The following is a message sent out to pastors from our Indiana Executive Director, Dr. Cecil Seagle. He has given me permission to repost it here. Dr. Seagle's words are timely and needed -- thankful for his clearing of the dust and his affirmation of the heart of our leaders during this heart-wrenching and difficult situation. He also provides a path forward. I am thankful for his leadership and guidance here. SBC's International Mission Board (IMB) is currently working through some very sticky financial issues. I have waited to see what Dr. Platt would SAY & DO in the … [Read more...] about Getting the job done in the wake of the IMB crisis: “I’m in – and so are you!”
Cooperative Program
Southern Baptist Missionaries
When you look at the numbers, our North American Mission Board in 2013 claimed 2342 missionaries, plus 3514 chaplains and 1255 student missionaries. The International Mission Board in 2014 claims 4816 missionaries. That totals just shy of 12,000 missionaries working in various locations. I 100% believe we need missionaries like these serving on the field in various locations, and that we should support them through giving to the Cooperative Program and through other streams such as Lottie Moon and Annie Armstrong. This week my church began our yearly emphasis for the Lottie Moon Christmas … [Read more...] about Southern Baptist Missionaries
Do we believe that God is in this?
Today (8.27.2014) the IMB trustees announced that they had selected David Platt to be the next president of our International Mission Board. Concerns were raised before hand, and upon the announcement came both expressions of praise and concern: praise for his passion for missions and the glory of God in the salvation of the lost; concern over potential polarization, theological nuances, and cooperative program giving. No doubt, like we often do, we will continue to debate the pros and cons of such a hire for months (if not years) to come. But I want to ask a question transcending our … [Read more...] about Do we believe that God is in this?
Money, Ministry and Motivations
Editor's note: Those of you who frequent the site probably notice that Dave generates a lot of the content himself. While he is away, you will likely see my name on posts a lot more often. Just think of it as me making up for lost time since I haven't posted in a while. This article is a repost from my own blog a while back. Yesterday, I got a strange call. As a pastor, I am no stranger to odd requests and since the church phone rings in our house; we get to answer a lot of calls that might be better left to the machine. When I answered the phone yesterday morning, the person on the … [Read more...] about Money, Ministry and Motivations
5 Questions with….an IMBer in Contemplation of Past and Future
Hey folks, it's time for a new installment of our award-winning "5 Questions with..." series. We've been taking a brief hiatus, one that was not foreknown but was indeed predestined by my fall workload. Today's subject is Fuzzy Goldenblister, an IMB worker for somewhere between 10 and 15 years. He's roguishly handsome, erudite, and cooks a mean mac-and-cheese with peanut brittle casserole, but he possesses almost zero people skills. We caught up with Fuzzy as he was polishing a turtle in the back yard. 1. Looking back at yourself and the IMB, what lessons did you learn or mistakes did … [Read more...] about 5 Questions with….an IMBer in Contemplation of Past and Future
Get To’s and Got To’s
For twenty years I did computer support in corporate America. I was privileged to work at some of the best companies in the world. I was getting paid to do what I loved. Not only that, I can think of dozens of opportunities I had to experience insanely fun things. Early in my career I was working a trade show—which in themselves were always a blast to work at—when Bill Gates walked by me. He was surrounded by brick walls in suits as he made his way across the trade show floor. That was the early 1990s, a wild time in the history of the industry; it was exciting just to see him. Looking … [Read more...] about Get To’s and Got To’s
It Ain’t About the Benjamins
The nation’s economy is in a crunch. Unemployment rates are high, gas is high, utilities are high, the dollar is falling…translate this to church and the SBC: giving is down and the Cooperative Program is down. Many churches are having to slash budgets (including mine—our budget year ends the last day of June and it looks like we are going to have a 20%+ budget shortfall). And now come the calls that we need to give more—pastors do it from the pulpit, deacons do it (I personally know of one church from my past where a different deacon is now getting up in front of the congregation each … [Read more...] about It Ain’t About the Benjamins
What Must We Do To Be Relevant
With all the problems in the world, we often question who to help and how to help them. We worry about giving and having our hard-earned money being mis-spent. As a child I learned that the money Baptists give to missions is one of the best ways to give and be assured the assistance we give makes all the difference in the world--the difference between clean water and filthy contaminated water. Southern Baptist have been digging wells, stocking streams with fish, and teaching agriculture skills to get more bountiful crops for decades. We have annual offerings for all kinds of things. … [Read more...] about What Must We Do To Be Relevant
What Is Good about the SBC?
I think there is a lot wrong with the current SBC. I've been vocal about the culture of secrecy, the mega-church mentality, the legalism and so many other things. On blogs, we tend to focus on what is wrong, what is bad, what needs to be fixed. But, aren't there some good things as well? Are we all just sticking around because we have nowhere else to go, or we don't have the courage to leave? What are those good things? Wouldn't it be good to spend a little time speaking of what we love about the SBC - why we stick with it, even though there are things we don't like? WHY I LOVE … [Read more...] about What Is Good about the SBC?
Dr. Morris Chapman weighs in on GCR Report
Over at Baptist Press, soon-to-retire SBC Executive Committee President and C.E.O. Dr. Morris Chapman has posted a lengthy almost 9,000 word response to the final report of the Great Commission Resurgence Task Force. I highly encourage people to read it as it provides the perspective of someone who knows the ins-and-outs of SBC convention life and politics, serving in this particular role since 1992. It does seem unfortunate that with the GCR discussion dominating the heading into the convention, the SBC will miss a chance, perhaps, to give thanks and celebrate the outgoing Executive … [Read more...] about Dr. Morris Chapman weighs in on GCR Report