Died • D. James Kennedy, senior pastor of Coral Ridge Presbyterian Church, on September 5 of complications following a cardiac arrest last December. During his 51 years of ministry, Kennedy, 76, became a leading Christian broadcaster and also founded Coral Ridge Ministries, Evangelism Explosion, and Knox Theological Seminary. For full coverage, see christianitytoday.com/go/kennedy.
Separated • Randy and Paula White, founders and co-pastors of Without Walls International Church in Tampa, Florida. The couple announced their pending divorce to the 23,000-member congregation on August 23, citing lives heading in different directions. The church and Paula White Ministries’ tv program reported $40 million in revenue last year.
Died • Major Ian Thomas, founder of the Torchbearer Missionary Fellowship and Capernwray Hall, on August 1. The British evangelical statesman, 92, also helped start Bible schools and Christian conference centers around the world.
Selected • Daniel Bourdanné of Chad as general secretary for the International Fellowship of Evangelical Students (IFES), the umbrella organization of which InterVarsity Christian Fellowship is a member. Bourdanné, 46, currently serves the IFES as regional secretary for Francophone Africa and is an international deputy director of the Lausanne Committee for World Evangelism.
Selected • Brady Boyd, as senior pastor of New Life Church. Boyd replaces Ted Haggard, who resigned on November 3, 2006, after his relationship with a male prostitute was exposed. Boyd was previously the associate senior pastor at Gateway Church, a nondenominational megachurch in Southlake, Texas.
Elected • The Rev. George O. Wood as the 12th general superintendent of the Assemblies of God. A lawyer and the author of several books, Wood has served as the denomination’s general secretary since 1993. Previously, he was assistant superintendent of the Southern California district and pastored Newport-Mesa Christian Center in Costa Mesa, California.
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Related Elsewhere:
A roundup of links about Kennedy’s death and the press release from Coral Ridge Presbyterian Church are available from CT Liveblog.
Our coverage of D. James Kennedy includes:
Empire Builder D. James Kennedy Dies at 76 | Pastor, broadcaster, and activist may be best known for Evangelism Explosion. (September 6, 2007)
A Passion for Souls | Remembering D. James Kennedy. (Stan Guthrie, September 6, 2007)
The Coral Ridge Strategy | D. James Kennedy explains how lay evangelism can lead to exponential growth. (September 5, 2007)
Christianity Today published a profile of the Whites and their church in 2006.
Without Walls International Church has more information about its ministries on its website.
Paula Whiteblogs intermittently at Paula White Ministries.
Weblog has commentary and news about the divorce.
Torchbearers has a biography of Major Ian Thomas. The Lancaster Guardian published an obituary.
Intervarsity Christian Fellowship (which is a member of IFES) has a short biography of Bourdanne, which mentions that he is a specialist in millipedes.
Brady Boyd‘s testimony and sermon clips are available on his website.
Our coverage of New Life Church and Ted Haggard is available in our special section.
George O. Wood will be replacing Thomas Trask as general superintendent of the Assemblies of God.
