William Thornton

  Our International Mission Board is reporting a spectacular increase in the Lottie Moon Offering for International Missions. The total for the 2015 offering is $165.8 million, an increase of $12.8 million over last year. Here are the Lottie Moon totals for this century: Lottie Moon Offering Year                Received 2000                 113.2 2001                 113.7 2002                 115.0 2003                 136.2 2004                 133.9 2005                 137.9 2006                 150.2 2007                 150.4 2008                 150.4 2009   … [Read more...] about Before we get sidetracked, let’s celebrate Lottie Moon’s big year

...the value of a state convention will not be determined by the size of its staff, its building, its budget, or its programming. Value will be determined by one metric alone—investment in the local church. When we bring value to the church, we bring glory to God. The quote above is not mine, although I have made many such statements over the past decade or so. These words are from the chief executive of one of our largest state conventions - Tommy Green, Executive Director-Treasurer of the Florida Baptist Convention. There have been times when it has seemed to me that the only tool in the … [Read more...] about State conventions should add value, not guilt, to churches

  The benchmark for the general financial health of the Southern Baptist Convention has always been Cooperative Program giving. It is certainly the measure of state convention financial health, not so much for the mission boards and seminaries. Regardless, the recent SBC Executive Committee report of giving through May, 2016, two-thirds of their fiscal year, shows a notable CP increase and indicates a spectacular Lottie Moon Offering increase. CP 6.13% ahead of budget projection As of May 31, gifts received by the Executive Committee for distribution through the Cooperative Program … [Read more...] about Spectacular Lottie Moon increase; modest but encouraging Cooperative Program increase

There are more important subjects to discuss. Seems to me that the discussion would flow to mission support methodologies for the 21st century. We are all in favor of spiritual renewal. All the candidates were asked about Calvinism by B21. Here is what they said. Crosby gave a short answer so his is complete below. Gaines and Greear gave longer answers, so I have excerpted theirs. Click to see the whole interview. J. D. Greear: I am pretty confident that if you asked the average person at the Summit whether we were “Calvinist” or “non-Calvinist,” they wouldn’t know what to tell you. I … [Read more...] about This election doesn’t need to be about Calvinism…and I hope it isn’t.

Most SBC resolutions are both forgotten and forgettable but indications are that the resolution to be submitted by Dwight McKissick, Resolution on the Elimination of the Confederate Flag from Public Life, will be much more notable than what the SBC is accustomed to. Atlanta Journal-Constitution political writer Jim Galloway has an article about the proposed resolution in yesterday's AJC, Southern Baptists asked to endorse ban on public display of Confederate battle flag, in which he says, Passage of the resolution would be an important milestone in the Southern Baptist Convention’s long … [Read more...] about Confederate flag resolution may have real value

No. It's not. Not unless one wants to deny that there was any cooperation among Southern Baptist churches for the first fourscore years of the SBC when there was no Cooperative Program.  Not if one checks the SBC constitution which does not require that a single CP dollar be given to the SBC Executive Committee in order to seat messengers. Our wonderful Cooperative Program, that program of giving that provides almost all state convention revenues and which provides a lesser proportion of the revenues of our seminaries and mission boards, is our primary denominational funding plan. I support … [Read more...] about Is the Cooperative Program the only measure of a church “in friendly cooperation” with the SBC?

I will likely not attend the SBC Annual meeting this year, since, strangely, no one gives retired pastors a convention allowance. I've been to St. Louis a few times already. It was hot. For one SBC meeting there I stayed at the Mormon hotel next to the Cardinals' baseball field. The room had a Book of Mormon next to the Gideon's Bible. Hotel staff said I could take it, so I did. I got to see some of the Cardinal's game for free, 'some' meaning the center fielder and right fielder only, the rest of the field being blocked by the stadium. It was boring. If I were present in St. Louis this … [Read more...] about J. D. Greear would be a great SBC president

Cooperative Program Sunday on the beloved denominational calendar was April 10th, last Sunday. Some churches observed it. Some didn't. It should have been observed. It still can be observed, since there is no denominational calendar enforcement squad afoot catching violators. Here are some straight talk observations about our primary denominational giving plan. CP revenues are up this year. The SBC Executive Committee is six months, half-way, through the fiscal year and are able to report that CP receipts at the SBC level are 3.09% above the same period for last year. This is an indication … [Read more...] about Cooperative Program Sunday: Straight talk on the CP

The Freedom From Religion Foundation lost their earlier challenge but is taking another shot. FFRF renews 'David and Goliath' IRS challenge Same song...just another verse. Interestingly, the FFRF press release includes a quote from your humble and plodding blogger: "The manner in which our housing allowance has been used borders on clergy malpractice," William Thornton, a Georgia pastor and blogger, told Forbes magazine in 2013. "A growing subset of ministers who are very highly paid and who live in multimillion dollar mansions are able to exclude hundreds of thousands of dollars … [Read more...] about They’re back at it…renewed legal challenge to our clergy Housing Allowance