It’s no secret that Dr. Wm Dwight McKissic is a friend to this blog and to several of us personally here at SBCVoices. The reason for that, I believe, is that we have seen his consistent heart and passion for unity among the people of God and we share that heart. I appreciate my brother more than he knows and thank God for him. Many motives have been ascribed to Dr. McKissic as he has pushed southern Baptists to consider issues surrounding racial unity and reconciliation. The overriding motive I’ve seen from him is a desire for true fellowship and unity in the body of Christ – a desire for us … [Read more...] about A Kingdom Conversation on Race and the Alt-Right (and You’re invited!)
Beyond Conservatism and Toward God’s Kingdom
Conservatism is not Christianity. Pursuing the kingdom of God and His righteousness includes both conserving what is good and progressing in what is lacking. When it comes to politics, we religious conservatives are quick to point out that much of what the world calls “progress” is neither good nor pleasing to God and in terms of pursuing God’s kingdom, is not progress at all. We have fought hard, and rightly so, for the right to life at every stage, for the preservation of traditional marriage, and for religious liberty of all people. At the same time, not all about our history should be … [Read more...] about Beyond Conservatism and Toward God’s Kingdom
Seven Take-Aways from SBCPC17 (part 1)
If you've been following the blog this year, you know about our work on the SBC Pastors' Conference and the vision that Dave cast for a different focus this year. If you missed it, the entire session is available online at http://live.sbc.net/ondemand.html. I was privileged to serve with the Pastors' Conference this year and was blessed by the experience. The event itself exceeded our expectations and was a true joy to be a part of the leadership team. I am still in the after-glow after a full year of working on the project. As I reflect on the past year and the event last week, here are the … [Read more...] about Seven Take-Aways from SBCPC17 (part 1)
The Alt-Right resolution – Did we get it right?
A late-night session, calls and tweets to get back in the hall, through creative procedural maneuvers we are able to schedule a vote against the “anti-gospel, alt-right, white supremacy” movement – the hall was packed to overflowing and the vote was made – unanimous! Not a NO-vote to be seen anywhere in the hall. We will assuredly pass the resolution this afternoon to another unanimous vote and cheers. All is right with the world – we got it right, right? Not so fast. I awoke this morning tired and frustrated that we didn’t, in fact, get it right. The world is watching. Our brothers and … [Read more...] about The Alt-Right resolution – Did we get it right?
Why I nominated Shane Hall for the Pastor’s Conference
God brought Shane and I together. Back in 1999, when I was a young church planter, I attended my first SBC annual meeting. While there, I went to the mic and asked some question about insurance for planters, identifying myself, my church, and the town in which I was planting. A few months after the Convention, Shane’s dad, an evangelist named “Tiny” Hall, showed up at my storefront church and introduced himself. He had seen me at the Convention and his ears perked up when he heard where I was planting. He was from Oklahoma, but had a brother in my Indiana town and had once planted churches … [Read more...] about Why I nominated Shane Hall for the Pastor’s Conference
Unity – The Joyful Choice of Being Southern Baptist
Being a Southern Baptist is a joy in my ministry. I am thankful to be a part of this diverse group of Christians that have chosen to partner with one another to do together what we could not do alone. I understand that sometimes we will have differences in the ways we see theological issues, differing ministry philosophies, and different ideas on what we should do together and how we should do it. Add to that, that we all have sin natures and sometimes act in ways that are sinful or respond to the offenses of others in less than gracious ways. Sometimes those differences and conflicts … [Read more...] about Unity – The Joyful Choice of Being Southern Baptist
A Preview of the Pastors Conference Nomination Form
As you may have heard, the nomination process officially begins on Monday. You can read more about it here and here. For this post, I wanted to give you a sneak preview of the nomination form questions and a brief explanation and rationale for the things we are asking. We are looking forward to your participation in this selection process as you introduce us to some of the faithful pastors of our Southern Baptist family. When you log in to sbcpc2017.com, here’s what you will be asked: Name of person making the nomination Self-explanatory – we want to know who you … [Read more...] about A Preview of the Pastors Conference Nomination Form
Pastors’ Conference 2017 – an idea for a different kind of conference
I am nominating Dave Miller for pc president this afternoon on the basis of a new idea for 2017. The vote for Pastor's Conference President will take place shortly after 2:00pm today, at the conclusion of Jack Graham's message. Here is my nomination speech: My name is Todd Benkert, messenger from East Lake Baptist Church in Crown point Indiana. I am here to nominate Dave Miller for pastors conference president. Dave is the pastor of Southern Hills Baptist Church in Sioux City Iowa. Dave is a faithful pastor a and has served in various roles in SBC life. Dave has shown … [Read more...] about Pastors’ Conference 2017 – an idea for a different kind of conference
Why a “small church” Pastors’ Conference? (or Why I am nominating Dave Miller for Pastors’ Conference President)
I wanted to write and give some clarity to why I am nominating a small church pastor to lead the Pastor’s Conference in 2017 and why I support the idea of a conference of small church preachers focused on biblical preaching. This article is meant to provide some clarity on my own thinking about why I will make a nomination on Monday to do something different in 2017. Let me first affirm some of the ideas behind our past conferences (which I personally have benefitted from) and the rationale behind the status quo: The Case for Christian Celebrity The very word celebrity is … [Read more...] about Why a “small church” Pastors’ Conference? (or Why I am nominating Dave Miller for Pastors’ Conference President)
Reflections on our Unity in the Gospel — Will We Be Together?
God’s people gathered across denominations bound by a common theology, multiple sermons over a few days that are relevant and theologically robust, glorious music saturated with expressions of the sovereignty of God, great times of fellowship with other pastors over good food, being together in a room filled with a sense of the very presence of God... No, I’m not talking about #T4G2016, I’m talking about the 56th Annual Simultaneous Revival of the Baptist Ministers’ Conference of Gary and Vicinity. That’s how I spent last week – a wonderful event that God used in my life in a way every bit as … [Read more...] about Reflections on our Unity in the Gospel — Will We Be Together?