We Southern Baptist have two mammoth special offerings and when we can, we like to brag about them. The largest is the Lottie Moon offering which goes to our flagship entity, The International Mission Board. The other is this one which goes to our second largest entity, the North American Mission Board whose trustees were informed last night that this year's offering was a record $61.1 million. Here are a few things to ponder on this bit of good news: This is the second consecutive year where the offering was a record. This year was about 2.4% higher than last year. It took a solid … [Read more...] about What the record Annie Armstrong Easter Offering tells us
Irascible, unrepentant, and contrarian…deal with it.
Only a few...I have to pace myself these days. And would you dour Calvinists kindly force yourselves to allow for sardonic humor? Coffee is coffee. You effete javasseurs who sip the expensive lattes, frappes, and cappuexcretas are nothing more than affluent, status-seeking wannabes. Note that the decline of the country's moral tenor tracks inversely with popularity of overpriced flavored water. The Cooperative Program is a flawed system. It allows some organizations and some parts of organizations to be propped up when they have only marginal use. It also is addictive and prevents … [Read more...] about Irascible, unrepentant, and contrarian…deal with it.
Four suggestions for using the LifeWay/GuideStone Compensation Study
LifeWay and GuideStone conduct this study of SBC compensation in even numbered years. The latest report came out just a month or so ago. It is helpful and useful. Here are some suggestions for pastors, staff, and church leaders on how it can be profitably used. Find the LifeWay/Guidestone 2018 Compensation Study and get familiar with it. If you're the pastor, and most SBC churches have a single clergy staff, the Mighty, and sometime mighty beloved Senior Pastor, then access the study and get familiar with it. You can see the responses by state, by position, by church budget size, and by … [Read more...] about Four suggestions for using the LifeWay/GuideStone Compensation Study
Ten good news SBC items…
Doesn't hurt to talk about it. Cooperative Program will probably be up for the fiscal year. The eleven month report from the Executive Committee earlier this month showed CP was above projection and slightly above last year's same period results. Let's be optimistic that the full year will be above last year. This is national only, not total CP. Lottie Moon will be more than last year. Their totals come after the end of September. With Platt's resignation and no replacement in sight SBCers continue to give. IMB can rock along with strong SBC support, though it would be nice to have a … [Read more...] about Ten good news SBC items…
Implementing MinistrySafe child protection system in my local church
Churches I pastored, starting around 1997 or so, had written child protection policies. Before that, there were unwritted rules and expectations of those who served the church in positions that involved preschoolers, children, and students. I'm not a part of a church staff at my present church unless you count some volunteer responsibilities that get me invited to weekly church staff meetings with the pastor and other paid staff. Our church is a medium-sized congregation with 350 or so average weekly worship attendance. The number of volunteers with preschool, children, and student … [Read more...] about Implementing MinistrySafe child protection system in my local church
J. D. sez…no evening sessions in Birmingham at the 2019 annual meeting.
He tweeted that bit of news. Nightlife in Birmingham: Have a leisurely, gluttonous, triple-bypass BBQ meal (need recommendations from the Birminghamians for the best spot). Find a nice park and sweat profusely while watching grass grow. For Cals...pass the evening at the Good People Brewing Company. Cals are good people, right? Most likely, attend one of the ancillary SBC org meetings who now have time for more bragging and blustering than they did when they had to squeeze in a luncheon between SBC sessions. Sit in some overpriced coffee lounge and gossip about stuff with … [Read more...] about J. D. sez…no evening sessions in Birmingham at the 2019 annual meeting.
EC not going to waste missions money on remote SBC voting…and other news
The SBC Executive Committee met this week and did a few things. Here's a secondhand report of the highlights. Quotes are from BP: Declined a request to study further the feasibility of remote participation in the SBC annual meeting. Among the reasons cited: "Diverting missions' offerings to pioneer the use of such technology (there being no known model for web-based constituent participation in any similarly-sized, deliberative body, nor even in any state Baptist convention) would be an inappropriate prioritization" and "The simplicity of conducting business at a single site is preferable … [Read more...] about EC not going to waste missions money on remote SBC voting…and other news
Stuff not taught in seminary that might get you fired
The big three firing issues for pastors are, and I'm opining here sans data because it fits what I think: women, money, laziness. LifeWay has a series on the top five reasons but, trust me, they aren't as deep in the SBC local church hinterlands as I am. Here are some things not taught on-high by seminary gurus and sages. Your church has a cemetery and you are dumb enough to mess with it. My first two churches were rural and had attached cemeteries. They had people to handle it and policies, mostly unwritten, about who can be buried there and at what price, etc. The Lord graciously … [Read more...] about Stuff not taught in seminary that might get you fired
Honest obits and designer funerals: How I know my day is past.
I'm fresh out of eyerolls for some of the things I see, hear, and read today. I'm deep into the attitude that as a pastor, my day is past in a lot of ways. Not that I couldn't serve a church again if the Lord so led but that so many things have moved into uncharted territory. Consider me to be an an irascible curmudgeon in semi-retirement and an unreformable one at that. I have declared that I will pass on all wedding requests. Waaaaaaay to much drama and nonsense afoot on those. I'm keeping family weddings as an exception. Should there be some to come my way, I can easily do those. They … [Read more...] about Honest obits and designer funerals: How I know my day is past.
When you stay too long
One staple of pastoral ministry is this business of tenure. Early on in my first pastorate a layman in my church commented on the pastor of another church, "They liked to never got him out...", a crude way of saying that the pastor, according to the church members he talked to, stayed too long. A pastor I know is going through some considerable difficulty. He has been at his church for around eight years, which is above the average. Is it time for his tenure to start wrapping up? I was once asked, "Haven't you been at that church long enough?", a question I answered in the negative but … [Read more...] about When you stay too long