Religion News in Brief

The role of women in church leadership has divided many Baptist groups.

The 16.3-million-member Southern Baptist Convention, which is theologically conservative, believes women should not serve as pastors. Many churches aligned with the convention also bar women from serving as deacons.

Congregations aligned with the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship, which split with the Southern Baptists after the conservative takeover of the denomination years ago, and the American Baptist Churches, a separate denomination, allow a greater role for women leaders.

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http://www.maranathachurchplains.org/

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Church-owned Deseret Book buys competitors Seagull, Covenant

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) _ Deseret Book, part of the business holdings of the Mormon church, has bought competitor Covenant Communications and its sister company, Seagull Book & Tape.

The acquisition, announced Dec. 28, ends a difficult year for the companies, which had been tangled in merchandising and marketing disputes.

The buyout was initiated by Seagull and Covenant founder Lewis Kofford. Financial details were not released.

Deseret Book is a subsidiary of Deseret Management Corp., the holding company for businesses owned by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Earlier in the year, the companies were at odds over how Seagull sold and marketed Deseret Book products, with Deseret ultimately threatening to pull its merchandise.