The article had the headline, Beware work that's your 'calling.' The subheading was, You could be prime for burnout, risks to health. OK, that gets my attention. See if you think these quotes make sense: Churches need to help staff temper their passion and "deal constructively" with challenges inherent in their work. Lay leadership needs to be alert to their staff members having an overwhelming sense of defeat or emotional toll that their work exacts... Church staff need encouragement and reminders of the little victories along the way. Prospective church staff need realistic information … [Read more...] about “Called?” Then you’re more likely to experience burnout.
2017 SBC Pastor’s Conference: Is this what the SBC is supposed to look like?
I like the concept and execution of the 2017 SBC Pastor's Conference and plan to be present for some of it, probably the Monday sessions. My question is this: Is the 2017 PC the best expression of what the Southern Baptist Convention is supposed to look like? Not in a racial or demographic look but in the following ways: It has been called a "collaborative" effort and is therefore a cooperative effort. Dave Miller may have been elected president but he has been clear from the outset that the conference is the work of a number of people besides himself. If Southern Baptists are about … [Read more...] about 2017 SBC Pastor’s Conference: Is this what the SBC is supposed to look like?
Lottie Moon looks to take a big hit this year
Last year, the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering for International Missions was a stupendous $165.8 million infusion into our flagship SBC mission board which had been struggling financially with serious and continuing deficits. Over 1,000 personnel, mostly overseas workers, took the early retirement offers and reductions in personnel costs put the board on a sustainable path. That Southern Baptists gave over $12 million more to the LMCO in 2015 than 2014 was an added boost and a great help in restoring reserves and providing stability going forward. Alas, it looks like the 2016 offering will … [Read more...] about Lottie Moon looks to take a big hit this year
The bizzare cases of strangers speaking at funerals
Consider it part of the ministerial macabre but stories about death, dying, and funerals interest me mainly because I figure I've seen or heard it all when it comes to funerals. It never fails that I run across stories that show that I haven't. Check this story of a recent funeral: Family seeks apology from stranger who made insensitive remarks at funeral At this funeral a total stranger, one whom the family had never met, decided to stand and speak. Seems the deceased was Asian non-smoker who died of lung cancer. The stranger lectured the crowd on the high smoking rates for Asians. … [Read more...] about The bizzare cases of strangers speaking at funerals
The complicated world of SBC trustee representation
As all informed SBCers know, the Southern Baptist Convention employs no one, fires no one, has no CEO, and doesn't exist except for a couple of days each year when in annual session. The SBC has, though, a number of entities: mission boards, seminaries, Executive Committee, ERLC, etc. that are governed by separate trustee bodies. If the ERLC wants to hire or fire a CEO, their trustees do it, not the Executive Committee, not the SBC in annual session. What's complicated is how the various entities arrive at their trustee body makeup. A recent Baptist Press story, IMB study to examine trustee … [Read more...] about The complicated world of SBC trustee representation
More vocabulary notables
I love the way Doug Hibbard labels the roofing materials needed for a church replant, stout, and he's not talking about how sturdy or durable they are. He means the cost. Tippling Calvinists probably drool when running across this word but there's nothing about beer in this one. Doug's use is so thoroughly southern here that it's not in many of the dictionaries. Nothing new there. The rest of the country is always trying to catch up with southern-speak. Dave Miller, taking a break from planning a splendid pastor's conference, blogs that "The detritus of a forced Moore termination would be … [Read more...] about More vocabulary notables
More SBC vocabulary notables
Dwight McKissic asks Black Baptist churches who are "considering affiliating with the Southern Baptist Convention to take a probative and aggressive approach..." Very fine term, probative and perfectly legitimate to encourage such efforts of any church considering changing or adding affiliations. McKissic's criticism is described as trenchant by one of the sites that picked up his SBC Voices article. The word (keen, sharp, articulate) is one of those that even if you don't know what it means, it sounds right in context. Dwight was trenchant indeed in addressing the Moore matter. And … [Read more...] about More SBC vocabulary notables
SBC Fake News – updated
It should not surprise any observer of Southern Baptist matters that there has always been a market for fake news among us, mainly through unofficial outlets like blogs, blog comments and the like. While I am probably not informed enough to offer an exhaustive list of fake SBC news items, these below are some of the more current and prominent ones. I welcome any additions to the list The Cooperative Program is Dead or Dying The Cooperative Program provided over $478 million for the state conventions and SBC entities in the latest figures available. At almost half a billion the CP is … [Read more...] about SBC Fake News – updated
The strange world of SBC “small” churches
I'm a little weary of reading that Dave Miller, on temporary hiatus from this place while he manages the 2017 SBC Pastor's Conference, is a "small church" pastor. Ed Stetzer did an interview with him recently entitled, One on One with the Small Church Pastor Who "Took Over" the SBC Pastor's Conference to Highlight Smaller Churches. It's a great interview and I'm pleased to see Dave get a free lunch from Stetzer and a nice article on the Pastor's Conference. But my irascibility is showing here about the business of him being classified as a "small church" pastor. Nothing about him is "small" … [Read more...] about The strange world of SBC “small” churches
Executive Committee has more complaints on ERLC than any issue in memory
Want to learn some things? Keep up with SBC This Week the " weekly news roundup from around the Southern Baptist Convention hosted by Amy Whitfield and Jonathan Howe." The two secured an interview with Stephen Rummage, Chairman of the SBC Executive Committee which earlier in the week had announced that they have not one but two study committees that will be looking into the matter of churches dissatisfaction and concerns about SBC entities and how that might impact the Cooperative Program. Rummage said that the actions were not solely because of the decision by Prestonwood Baptist Church … [Read more...] about Executive Committee has more complaints on ERLC than any issue in memory