Associated Baptist Press was founded in 1990 as the first and only independent news service created by and for Baptists. ABPnews is an autonomous, nonprofit news organization that offers news, features and opinion articles every business day for a global audience of Baptists and other Christians at ABPnews.com and its companion site, the ABPnews Blog.
Our Mission
To serve Christ by providing credible and compelling information about matters of faith
Our Vision
To be the leading source of news and commentary for Baptist Christians worldwide
Our Identity
ABPnews is Baptist in heritage, global in reach and ecumenical in spirit.
Our Imperatives
Inform ▪ Inspire ▪ Engage
These three action verbs constitute our “marching orders” in pursuit of our mission and vision.
They help us make decisions about the news we report, the feature stories we write, the columnists we enlist, the commentary articles we publish and the related services we provide.
They are criteria by which we measure our effectiveness.
These imperatives testify to our tenacious belief in the transformative power of story. We believe compelling stories about Baptist Christians and churches are part of the larger story of the good news of Jesus Christ. These stories also connect Christ’s followers, whether they live in the same town and attend the same church or they live on separate continents and worship in very different ways.
Baptists today need these stories – and this connectedness.
Our challenge is to find new and better ways to share our stories.
Our Core Values
We believe a free and responsible press is an essential corollary to historic Baptist principles of religious freedom, freedom of conscience, the priesthood of all believers, and the autonomy of the local church. We believe the health and vitality of the Baptist witness are best served by an independent source of news and commentary free from censorship and coercion.
We believe truth is the cornerstone upon which the democratic process is built, both in religious and civil relationships. We believe in democracy, because we believe it best honors the competency of every soul before God. We affirm following Jesus as a call to shared discipleship and believe that free and faithful faith communities function best when all members have access to reliable information. Therefore, we believe our first commitment must be to our readers, whose right to know the truth is paramount, both for relating to God and to others.
Our Funding
The unique ministry of ABPnews is made possible by individuals, churches and other organizations that believe a free and unfettered source of information is essential to the integrity of the Christian witness and to the vitality of the Baptist movement. As a reader-supported, nonprofit news organization, ABPnews relies upon contributions for more than 90 percent of its annual operating budget.
Our primary funding sources are the following:
Learn more information about ways you can support our ministry. All gifts to ABPnews are tax deductible to the fullest extent allowed by law.
Review our current operating budget.
Our Team
The work of ABPnews is performed by four full-time staff members, plus a development associate who serves in a shared position with the Baptist Standard newspaper. Another member of the team provides social media expertise on a contract basis.
David Wilkinson, Executive Director, Waco, TX
Bob Allen, Managing Editor, Smyrna, TN
Jeff Brumley, Assistant Editor, Jacksonville, FL
Lindsay Bergstrom, Director of Operations, Jacksonville, FL
Beth Campbell, Development Associate, Dallas, TX
Natalie Aho, Interactive Communication Specialist (contracted), Mobile, AL
We also have semester interns.
Further contact information for ABPnews is available.
Our Governance
ABPnews is governed and guided by an autonomous, volunteer Board of Directors composed of laypersons and clergy who represent a cross-section of mainstream Baptist life. Learn about current board members.
Our Structure
ABPnews functions as a virtual organization. We do not own or lease office space. Our lean structure and regionally-located personnel allow us to concentrate our resources on the primary task of gathering, reporting, editing and distributing news and commentary for Baptists and other Christians.
Like-minded Baptists
ABPnews functions as an independent news organization. With oversight from, and accountability to, our Board of Directors, the staff of ABPnews diligently protects the freedom and autonomy to make editorial decisions without censorship, coercion or undue influence from any individual or group.
At the same time, ABPnews does not operate in isolation. We are grateful to be part of a dynamic and diverse Baptist network of organizations and resource providers that share similar visions, values and commitment to our Baptist heritage. We have provided a list of websites that is strictly as an information resource for our readers.
Awards
The awards program of ABPnews, an initiative of our Board of Directors, recognizes individuals and organizations for their outstanding contributions to Baptist life, to Baptist values, to religious journalism and to the mission and vision of ABPnews. Recipients are chosen by the Board of Directors. Read about our awards.
