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. […]
Three times my state convention helped me greatly
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 […]
When your best members leave the church
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 […]
Five current church practices that have me scratching my head…
…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 […]
Are you ready for the Dem agenda?
Democratic turnout was on fire and it looks like both Republican candidates lost here in my home state. Baptist minister Warnock has a lead of over 50k votes. Jewish candidate Ossoff (dude is 33 years old) around 15k. My punditry is not so hot. I thought both Dems would lose. My post-election analysis is on […]
Unique Georgia election today
…and more has been spent on the two Georgia U.S. Senate seats than is received for the SBC Cooperative Program (national allocation) and both major mission offerings combined. What I have to show for it is a stack of about 70 pieces for slick mail, all but a couple from Republican and Republican friendly PACS […]
What shall we talk about in 2021?
SBC Voices published 265 articles in 2020, about one per weekday. We are a Southern Baptist site so SBC stuff dominates what appears here. COVID-19, politics, and CRT/I sucked almost all the air out of this place last year. While one hopes that the pandemic will recede and that in a non-election year discussions will […]
What you read most on Voices in 2020
Double Trouble for the IMB, Mark Terry. The former IMB missionary and seminary professor wrote of our IMB personnel being evacuated from many parts of the world due to COVID-19. This and the financial impact of the virus made for the “double trouble.” Fortunately, IMB was and is in a solid financial position. Reports for the […]
Some under noticed SBC news stories from 2020
These are not prioritized: Boy Scouts bankruptcy could leave churches liable in future sex abuse claims. This Baptist Press article from October advised SBC churches “who chartered or have ever hosted a Boy Scouts of America (BSA) troop should seek legal counsel now in case they are named in future sex abuse claims against the […]
Breathless, melodramatic update from the Georgia senatorial runoff race!
Jupiter and Saturn have passed alignment but the stars in the heavens may or may not align Georgia republicans Purdue and Loeffler. Will the solar system survive the election of two more Dems to the senate? The galaxy? The universe? Humanity and huwomanity? BBQ grilling? Gas lawnmowers? Sweet tea? Hundreds of millions of dollars are […]
Top SBC news of 2020 (Part One, maybe)
COVID-19 and churches. Need anything more be said? The seminary president’s statement on CRT/I blows up. This is ongoing as I write. Messy. Alaska Baptist state convention votes to destroy the Cooperative Program. Very poor move by one of our smallest state conventions. As Ronnie Floyd said in response, “It’s the CP program, not the CP cafeteria.” […]
Winter solstice today, thank God
No. I’m not having a pagan party to celebrate but might indulge in a swig of ridiculously sweet egg nog, sans hard likker, to celebrate. I mean, we’re only getting 9 hours and 53 minutes of daylight here. That’s not enough for civilized people. After 5:02 this morning we get a little more sun each […]