William Thornton

My average sized congregation in South Carolina, ministerially speaking around 100-150 on Sunday mornings, had a Homecoming Sunday. It was a Big Deal. Always on the church calendar for the same date, third Sunday in September. Always a special preacher, mostly former pastors or guys from the church who had been called out to preach. Predictably for an SBC church, a cardiologists dream in regard to food, copious quantities of heavy casseroles, healthy fresh vegetables often seasoned by tasty fatback, desserts galore. Then there was the special hash. In that area of upstate SC some … [Read more...] about The Gospel of the Hash House

I suppose I'll never be on board with these prepackaged, prefilled, partly fake grape juice communion cups. Yeah, I understand it's where we are and perhaps the alternatives, as in real bread and real juice without plastic and foil, are unacceptable to our health and safety conscious worshippers. I'll use them but I don't have to like them. The one pictured in my wrinkly octogenarian paw is from the church service yesterday. I didn't steal it. I picked up two when walking in thinking my wife in the choir would need one. Seems the choir had their own. Call me crazy but I don't think … [Read more...] about Recognize this?

It's guaranteed. If you don't hold the interest of your congregants while preaching, not a few of them will focus on odd things about you - your tie choice (that's been solved by ditching the tie altogether), other clothing and the like. No one has complained about a tie I wore except my wonderful wife, but then if someone gives you a tie you have to wear it at least once, no matter how ugly. I've been a bored listener at times over the past decades and have affectionate, irreverent, yet truthful observations about the quirky preaching habits of my fellow soldiers of the Lord. There's … [Read more...] about The quirkiness of my beloved SBC preacher colleagues

These are our three main offerings and they account for almost all of the money received by the Executive Committee for distribution. Well, maybe not a record for the CP, that would be unreachable without Bezos and Gates pitching in hundreds of millions, but the CP may actually show an increase this fiscal year. So, explain where ordinary Southern Baptist churches are in this takeover scheme? They are behind our cooperative efforts and the financial channels that fuel them. The few, the disgruntled, the gripers and complainers would have us think there is a mass movement against … [Read more...] about SBC is headed for record offerings to Lottie, Annie, and the CP

The convention in Anaheim this June looks like an important convention: Contested presidential election, though the expected nominations are not in Perhaps contested nominations and reports Sex Abuse Task Force report and recommendations Perhaps other matters will bubble up in the 133 days until the opening gavel. The takeover group is actively touting the meeting and pumping attendance. I ain't gonna make it. Looks too expensive to me. Have you guys budgeted for this? Flight + hotel + food + incidentals for the beloved pastor and his wife looks around $3k to me, more if … [Read more...] about The expensive road to Anaheim

[Author's note: this blog is being held hostage until someone comes up with something else to say. Case closed on the SEC but NFL is still open. Until then, I will dribble out one Housing Allowance article daily. There's no shortage of material...and it's interesting.] The Minister's Housing Allowance is our best tax break because it gives the ordained pastor the means to totally exclude substantial sums of his clergy income from income taxes. It lets the pastor exclude all or part of that. No income taxes! The holy grail of American financial life. I have maybe a dozen articles here … [Read more...] about Our Sacred Clergy Tax Break, the Minister’s Housing Allowance; lucrative special treatment for the Few, the Ordained

I love a small church - the building, the people, the setting, the history. The photo is of a small church near me. I've been there, done a funeral there, know or used to know some of the people and pastors there. But, never mind thinking about the future of this church, what, exactly, is going on in the present? This is the church sign (I blocked out the name). The message "come join us" is not exactly a game changer but letting it run down and have letters scattered all over signals that this isn't a church that cares a thing about what people think or say about them. Somebody … [Read more...] about Can (or should) this church be saved?