My wife and I are members of the Central Baptist Church in Crandall, Texas (Dallas area). I’ve told everyone who will listen that our pastor, Charles Wilson, is the best pastor I’ve ever known. (Disclaimer: I have not had the opportunity to observe Dave Miller and William Thornton in action.) Charles Wilson is not the […]
How to Pray for Missionaries
This the Week of Prayer for International Missions, sponsored by the Woman’s Missionary Union. I join with all our missionaries in thanking the WMU for supporting our foreign missions work with prayer and financial support. The announcement of the Week of Prayer prompted me to think about effective praying for missionaries. We all agree that […]
Missionaries Remembered [by Mark Terry]
My wife and I had the privilege of serving with the International Mission Board (IMB) for twenty-four years. During those years we labored alongside many great missionaries. Mostly, they have ministered in obscurity, but God knows their deeds and the angels rejoice. In the past ten days two great missionaries died, and they have gone […]
Things Remembered
One of William Thornton’s posts prompted me to think about Southern Baptist practices of the past. I’m 69 years old, and I grew up in Southern Baptist churches. So, I remember lots of things that may seem quaint to our younger readers. Other old codgers (like William and Dave) may want to add to my […]
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 […]
Is Calvinism Anti-Missions?
Disclaimer and disclosure: I am not a Calvinist, nor am I an anti-Calvinist traditionalist. Theologically, I am somewhere in the middle, and the Baptist statement of Faith and Message summarizes my beliefs accurately. I am not a theologian, and I am not writing to assess the worth of Calvinism. Rather, I was trained as a […]
Finding Balance in Ministry
Several weeks ago Dave Miller published a post that presented a retrospective of his life. (Undergoing major surgery does give one a different perspective.) I understood Dave’s post to communicate that he wished he had achieved better balance in his life. Certainly, we all want to balance our lives and ministries, but that often proves to be a […]
Find Fresh Sermon Illustrations
I feel somewhat chagrined about submitting a post on sermon illustrations. How can the mundane task of sermon preparation compare with the exciting furors involving the latest convention news? Still, even the most exciting drama on television stops for commercial breaks. When I was a pastor, I estimated that I preached 46 Sundays each year. Our […]
The Role of an Interim Pastor
In my ministry, I’ve had the privilege of serving as an interim pastor at ten churches. Those churches varied from 75 in attendance to 750. Some of the churches were in good shape, while others were in great turmoil. An interim pastor serves as the regular preacher at a church between the tenures of two […]
Have You “Cleaned” Your Membership Rolls?
As ships pass through the water, they accumulate barnacles. The barnacles can grow to the point that they impede the ship’s speed considerably. Then, the ship must go to a dry dock, where the barnacles are scraped off. Church rolls are like that—they tend to accumulate inactive members who impede the church’s progress. Periodically, churches […]
How to Pray for Missionaries (Mark Terry)
The sad news I received yesterday (Ed note: this post came a few days ago) inspired this post. Here is an excerpt from a letter from David Platt to the IMB missionaries, staff and trustees, sent on Wednesday, March 14: “It is with a heavy heart that I share this news. This morning (Wednesday, […]
My Approach to Missions Strategy
Dave Miller asked me to write this post. Full disclosure: I served as a missionary with the IMB for twenty-four years in Southeast Asia. I received a Ph.D. in missions from Southwestern Seminary. I’ve taught missions at Southwestern Seminary, Southern Baptist Seminary, and lately at Mid-America Baptist Seminary. For many years I’ve offered both a […]