On Monday a group of SBC women leaders launched a new initiative called the SBC Women's Leadership Network. We've heard rumblings for a month or two that something was in the works to give SBC women an avenue for networking and encouragement. The SBC Women’s Leadership Network exists to connect, equip, and encourage women leaders throughout the Southern Baptist Convention as we serve in various forms of kingdom mission. The Women's Leadership Network (WLN) has a steering committee, as listed on their website, an impressive list of SBC leaders like Kathy Litton, Carol Pipes, Amy Whitfield, … [Read more...] about Launched: SBC Women’s Leadership Network
SBC Annual Meeting
I Am Embarrassed by My State Paper, The Baptist Message
One week ago I wrote my first draft of this article, then I didn't post it because I realized I was angry and my words were not appropriate nor were they even coherent due to my frustration. Thus, I have waited until today when the hard copy of the article to which I was responding arrived at our church office (and I am in better control of my faculties ). Also, I had another title for this article but some dear friends suggested I should soften it a bit. So this is me not being angry or incendiary... The Baptist Message's "Investigation" Last week the Baptist Message (BM), the state … [Read more...] about I Am Embarrassed by My State Paper, The Baptist Message
The SBC’s New Castle and the Wall
It’s been 31 years since Joel Gregory’s famous “The Castle and the Wall” sermon at the 1988 Southern Baptist Convention (SBC). As the illustration goes, Lord Londonderry owned a castle in Ireland with fine stones that the local villagers began pilfering in order to rebuild broken roads and buildings. Prior to an extended trip, Londonderry gave orders to his agent to enclose the castle with a well-coped wall, six-feet in height. Londonderry arrived several years later to find his castle had disappeared. In its place was a large wall enclosing nothing. Londonderry sent for his agent to learn … [Read more...] about The SBC’s New Castle and the Wall
J.D. Greear’s Address to SBC Executive Committee Last Monday Night, 2/18/19
Members of the Executive Committee and fellow Southern Baptists, I hope you guys are doing great. It’s been a nice, quiet season for me, so I’m just grateful to be here. When I got nominated to be SBC President, I honestly wasn’t sure what to expect. I told a lot of people that in some ways I felt like the proverbial dog that had caught the school bus--spent all that time barking, “now what?” I knew there was a lot I needed to learn, and only a fool jumps forward in confidence when he should sit back, examine and learn. I’m reminded of the story of a small plane carrying 4 people … [Read more...] about J.D. Greear’s Address to SBC Executive Committee Last Monday Night, 2/18/19
Addressing Abuse in the SBC: A Proposal (by Keith Whitfield & Malcom Yarnell)
Earlier this week, the Houston Chronicle published three articles – “Abuse of Faith,” “Offend, Then Repeat,” and “Preying on Teens” – concerning some 200 ministers in more than 700 abuse cases occurring in Southern Baptist churches over the past 20 years. These articles properly sparked numerous conversations about how Southern Baptists might respond both as local churches and through our cooperative structures. These conversations increasingly call for both immediate and longer-term responses. Immediate Responses As SBC president J.D. Greear urged, our first immediate response must be grief … [Read more...] about Addressing Abuse in the SBC: A Proposal (by Keith Whitfield & Malcom Yarnell)
Greear Announces Most Diverse Ever Committee on Committees
Yesterday afternoon through Baptist Press, SBC President J.D. Greear announced his appointments for the 2019 Committee on Committees. The demographic makeup of this committee, which is reported in accordance with a 2015 Executive Committee recommendation (adopted by vote of the entire SBC), includes the following details: 34% of the committee is female, 50% of the committee is ethnic minority, and over 50% come from churches of less than 250 in attendance. The average Cooperative Program giving of the churches represented is 7.66% and the average age of committee members is 43. We are … [Read more...] about Greear Announces Most Diverse Ever Committee on Committees
A Good Step: SBC President Names Diverse Resolutions Committee
A few hours ago, Baptist Press reported that the Resolutions Committee for #SBC19 has been named by SBC President, J.D. Greear. Last week it was reported that the chair of that committee would be Curtis Woods of Kentucky. Now, the rest of the committee has been named. It will not go unnoticed that this resolutions committee is one of the most diverse committees we’ve seen and includes members from a wide spectrum of SBC life. It also should not go unnoticed that the people selected for this committee are of the highest caliber and are well qualified for the task. President Greear has chosen … [Read more...] about A Good Step: SBC President Names Diverse Resolutions Committee
James MacDonald Withdraws from 2019 SBC Pastors’ Conference
SBC Pastors' Conference President Danny Wood released a statement today announcing that James MacDonald will not be speaking at #SBCPC19. MacDonald had been named as one of the speakers back in October. Recently a World Magazine article about MacDonald and Harvest renewed some earlier concerns and brought new information to light that reflected poorly on MacDonald. There were growing questions and discussion about MacDonald's participation in #SBCPC19. Wood announced the following via the Pastors' Conference twitter account: Statement from Dr. Danny Wood, president of #SBCPC19: James … [Read more...] about James MacDonald Withdraws from 2019 SBC Pastors’ Conference
Be On Guard: Thoughts on Electing a Woman as SBC President
A few years ago I went to a panel discussion at a large SBC missions conference. It was supposed to be about setting women free to be whatever they can be in the church. I know that the hosts of this discussion had noble intentions from the outset. They could see that women are sadly underrepresented on most of the committees and trustee boards in our convention, and they seemed keen on starting a discussion about how to change that. I was amazed by how many hundreds of women (and a few brave men) packed themselves into the room, eager to get any biblical wisdom about what women should and … [Read more...] about Be On Guard: Thoughts on Electing a Woman as SBC President
10 Predictions for the 2019 Annual Meeting
Dr. Rainer likes to devote a podcast episode or two at the end of the year to predicting current trends and their impact on churches in the coming year. He’s usually correct, and those episodes are some of my favorites. I’d like to take a page out of Dr. Rainer’s book and offer ten predictions for the SBC Annual meeting in Birmingham. 1. The Bailey amendment—I thought about calling this the Osceola amendment, but that’s unfair to the good people of Osceola Arkansas, so it shall henceforth be known as the Bailey amendment. My prediction is that Steve Bailey of Calvary Baptist Church in … [Read more...] about 10 Predictions for the 2019 Annual Meeting