SBC Voices

Two weeks ago, we published a survey on preaching. One of our commenters, JND, suggested that we post a survey on Sunday School. So, here is your chance to express your opinions about Sunday School. In many denominations Sunday School is just a program for children; however, in the SBC we provide classes for all ages. Chuck Kelly in his book on evangelism in the SBC (How They Did It) posits that evangelism through the Sunday School was a key factor in the growth of the SBC. I certainly agree with that. Sadly, it seems fewer churches emphasize Sunday School these days, and fewer still use … [Read more...] about The SBC Voices Sunday School Survey

SBC Voices exists, in part, to provide a forum for folks to share their opinions. I thought it would be interesting to learn our readers’ opinions about preaching. I’m 75 years old, and I’ve been a Southern Baptist all my life. My father pastored SBC churches. So, I heard his sermons for many years. For about forty years I preached nearly every Sunday, but since I retired from missionary service, I’ve preached much less. In fact, last year I preached just once, and I’ll preach only once this year. That means I’ve transitioned from preaching to listening. For sure, I have opinions about … [Read more...] about The Great SBC Voices Preaching Survey

I read about the cicada tsunami all winter and heard and saw my first of the red-eyed, hard shell devils back in April. Apparently, they have gone back underground. We can expect them again in 2037. I think my noisy friends will emerge after I'm dead, my life expectancy being a few years short of their 17 year cycle. The SBC has been dealing with the issue of abuse for years. Two grand task forces were created, one of which is still active. Multiple millions have been spent. The SBC and SBC Executive Committee have a bushelful of lawsuits to defend, including one from a former SBC … [Read more...] about Has the sex abuse database gone the way of the cicada, underground?

This is Part 5 of Don Dent's "Finding Direction" series on key issues in missions. Discussions about money often raise emotional responses. Take, for example. the case of a leader promising some citizens that they did not have to pay a large debt they chose to incur and contracted to pay back.  Because money was available to them, many made foolish choices in how to spend it.  The leader now wants those people to support him, so he cancels their debt by giving it to other citizens who choose not to take on such a debt.  On one hand, these citizens are incensed a leader could take the money … [Read more...] about In Missions, Money Is a Double-Edged Blade (Don Dent)

I teach the Legacy Builders Bible Fellowship Group (think old folks Sunday school class) at our church. Because we never sing a hymn in the worship service, we sing a hymn each week in class. Recently, we sang “Leaning on the Everlasting Arms,” and that opened floodgates of church memories for me. My earliest memory of church is standing beside my mother at the First Baptist Church of Fairfield, Texas. My father was the pastor, and the year would have been 1954. That memory prompted me to remember other things of the SBC past. Old timers reading this will nod and smile (I hope), and younger … [Read more...] about “Days Gone By” – SBC Memories

When I read of the news that Brent Leatherwood had been removed as president of the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission (ERLC) of the denomination I have been a member for my entire life, the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC), I was shocked as most of you were. After years of trying to best understand the role that the ERLC plays in denominational life, I could not believe what I was reading.  There have been multiple calls for reform, leadership change, accountability and even motions to defund and abolish the ERLC, seemingly culminating in Tom Ascol’s motion at the SBC annual meeting … [Read more...] about Why The SBC Needs the ERLC (by Jonathan Raffini)

There’s a preacher joke you might have heard before: Two young fish are swimming along when they pass an older fish. “How’s the water?” the older fish asks as he swims by. A few moments pass and then one young fish says to the other, “What’s water?” The point of this fishy parable is that when we are immersed in an environment, we don’t always see clearly what is happening around us. If you live in the water day after day and know nothing other than water, then what’s water? I have experienced this reality myself, and I’m sure you have too. I grew up in the Midwest. I never lived quite … [Read more...] about Why You Should Consider Hiring a Church Consultant

At the SBC Annual Meeting, the messengers elected Clint Pressley as the new president. I’m embarrassed to say that I had never heard of him. In fact, six candidates vied for the office, and I only knew two—David Allen and Michael Keahbone. I don’t know if that says more about me (my ignorance) or about the candidates. Last week, I wrote Bart Barber to thank him for serving as our SBC president. He did a good job in a difficult period, and he demonstrated that the pastor of a mid-sized church can serve as president. The common wisdom before was that only a candidate with a big church or … [Read more...] about Varied and Vacuous Observations, Part 4