William Thornton

If someone sat down and designed a ministry system for senior pastors and other church staff it's hard to visualize the design of a tougher system than we already have in the Southern Baptist Convention. There is no entry level of education; therefore, many pastors who have plenty of both compete with others who have no ministry degrees, degrees from shabby educational institutions, low threshold "doctorates" that are seen by churches as equivalent of rigorous academic degrees. There is no entry level of experience required. Actually, there's not a lot of choice here. We have to start … [Read more...] about Pastors have a tough job in our ministry system

Georgia House Speaker David Ralston has announced his intent to file legislation for a "pastor protection act" later this year when the legislature is in session. The pastor protection act will: a) provide security for pastors against forced termination b) legislate civil protections for pastors against obstreperous deacons c) cause the state to pay for all pastor's health insurance premiums d) protect pastors from being forced at gunpoint to perform weddings they don't want to perform The answer is, of course, "d", although some pastors already perform weddings they don't … [Read more...] about Pastor protection act proposed for Georgia

For most of us religious liberty in America is an abstract matter that allows us to declaim profusely and vigorously in matters that never touch us personally. We can talk and blog about it without leaving our comfortable pastorates. We can preach about it from our secure pulpits without risking anything save boring our congregation to death. Not so for our Southern Baptist pastor colleague and SBC Voices contributor, Bart Barber. Seems that some controversy has unfolded in his fair town of Farmersville, Texas  about a proposal to build a mosque, Muslim cemetery, and Islamic training … [Read more...] about Bart Barber’s stalwart defense of religious liberty

Because of the offering in her name, Charlotte Digges Moon, Lottie Moon to all of us, is the SBC's most heroic figure, a completely subjective opinion.      Regina Sullivan wrote the latest biography of LM (cover image is shown above). A previous biography, 1980, was written by Catherine Allen. I bought the former and was generously sent a copy of the latter by Wanda Lee, WMU president. I read Sullivan's but haven't had time to read Allen's. Some in the SBC have blithely dismissed Sullivan's work as a feminist reinterpretation. I call it a pretty good, non-hagiographical treatment of Lottie … [Read more...] about Lottie Moon: SBC’s most heroic figure

"...by the authority vested in me as a Minister of the Gospel of Jesus Christ and the laws of this state..." Thus, thousands of Southern Baptist clergy complete a marriage ceremony by some fashion or wording invoking the authority granted them by the government, the state. How are you feeling about that now, brethren? I've done only a few dozen weddings and seems like I came to the place where I would leave out the business about the state. I would, nonetheless, sign the state's marriage form and duly return it to the court house. Known to all except those holed up in a cave, sans … [Read more...] about Your work, pastor, as an agent of the state

Baptist Press has the unofficial count, 5,406, for the meeting in Columbus earlier in the week. Sorry I couldn't make it 5,407. The last six years are shown below: 2010 Orlando           11,070 2011 Phoenix             4,814 2012 New Orleans    7,814 2013 Houston           5,103 2014 Baltimore        5,294 2015 Columbus        5,406 Absent some white hot Baptist controversy, folks that like to go and have the money will go and folks that don't see it as all that important will stay home.  When there is an attraction apart from the meeting itself, attendance bumps up (Bourbon Street, … [Read more...] about Can’t get a crowd at the Annual Meeting?

This is how the Atlanta Journal-Constitution article headline read Tuesday. Baptists declare 'spiritual warfare' over gay marriage Since I wasn't present, I don't know if the writer got Ronnie Floyd's words and attitude correct but the article looked about right. Declaring “spiritual warfare” on gay marriage, thousands gathered here Tuesday for the annual Southern Baptist Convention and vowed that, no matter what the Supreme Court rules this month, they will never yield on the issue. Floyd was, the article said, "generally defiant." Fair enough. Probably more than "generally" … [Read more...] about Baptists declare ‘spiritual warfare’ over gay marriage

A lot of smart SBC people have looked at the summary of SBC statistics that were just made public and know a lot more than I do. The Baptist Press article, SBC reports more churches, fewer people by LifeWay writer Carol Pipes is what we usually get, almost a template where the numbers are changed from year to year. So... 1. There are more SBC churches. 46,499 in 2014, up 374 from the previous year. Hey, that's about nine churches per state convention. I get the sense here (Georgia, near Atlanta, hotbed of pop-up, generic-name churches) that there is some replacement ecclesiology going on. It … [Read more...] about 2014 SBC statistics

As a pastor of average-sized Southern Baptist churches, sometimes above and sometimes below, I always enjoyed the routine of fellowships, after worship finger food, Wednesday evening meals, VBS snacks, class socials and any other occasion where folks showed up and shared food. I figure an average of twice a month for thirty years, probably more. Gazillions of calories (but I would have eaten anyway, right?), countless hours in casual conversation with church folks and their families and some guests. This is retail pastoring, an informal setting where the pastor can get to know people, … [Read more...] about Covered dish church calamity