Adelle M. Banks
Adelle M. Banks, production editor and a national reporter, joined RNS in 1995. An award-winning journalist, she previously was the religion reporter at the Orlando Sentinel and a reporter at The Providence Journal and newspapers in the upstate New York communities of Syracuse and Binghamton.
All Stories by Adelle M. Banks
Evangelicals boost clinics to help immigrants navigate legal headaches
By Adelle M. Banks — October 23, 2014
(RNS) As President Obama considers executive action that could change immigration policy, alliance leaders hope to increase the number of clinics they have provided at churches from the current 29 to 1,000 by 2017.
Southern Baptist seminary clears president after dispute over Muslim student
By Adelle M. Banks — October 23, 2014
(RNS) Paige Patterson, one of the most revered Southern Baptist leaders, faced heavy criticism for admitting a Muslim student to the flagship seminary.
In evangelical nonprofits, women leaders lag behind peers in general market
By Adelle M. Banks — October 22, 2014
(RNS) A new study confirms what many have long suspected -- that many evangelical institutions lag far behind the general marketplace in leadership roles for women.
Seventh-day Adventists to decide in 2015 on women’s ordination
By Adelle M. Banks — October 15, 2014
(RNS) The 243-44 vote marks the next step in a decades-long consideration of an issue that has divided the worldwide denomination, which time and again has voted to not permit women’s ordination.
Evangelicals add one more guest to the wedding party: Jesus
By Adelle M. Banks — September 26, 2014
(RNS) In an age of destination weddings and “bridezillas,” some evangelicals opt for what writer Catherine Strode Parks calls “A Christ-Centered Wedding.”
Southern Baptist leaders cut ties with California LGBT-affirming church
By Adelle M. Banks — September 24, 2014
(RNS) “We believe that ... New Heart Community Church has walked away from the Southern Baptist Convention’s core biblical values,” said Roger Oldham, a spokesman for the denomination's executive committee.
Mental illness rarely addressed by churches
By Adelle M. Banks — September 22, 2014
(RNS) Most Protestant clergy rarely preach about mental illness to their congregations, and only about a quarter of congregations have a plan in place to assist families of the mentally ill, a new LifeWay Research survey found.
Book on pastoral succession: ‘All pastors are interim pastors’
By Adelle M. Banks — September 17, 2014
(RNS) For congregations that haven’t thought about who will succeed their current pastor, the authors of the new book “Next: Pastoral Succession That Works” have words of warning: Be prepared.
Historic civil rights church to be considered for national recognition
By Adelle M. Banks — September 16, 2014
“This was the spiritual workplace of the civil rights movement,” said the Rev. Ralph David Abernathy III, whose foundation is seeking to have the site of the historic church designated as a national park.
Photo Slideshow: ‘Knit a Brick’ protesters take a ‘wall’ to the Capitol
By Adelle M. Banks — September 9, 2014
(RNS) Dozens of protesters marched briefly with more than 1,600 crocheted and knitted “bricks” from the Supreme Court to the U.S. Capitol Tuesday (Sept. 9), supporting the Secular Coalition for America’s “Knit a Brick” campaign.
Big churches, big bucks: Southern senior pastors take top salaries
By Adelle M. Banks — September 9, 2014
(RNS) Warren Bird, research director at Leadership Network, said pastors have long held a lofty place of authority in the South, and that may be why they are paid more in that region.
Hispanic Christians launch initiative to bolster minority student achievement
By Adelle M. Banks — September 4, 2014
(RNS) “We say that pastors and principals should meet," said Carlos Campo, chair of the National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference’s Hispanic Education Alliance.
Cracks in the ‘stained-glass ceiling’: Women reach prominent pulpits
By Adelle M. Banks — August 29, 2014
(RNS) It's been 40 years since the Episcopal Church first ordained women, and other denominations have long included women in their clergy ranks. Now, three prominent cities have women pastors leading historic, tall-steeple churches.
Ferguson letter from black clergy becomes interracial call for justice
By Adelle M. Banks — August 22, 2014
(RNS) The statement calls on African-American churches to memorialize Michael Brown and to elect politicians who "represent the preservation of life in ethnic communities."
After evangelical virgin guys marry, then what?
By Adelle M. Banks — August 20, 2014
(RNS) A University of Washington researcher has found that young evangelical Christian men who took a virginity pledge and had male friends who held them accountable before marriage are suddenly adrift and unable to talk to trusted friends -- and sometimes even their new wives -- about sex.
