Bob Smietana
US: Giving to larger churches dropped last year, even as charitable donations rose
Churches with budgets under $2 million saw giving go down by 8%, while those with budgets of more than $20 million saw giving go down by 2.5%.
Vineyard USA founder's widow, board members sue breakaway Anaheim pastors, alleging fraud
A pair of California pastors say God told them to lead the Anaheim Vineyard out of its home denomination. Former board members say the pastors committed fraud to do that. At stake is $62 million in assets.
Tennessee preacher and MAGA celebrity Greg Locke claims YouTube has banned him
Locke, who rose from little-known Nashville preacher to Christian nationalist celebrity preacher on the strength of viral videos, has lost access to one of his biggest channels.
Did faith fall off a cliff during COVID? New study says no
Religious life in America was disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic. But did it lead to a loss of faith as well as a decline in churchgoing?
Saddleback elders say no 'pattern of abuse' found in investigation of new pastor
Saddleback's elders mentioned there had been conflict at the church previously run by their new pastor but said 'disappointment and hurt are not the same as abuse.'
Survey: Post-Roe, white evangelicals remain outliers on abortion laws
With Roe v. Wade overturned, white evangelicals support restricting abortion, including through so-called heartbeat laws that ban abortion as early as six weeks into a pregnancy, according to a new survey.
Southern Baptist leaders mistreated abuse survivors for decades, report says
A blockbuster report found that SBC lawyers worked for years to protect the institution and demonized abuse survivors and accused a prominent pastor of abusing a colleague's wife.
Willow Creek announces major layoffs amid post-Covid struggle
The layoffs come as the church struggles to rebound from COVID-19 and the scandal involving co-founder Bill Hybels.
Hit worship songs have a much shorter shelf life than before - study
Hit songs are here today and gone tomorrow.
Former Vineyard Anaheim becomes the Dwelling Place
The church once led by John Wimber has a new name, a legal change required by its departure from the Vineyard.
Anti-woke preachers Voddie Baucham and Tom Ascol to be nominated as SBC leaders
Two Baptist preachers known for their claims that the nation's largest Protestant denomination is becoming too liberal will be nominated for top roles in the Southern Baptist Convention.
Southern Baptist Convention President Ed Litton on racial reconciliation, decline and his own failings
Litton had hoped to rally Southern Baptists around the issues of racial reconciliation and church planting. However, those hopes were quickly dampened.
Streaming online has been a boon for churches, a godsend for isolated
There's been a lot of bad news about churches in recent years. Online church has been one bright spot.
For dying congregations, a 'replant' can offer new life
LA City Baptist Church is what's known as a "replant," an attempt to restore an older, dying congregation to health using some of the lessons gleaned from startup congregations known as church plants.
Marcus Lamb, anti-Covid vaccine Christian broadcaster, dies at 64
Marcus Lamb, a prominent Christian broadcaster known for his outspoken opposition to COVID-19 vaccines, has died after contracting the virus. He was 64.
Two evangelical seminaries sue to block vaccine mandates, citing religious freedom
"It is unacceptable for the government to force religious institutions to become coercive extensions of state power."