Review of the year 2018
A breakdown of the most clicked stories, opinions, features and book reviews in The Baptist Times in 2018
Church stories
1 Wellbeing café movement growing
Just over a year after a wellbeing café in Nottingham won funding to replicate its work, nine more have opened
2 'An amazing opportunity for Christians'
A ministry that ‘simply teaches the Bible’ has been stunned by a recent spike in demand from schools
3 The Blaby story - lessons from church growth
This is the story of God growing His kingdom through the older generation as He has over-ruled our pre-conceptions of church growth, our rules and our regulations, writes Blaby Baptist Church pastor Pauline Wills
For the top ten most read church stories of 2018, click here
National news
1 Baptisms in a JCB in Canada
How do you respond when someone wants to be baptised, but there's no baptistery in sight? Army chaplain and Baptist minister Gary Birch takes up the story
2 ‘No other preacher could compare with him’
Tributes have been pouring in for Billy Graham, Baptist minister and evangelist, who has died aged 99
3 Baptist Union Council: March 2018
A report of Baptist Union Council March 2018, featuring progress on how we train, equip and encourage our future leaders
For the top ten most read national news stories of 2018, click here
Opinions/blogs
1 Why churches should avoid 'agreeing to disagree'
It only leads to more pain in the long term - better to declare where you stand on the LGBT issue from the outset
2 Mindfulness, resilience and Gethsemane
A Baptist minister shares what it's like to feel anxious all the time - and what has been helpful in working through it
3 A prayer for Brexit
Baptist minister Jonathan Beer is urging congregations to pray for the Brexit separation negotiations, whatever our political views. He offers this short reflection and prayer
For the top ten most read opinions/blogs of 2018, click here
Features/interviews
1 Edith Gates: A Baptist Pioneer
A century ago, Edith Gates was the first woman to be recognised as being in pastoral charge of an English Baptist church. What do we know about her?
2 'A clothing company with a social responsibility'
More Lord is a clothing company with a difference. Interview with founder and CEO JD Vance, a member of The Gate, a Baptist church in Reading
3 Welcoming Iranian asylum seekers
Minister Jonathan Keyworth shares how life at Heywood Baptist Church has been transformed
For the top five most read features/interviews of 2018, click here
Book reviews
1 Gathering Disciples: Essays in Honour of Christopher J. Ellis. Myra Blyth and Andy Goodliff (editors) "A wonderful collection of essays, each addressing an area of vital importance to our Baptist way of being church"
2 Interrupting Silence: God’s Command to Speak Out. By Walter Brueggemann "A book about justice, where Brueggemann analyses eight Biblical passages in which silence is broken. Deceptively simple prose; profoundly challenging ideas"
3 Reclaiming the Common Good. Compiled and edited by Virginia Moffatt
"For Christians who want their faith to shape their politics and view of the world, this thought provoking and challenging collection of essays is a must read"
For the top five book reviews, click here
International news stories
1 Religious persecutions in Ukraine
Religious persecutions are taking place in the occupied territories of Ukraine
2 First female President for JBU
The Jamaica Baptist Union witnessed a moment of history when it welcomed its first female President, Karen Kirlew
3 Militants burn Baptist church in Kyrgyzstan
However, the Bible on the altar survived the arson attack, encouraging the Christians there to stand firm in their faith
For the top five international stories, click here
Baptist Times, 02/01/2019