Forget the Billy Graham Rule. You know, the one that classifies all women as potential, shameless seductresses. I can think of a few pieces of advice and counsel I was given early and often as a young seminarian and pastor. One of these is that you have to watch out for women in the church […]
Go ye therefore…and sell shoes, be a social media sensation, or unstop toilets…
…just get out of pastoral ministry if you’ve messed up your life and aren’t above reproach. I’m about 48% in favor of having a guild for Southern Baptist clergy that has the authority to deny credentials to rascals, scoundrels, Elmer Gantry types, and criminals; to incompetent hucksters, church-wreckers, and money-grubbers; and to just plain ecclesiastical […]
The SBC’s Big Three: Lottie, Annie, and the Cooperative Program
The thing about an article like this is that those who care already know. Those who don’t know the history and trends don’t much care. But consider a few things. These three offerings combined totaled about $682 million for the most recent year’s data available. The CP, received by the states, was $463 million. […]
No need to spin this: Annie Armstrong sets record, up over a million
This makes three years running for record offerings to the Annie Armstrong Easter Offering for North American Missions. NAMB, our formerly beleaguered entity with not one but two meltdowns is doing fine. Southern Baptists have bought into what they are doing. I can think of a few reasons why this is so and may update […]
Southern Baptists can manage bad news, hard facts, and serious missteps.
A church was experiencing explosive growth. Attendance was skyrocketing. Giving was rapidly increasing. Building programs, outreach initiatives, staff additions, and baptisms were all going up year-after-year. Then, things leveled off. Attendance was no longer going up and other statistics no longer showed eye-popping rates of increase. The church dropped from their accustomed place on various […]
Lottie Moon offering is down $2.3 million
The IMB closed the books September 30th on the 2018-2019 Lottie Moon offering and the amount received was $156.6 million, down $2.3 million from last year. The drop was about 1.4%. This was expected and budgeting was done accordingly leaving the IMB comfortably within their budget spending. Still, it’s a disappointment not to see IMB’s […]
Cooperative Program receipts are down for the fiscal year just ended
CP exceeds budget for 5th year in a row, screameth the headline fromt he executive committee following the year-end report of the Cooperative Program year for 2018/2019. Budgets were conservative; thus, the point that CP revenues exceed budegary reuqirements. I like prudence in budgeting. Actual dollars from the churches through the state conventions to the […]
A Fall excursion into critical events of our day, and some not so critical
Some of these have been in storage here for a while. Bruce Ashford: “How can Christians keep our sang-froid in America’s vitriolic and effluvial public square?” I’ve no answer for him. Let’s sang a syrupy hymn and see how that works. And again, the august provost rightly objects to the taste-bud insulting libationary experiences that come […]
Selectivity in our culture wars…and SEC football
I’m on a brisk, five mile walk across the University of Georgia campus. Big game tomorrow: The Dawgs and high level, high class intersectional opponent Notre Dame. Biggest such game in decades. The photo is of the countdown clock on the set of ESPN’s Game Day. I’m walking by. There are 50-60 workers setting it […]
The work of an overseer is still a noble task
Here is a trustworthy saying: Whoever aspires to be an overseer desires a noble task. (NIV) The work of a pastor/elder/overseer is a noble task. Always has been. Is now. Always will be. Better paying and more prestigious clergy and church related tasks may abound. We have coaches, consultants, marketing experts, catalysts, specialists, and strategists. […]
No one is better than Southern Baptists at slogans, titles, and labels
Southern Seminary is now “Trusted for Truth“. Leaving Southeastern and others to be trusted for, what, something less than truth? Well, Al has that alliteration going for him. Southeastern is the original Great Commission Seminary, probably the better branding. I do hope seminaries stay as “seminaries,” seed beds for ministers, pastors, and religious leaders. Or, […]
Politics is such fun: The Great Democratic Debate, Count ’em…10.
Who’s to say that we can’t have some fun every now and again? Politics is a spectator sport and this is the political Cirque du la Comedie. _________________ Biden: Ol’ bloody side-eye himself. Can he run the long race without stumbling? Well, not so far. He’s going to overshadow Gerald Ford’s reputation for bumbling and […]