the current economy is negatively affecting their churches, according to new data from Lifeway Research. Overall, 49 percent of pastors reported that the economy is having a negative impact on their churches, while 41 percent said they are not feeling any economic effect.
  • Trump Administration Urges China to Immediate Release of Detained Zion Church Pastor
    The Trump administration has urgently called for the release of a Chinese underground church pastor who has been detained. Pastor Jin Mingri, also known as Ezra Jin, was taken into custody last Friday at his residence in Beihai, Guangxi Province, according to his daughter, who is a U.S. citizen. Reports indicated that around 30 other individuals associated with Zion Church had either been detained or went missing.
  • Lee Strobel and Dr. Robert Jeffress Confirm that Heaven Is a ‘Tangible, Renewed Earth’
    Lee Strobel shared his message both in a sermon and during a Q&A panel with Robert Jeffress, the senior pastor of First Baptist Dallas, drawing from his book, The Case for Heaven. Strobel, a former atheist turned Christian apologist, cited more than 900 scholarly articles published over the past 50 years to support that near-death experiences (NDEs) indicate the soul’s continued existence beyond physical death.
  • Oak Cliff Bible Fellowship Founder Tony Evans Restored to Ministry Following Discipline
    Elders at the Oak Cliff Bible Fellowship Church in Dallas, Texas, revealed on Sunday that Pastor Tony Evans has been reinstated to ministry after stepping down over a year ago for a sin that was not disclosed publicly. They clarified that he will not resume any staff position or hold a leadership role within the church.
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  • Gafcon Criticizes New Appointment of Sarah Mullally, Questions Anglican Communion’s Direction

    Gafcon, a worldwide Anglican movement, has voiced strong criticism following the appointment of Dame Sarah Mullally as the first female archbishop of Canterbury. Gafcon leaders criticized Mullally’s support for introducing prayers of blessing for same-sex marriages and her 2023 comment suggesting that some same-sex relationships could be blessed.

  • Michigan LDS Church Shooting: Death toll rises to 4

    A gunman drove his vehicle into a Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints building in suburban Grand Blanc, Michigan on Sunday, before a shooting and an arson attack on worshipers during a service, killing four people and wounding nine others. Authorities have identified the suspect as Thomas Jacob Sanford from nearby Burton, Michigan, a 40-year-old man, but have not yet released a motive. 

  • Church Attendance Surges Among Youth Following Charlie Kirk's Death, Evangelism Leader Reports

    JP De Gance, the founder and president of Communio, a ministry dedicated to helping churches improve evangelism and outreach, believes that Charlie Kirk’s message has inspired many young people to engage with the Christian faith through church communities

  • Suspect in Pastor’s Death Apprehended; Family Forgives as Bible Calls

    A 22-year-old man has been arrested for the fatal shooting of a California pastor, whose death has deeply affected his family and congregation. The pastor’s family cites the Christian teachings he embraced, choosing to forgive his alleged killer. Deputies responded to a call on September 7 in Ramona and found 40-year-old Pastor Felipe Ascencio of Templo Monte Horeb with a gunshot wound. Despite paramedics' efforts, he was pronounced dead at the scene.

  • Nearly 100-year-old Black Episcopal Church Honored with Community Historical Marker

    St. Augustine’s Episcopal Church of Gary, an African American congregation founded in 1927, was recently honored with a historic marker, just before reaching its 100th anniversary. Paula DeBois, the parish historian at St. Augustine’s Episcopal and the applicant for the marker, told The Christian Post that the church was “part of a group of candidates in a cycle that applied to the Indiana Historic Bureau.”

  • Calvary Chapel Belfast Sues University of Maine Over Property Purchase Cancellation

    An attorney representing a Maine church that is suing a university system for allegedly refusing to sell a property because of the church’s religious objections to same-sex marriage has warned of “broader implications” if the case is not resolved in the church’s favor. Last year, Calvary Chapel Belfast filed a lawsuit against the University of Maine System after the institution rescinded an offer to buy a school property, allegedly due to local outrage over the church’s religious views.

  • Pastor Jim Cymbala Criticizes Some Christians Joyful Over Charlie Kirk’s Death

    Jim Cymbala, senior pastor of the Brooklyn Tabernacle, denounced the assassination of Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk as an act of hate and criticized some Christians who have been celebrating his death as anti-Christian. In his preamble before criticizing Christians for celebrating or finding satisfaction in Kirk’s death, Cymbala presented a biblical thesis on the roots of division and conflict in the world.

  • Liberia's Court Rules in Favor of UMC in Methodist Church Property Dispute

    Judge George W. Smith of the 6th Judicial Circuit, Civil Law Court in Liberia, issued a decision last month stating that the United Methodist Church (UMC) has rightful control over several church properties, not the Global Methodist Church (GMC).
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