William Thornton

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

Each year prior to the SBC annual meeting the IMB reports the total for the previous year's Lottie Moon Christmas Offering for International Missions. Lottie Moon offering tops $153 million The $153 million is a huge sum but is about one million dollars less than last year's record total of $154 million. The decrease is less than one percent. As a pastor, I always led my churches to try and give a little more. Almost always, they responded. I know things have changed in SBC life and that the LMCO, while important, does not carry the same priority with churches that it once did. I wish … [Read more...] about Lottie Moon 2014: down $1 million but still a huge sum for missions

The only thing I invest in Florida is an occasional chunk of tourist money. The only thing I bring out of Florida is sunburn and a few fish. But I do think events concerning the Florida Baptist Convention are interesting, since it is one of the largest of the state conventions and one of the heaviest contributors to the Cooperative Program on the national level. In 2014 FBC churches, through their state convention, sent almost $30 million to the SBC Executive Committee in Nashville to be allocated mainly to the mission boards and seminaries. In 2014 the FBC kept 58.63 percent of every CP … [Read more...] about Cooperative Program and the new CEO of the Florida Baptist state convention

...that not too many of us are talking about: Cooperative Program 2.57% ahead of year-to-date projection NASHVILLE (BP) -- Year-to-date contributions to Southern Baptist national and international missions and ministries received by the SBC Executive Committee are 2.57 percent above the year-to-date SBC Cooperative Program Allocation Budget projection and 2.09 percent above contributions received during the same time frame last year, according to a news release from SBC Executive Committee President and Chief Executive Officer Frank S. Page. The year-to-date total represents money … [Read more...] about Pre-SBC good news…

...is that after they have been at their present church for a stretch of years they would be given a sabbatical. Various SBC outlets regularly, though not frequently, promote the idea that pastors should take sabbaticals. The latest that I have seen came from Michael Lewis, NAMB's Executive Director of Pastoral Care and Development in an article: Why Sabbaticals Matter Only megapastors can "take" sabbatical. If the rest of us average guys want some extended amount of time away from the church we've generally had one voluntary route (resign) and one involuntary route (get fired). But we … [Read more...] about What I wish for my hardworking pastor colleagues…

...so I thought it would be interesting to speculate on the phrase that could have followed that statement: (a) "...can you believe that!" (b) "...for crying out loud!" (c) "...and I don't know what the church is coming to." (d) "...great God Almighty!" (e) "...our pastor is such a forward-looking man of wisdom and insight." All but the last would fit with the tone and expression of the speaker. The context was the general malaise of the church, lack of pastoral care, and seriously diffused focus. I'm curious if having a marketing committee (or team, and I'd speculate that calling … [Read more...] about “Our church has a marketing committee…”

...so the prospective pastor told the search committee in answer to the second of the pair of questions that every search committee asks. The first question was, "What is your strong point?" "Preaching, I suppose" answered the candidate. Fair enough. The man might indeed be Spurgeon or he might be unable to preach his way out of a flimsy paper bag but at least the search committee and eventually the church will get to listen and judge for themselves. The worst that could be said about this answer is that the brother seriously overestimates himself. Many a congregation has been patient … [Read more...] about “Well, I sometimes get mad…”