My sermon prep and sermon delivery professor, a former large church pastor, would tell the young Spurgeons on the first day of class that any outline or sermon submitted if found to be copied would result in immediate failure of the class. While that was to be expected (and who should expect graduate academic credit […]
Preferential Hiring of a Minority Candidate for IMB President?
Dave Miller recently committed to cyberspace his view of minority hiring in light of the five entity leadership roles which are or shortly will be vacant: IMB, Lifeway, Executive Committee of the SBC, Southwestern Seminary, and New Orleans Seminary. To summarize, Dave believes it would be a shameful turn of events if the SBC failed […]
A Call to Prioritism
I’ve followed with interest the debate about social justice. We seem to struggle with a definition of what it is, much less agree on what to do to achieve it. The Lord Jesus issued two primary commandments to His followers: The Great Commission and The Great Commandment. Of course, the Great Commission is found in Matthew 28:18-20— “And […]
Can We Avoid Hiring Based on Race?
I’m asking this question because I used to be one of the “just hire the right man for the job” crowd. Then, I had lunch with a millennial. I asked him how I could reach millennials with the gospel. His answer was blunt, to the point, and surprising. He said, “Get a millennial to reach […]
A Forum for the Opposition on Race
We are burdened about race relations in America and in the church. We advocate actively seeking justice and reconciliation through greater inclusion, through minority hiring, through social justice initiatives from a biblical foundation. Some of you oppose everything we suggest. You quibble with our terminology and accuse us of racism, of reverse discrimination, or you […]
Five Vacancies. Why the SBC Should Hire Its First Minority Entity President
We are in a unique time in SBC life. Have there ever been five entities in transition? We have been talking about minority leadership at an entity over the last few years. With nearly half of our entity leadership positions open, it is inevitable that this is a key moment in SBC history. Our trustees […]
How bright is the future for our beloved Cooperative Program?
October is Cooperative Program month. While serving as a pastor, I didn’t often have a special CP Sunday or emphasis although I regularly attempted to educate the congregation on our main channel of mission support. Of all our denominational efforts and enterprises, the CP is the one that needs the most explanation, education, and promotion. […]
#SBC19 Hotel Reservations Open Friday
The 2019 Annual Meeting of the Southern Baptist Convention is still 8 months away, but online hotel registration will open on Friday, October 12 at 9am EST. Normally reservations open on October 1, but this year there have been some complications with renovations at the convention center. This led to the date for reservations being […]
#SBCPC19 Website Is Live
I haven’t seen an announcement in Baptist Press, but today I stumbled across the website for the 2019 SBC Pastors’ Conference in Birmingham, AL. The conference will be held June 9-10 at Legacy Arena just prior to the 2019 Annual Meeting of the Southern Baptist Convention. The conference president is Danny Wood, pastor of Shades […]
What Should I do: Thoughts on Political and Cultural Engagement
I’m struggling. I’m struggling with how to engage culture for God’s glory. The recent nomination fight over Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh forced that struggle to the front of my conscience. There are five realities guiding my decisions on cultural engagement, and five action steps I’d like to take in the future. 5 Realities I […]
How to Increase Your Missions Offerings
We recently received good news from both the North American Mission Board regarding Annie Armstrong and the International Mission Board regarding Lottie Moon. Both offerings were up. The amount collected for the AAEO was the largest in the offering’s history. The amount collected for the LMCO did not quite meet the goal, but it was […]
Who Should Be the Next IMB President?
As I write this, I am in the Casamance region of Southern Senegal on my seventh mission trip attempting to bring the gospel to the Ehing people, a UUPG, and seeking to establish churches in the region. I came first with Bart Barber in 2015, came back in early 2016 and have done two trips […]