There are around 400,000 churches in the United States and very few of these file any kind of tax return but there are some who think it would be beneficial to congregations if they were brought under the protective wing of the Internal Revenue Service. While I’ve known a couple of IRS folks over the […]
Particle physics meets the SBC and other noteworthy items
Clever Voices commenter Karen asks, Does your church culture allow gracious truth-telling and facing real issues & problems? Or are sin issues deemed personal and private, so everyone goes about like free electrons minding their own business rather than as integral, interdependent parts of a living body? Free electrons? You bet there are scads of […]
NAMB establishes an evangelism team
You’ve seen the tweets from NAMB: We are launching a new Evangelism and Leadership team that will equip and mobilize pastors and churches for evangelism. More news coming this weekend on who will be leading.1:30 PM – 10 Aug 2018 Steve Gaines’ Evangelism Task Force recommended that “senior level leadership” be hired in this area. […]
Law profs: Cash clergy housing allowance is unconstitutional
A federal district judge has already ruled that the cash housing allowance paid to ministers is unconstitutional (the HA that includes a parsonage is a separate section of the tax code and was not challenged). This is the case brough by the Freedom From Religion Foundation. The case is on appeal with the Seventh Circuit […]
The Cooperative Program will almost certainly be up for the fiscal year
After ten months of this fiscal year the CP is looking like there will be a slight increase for the year. Last year the Florida Baptist Convention sold their building and made a $3.1 million gift to the CP allocation budget. Because of that the yearly total may be slightly under last year. National CP […]
Georgia Baptists have a nominee for our state convention CEO
The Georgia Baptist Mission Board is one of the largest state conventions ranking second or third by several measures. The GBMB will likely be the second largest contributor to the SBC Cooperative Program allocation budget this year. Our CEO is retiring after 25 years and a new one has been nominated. Thomas Hammond to be […]
The SBC needs vigorous Traditionalist voices
So, what’s up with the Trads these days? The loose SBC political sub-group generally labeled “Traditionalists” has manifestly been in disarray since the late May SBC Today meltdown and severe losses at the mid-June SBC. Please, don’t throw any hymnals at me for saying it. The Facebook discussion page was jettisoned and has been replaced […]
Should entity trustees consider younger CEO retirement ages?
Perhaps some of our entities already have this but I think a good case could be made for not having leaders continue well into their 70s before leaving. It would force planned transitions, avoid messy situations, and help retain talented, younger leaders. I recognize that we have a general distaste for an arbitrary age at […]
Will new tax on churches force thousands of congregations to file tax returns?
How about my putting the probably answer at the first here? “NO.” But scare headlines are always with us these days. Here’s a couple of articles I’ve run across on the subject: New tax levied in GOP overhaul draws laments from churches, other nonprofits Churches and other nonprofit groups are struggling to make sense of […]
What’s the reason for the Ridgecrest renaissance?
Ridgecrest Conference Center (and note the lack of the word “Baptist” in the name, we will certainly take non-Baptist dollars), LifeWay’s venerable Smoky Mountains location for retreats, conferences and the like seems to be doing just fine. So fine that more free labor is needed. Baptist Press reports on it: Volunteers needed as Ridgecrest attendance climbs. Yeah, […]
The SBC ought to do something about clergy sex abuse
This is a common refrain from abuse victims, advocates, and others that follow the deplorable cases of abuse now prominent in secular, religious, and social media. In fact, the phrase “the SBC ought to do something about…” can be completed with reference to many issues – racism, sexism, poverty, human trafficing, and a host of […]
Autonomy is a reality, not an excuse
Discussions of clergy sex abuse in SBC churches and entities are, sadly, common these days. Several current examples, deplorable each one, are found in articles here within the past days. This used not to be the case. When clergy misconduct occurred it would be whispered not published. Pastors, denominational workers, and leaders would find out […]