Well, our venerable flagship giving scheme is a century old and there's a bunch of stuff going on at the SBCAM in Dallas next month. A Baptist Press Story of May 13th featured the group picture above and I recognize a number of people. Someone do an analysis of the dozens of people in that picture. Chances are most of them are on the Cooperative Program payroll which doesn't mean they aren't good people committed to the Lord and his work through Southern Baptists. It does mean that there is a financial connection between keeping the CP going, however weakly, and putting food on your table I … [Read more...] about The CP: celebrating a century of existence and a half century of decline.
More dignity and solemnity; less frivolity and nonsense
Surprising results from a recent Lifeway Research survey: 94% of pastors think their church will survive the next 10 years. Well, that's comforting. No, it's not. The idea that we are in a place where church survival is at risk enough to survey the matter means that 100% of protestant pastors are thinking about survival, some seriously, but most think they and their church has the right stuff to make it another decade. The churches I pastored are now 220 years old, 130 years old, and 125 years old. They are all doing well, although one had to engineer a merger to survive. So … [Read more...] about More dignity and solemnity; less frivolity and nonsense
Complementarian porn
Think of this as food porn, a "glamorized visual presentation of cooking or eating." No need to get triggered. It takes no genius to point out the most obvious and relevant point about the SBC's recent forays into doctrinal purity and the sanitizing of the denomination as it relates to women serving in churches. What is presented as a return to doctrinal fidelity and New Testament ecclesiology is actually complementarian porn, the reality on the ground being far removed from the idealized presentations we hear represented by proponents. I have a distaste for even using the term … [Read more...] about Complementarian porn
Randy Covington should get a trophy instead of resigning [by WILLIAM THORNTON]
Randy Covington has been an IMB missionary for 22 years and the Alaska convention leader for about eight. He is our kind of Christian and denominational servant. It's insanity that we punish and lose people like this. Alaska exec resigns, BP Alaska Baptist leader resigns, BNG The details involve a woman preschool and children "pastor," about which I wrote earlier. Randy Covington did nothing wrong, said nothing wrong, although he might could have explained it better. For crying out loud, he had already set his retirement for a few months later. No reason to resign early to satisfy … [Read more...] about Randy Covington should get a trophy instead of resigning [by WILLIAM THORNTON]
The SBC EC should stop interrogating churches and get on with work that is fruitful
This concerns the recent expulsion of Rabbit Creek Baptist church, Anchorage, AK. The church has a female children and families "pastor" but "the position was not stated as a cause of the EC’s action." Instead the EC noted that "Rabbit Creek Senior Pastor Mark T. Goodman and at least four other Rabbit Creek staff members signed Baptist Women in Ministry’s Open Letter to Baptist Women supporting women in church leadership and asserting that “Jesus did not place any limits on women’s roles.” The female pastor was among those identified and targeted by the zealots who sought to amend SBC … [Read more...] about The SBC EC should stop interrogating churches and get on with work that is fruitful
It’s official! Messengers were monumentally stupid in their sex abuse actions
The executive summary would go something like this. Messengers approved motions that (1) have had little or no positive effect on making children safer in our 50k or so churches, but (2) have tied the SBC Executive Committee to enormous legal expenses as far as the eye can see. These expenses are not just those needed for defense of the SBC and the SBC EC but those needed to fulfill the EC's contractual obligation to defend Guidepost Solutions from any lawsuits resulting from their work for the EC. (3) If SBC messengers approve of the EC budget recommendations just made, we will skim … [Read more...] about It’s official! Messengers were monumentally stupid in their sex abuse actions
You should always ask for compensation, not salary.
SBCers in the pulpits and pews get played in a thousand different ways by those on the payroll. It's a disgrace, a travesty, and a black eye to the Christian ministry. My view on denominational leader transparency hasn't change in decades: Entity heads, perhaps entity executive leadership, should disclose their compensation each year in a manner where ordinary SBCers, the ones who pay the bills, may access it. There is no good reason for the pay of entity heads to be kept secret. There are a world of bad reasons and we see these each time the subject arises. Secrecy is demanded because: … [Read more...] about You should always ask for compensation, not salary.
You should never ask for church or denominational staff salary amounts. [part 1]
I’ve adjusted my view on this a bit. This isn’t a proper request to make of entity leaders, state leaders, associational leaders or your own church staff. I would be interested in how this is viewed among lay and clergy alike. … [Read more...] about You should never ask for church or denominational staff salary amounts. [part 1]
Open question: What positive signs for the future do you see with the SBC?
Comment in general or address any of the big areas: money, entities, associations, state conventions, national, mission boards and missions, sex abuse, CP... … [Read more...] about Open question: What positive signs for the future do you see with the SBC?
With a half century of steady decline the Cooperative Program hits it’s centennial
I suppose there will be all manner of celebrations, somewhere, over the centennial anniversary of our venerable flagship denominational giving scheme, The Cooperative Program. I don't recall seeing much about it but we have about six months to go. Here's the most salient fact about the Cooperative Program: It provides the longest running trend in Southern Baptist life. The CP has been consistently declining as a percentage of church undesignated giving for about half of its life. It is still a huge source of funding for denominational entities, although the sums to distribute have … [Read more...] about With a half century of steady decline the Cooperative Program hits it’s centennial