William

There are two main targets in SBC life these days, Russell Moore and the ERLC and Kevin Ezell and the North American Mission Board. In regard to the latter, NAMB is incessantly criticized for their spending policies. A few observations: NAMB designed and manages successful national SBC programs in the area of church planting and relief services. Critics would have Southern Baptists believe these are utter failures. The criticisms are often vicious and self-serving. Data used are often fuzzy or false. Numbers have been manipulated in regard to church planting for decades, particularly … [Read more...] about NAMB and spending God’s money given through Southern Baptist churches and individuals

One man's crusade to clean up the SBC is reporter Julie Roy's podcast with SBC presidential candidate Randy Adams. The interview is a roundup of the usual SBC suspects. Adams is a heavy NAMB critic. Fine, we can disagree about church planting philosophy and spending policies. While NAMB has several recent incidents that have not helped, I still don't favor the suggestion of returning to the good old days where NAMB would fling money at state conventions and the state conventions would do a stellar job of planting churches. Maybe he would address how NAMB could put over eight million … [Read more...] about Randy Adams favors an SBC sex abuser database?

Randy Adams is one of four announced candidates for SBC president. Baptist Press covers his announcement with links to the other three (Al Mohler, Ed Litton, and Mike Stone) in this article. Adams was to be nominated this past year but the virus gave the SBC JD Greear for another year. I doubt I would vote for Adams but his strong stance on SBC openness and transparency tempts me even though I disagree with some of his other views. More on those at another time. Here's what he says about openness and transparency, from his blog, A Path to Reforming the SBC SBC entities must submit to … [Read more...] about Randy Adams and reforming the SBC: Entities should disclose salaries and most everything else

More accurately, both my wife and I are getting the first of the two shots today and it has been a strange journey to get to this spot. The way it has worked here in Georgia, the health departments had the vaccines. You had to go sign up, which, seems to me was a waste of time. I don't know anyone who got a call back. Word of mouth told us that you had to talk to someone which meant holding for hours while the software told you where you were in line ("You are number 54...45...22..." etc.). Several times my wife got down to the single digits ("You are number 6") and then the call was … [Read more...] about I’m getting the COVID vaccine today. Ouch!

The hallmark of our country's governance has always been the peaceful transfer of power. The capitol insurrection was an utter disgrace and the most serious challenge to the transfer of power in our history. (Well, we did have that other insurrection 160 years ago.) Utter disgrace. The more that is know about it the uglier it gets. The profaning of the halls of government. I didn't vote for Joe Biden but I will support him in every way, except in policy decisions where I cannot. He is the legally elected president of our country. It may be considered providential. Deal with it, … [Read more...] about Inauguration this week; prayers for the new administration

The chances aren't at absolute zero for this but are pretty close. But, let's dream and speculate anyhow. ____________ Those who want to take over the SBC will privately gripe and grumble over the delay in their well-laid plans. Those who see themselves as The Lord's SBC Kingmakers will privately fume, since they believe they are doing the Lord's work to orchestrate who gets or doesn't get the top SBC positions. Those who consider themselves experts will declare that the single staff guy is not capable of handling the responsibilities of the office even though the things required … [Read more...] about What would happen if the SBC elected a single staff pastor as president?

It's a Southern Baptist cliche: "We are a convention of small churches." We are indeed. The median SBC church will have 70 souls in average weekly worship attendance  this coming Sunday which means that around 25,000 SBC churches have a pastor who looks out when he preaches at no more than a few dozen hearers. The pastor almost certainly is the only clergy staff member in the church although he may have a part time paid or volunteer music leader, student or children leader. This would be the place where there is a church of people who all know each other. This would be the place where … [Read more...] about The unsung heroes of the SBC: Single staff pastors

I suppose I'm known as a state convention critic, with good reason. All that is for another time. I can recall three times my state convention helped me and my church. Here they are. Volunteer mission trip. Way back when state conventions had formal partnerships with various countries around the world, through IMB and their personnel of course, my state had a partnership with Kenya. Trips were scheduled. State staff led trips. Those who could put together a team led trips, probably with their trip leader expenses paid. I was an average sized church pastor. Neither me nor my church had the … [Read more...] about Three times my state convention helped me greatly

Although I am retired and not serving as senior pastor of any church now, I was saddened to hear of a family leaving one of my former pastorates for another church nearby. Both the family and the current pastor (my successor in the position in my former church) are my friends. I have had casual conversations with both. It is a situation not precipitated by pastoral failure, divorce or crisis in the lay family, or any other particular cause other than it was felt that a change was needed. Happens. All. The. Time. Any senior pastor who has served any length of time has had that sad … [Read more...] about When your best members leave the church

...and concluding that my day may indeed be past. Clergy temp staffing agencies. The idea that the person who fills the pulpit or who leads worship of Almighty God, or who teaches students or other church staff can be interchangeable, that is, it doesn't really matter who the person is, is foreign to me. Filling the pulpit in the pastor's absence, interim ministry positions, temporary worship leaders all are a serious business. The church and/or pastor prays, talks, seeks, checks and arrives at a person who is called by God to the task needed, for the church needed. How do we legitimately … [Read more...] about Five current church practices that have me scratching my head…