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Motions Offered – Session 1

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A note here: it is the messenger's duty to learn how the SBC works. If you don't avail yourself of the opportunity to figure out our polity, don't act aggrieved when your motion is ruled out of order. Example - it is not appropriate at this point to offer motions to bring your resolution to the floor. There is another time to do that. If the resolutions committee didn't bring your motion to the floor, then make a motion DURING the resolutions committee time. There's an appropriate time to do this. Learn how the system works. Here are the motions (well, summaries of them - I wrote the … [Read more...] about Motions Offered – Session 1

We Are Southern BAPTIST, Not Southern Presbyterian

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I sat with my dad, who was saved at age 25 in an SBC church, served for over half a century as an SBC pastor and missionary, and was deeply involved in SBC life, when the convention voted to change our constitution to disfellowship churches that either ordained homosexuals or blessed their unions. He was troubled. He said he supported the action because he realized that a church that did these things could not be in friendly cooperation with Southern Baptists. Still, he was troubled because he realized that writing such an action into the constitution, the act of instructing the denominational … [Read more...] about We Are Southern BAPTIST, Not Southern Presbyterian

The SBC Needs Bart Barber for ONE MORE Year

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Bart Barber is running for reelection as president of the SBC on Tuesday, and it is my hope that you will vote for him. I believe it is in the best interests of the SBC that you do so, and that we give him one more year. He's done a great job this year and will serve us well if we give him another year. Here are my brief thoughts on why I think you should. 1. Baptist polity, history, and tradition demand a vote for Bart. It has been our tradition to allow a president a second term unless there was some serious breach of integrity during the president’s first term. Sometimes, an outlier … [Read more...] about The SBC Needs Bart Barber for ONE MORE Year

Be Still and Know That I Am God

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“Be still, and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!” Psalm 46:10 I have not come into an annual meeting less informed about what is going on in our political machinations since 2006. Life has pushed SBC intrigue into the background. I know Bart is running for reelection and longstanding protocol has been broken and he has an opponent. I know there's a complementarian brouhaha or two, even though we are all complementarian. I can get worked up over these things when I'm in convention mode, as if the kingdom of God hangs on the SBC … [Read more...] about Be Still and Know That I Am God

Vote for Jay Adkins for First Vice President

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I highly recommend Jay Adkins as First Vice President of the SBC. I was unaware that my friend Jay now has competition for the position. I do not know the other candidate and have no reason to think or say anything negative about him, but I do know Jay and i believe that the messengers would do well to  elect Jay Adkins as their 1VP. Jay labors at FirstWego, here in New Orleans, in the heart of a difficult culture, a true mission field, and he embraces his ministry with joy, passion, and conviction. Ask the local DOM about Jay. He will tell you the kind of man, the kind of pastor he … [Read more...] about Vote for Jay Adkins for First Vice President

Convention Free-for-All Rules Apply

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I have been disconnected recently - finalizing my house sale, packing, moving, unpacking - it's been a blur. I now live in Tekamah, Nebraska, where I pastor a small and wonderful church. Anyway,  convention rules apply at Voices now. That means if you have something, post it. If 2 people post at the same time, no problem. I will still take submissions at dmille3098@gmail.com but may or may not see them. If they aren't about convention business,  we will wait till things die down. I don't know if we will have our Monday night fellowship meal. Brent is flying in a couple hours from now … [Read more...] about Convention Free-for-All Rules Apply

When it comes to train wrecks and rodeo clown acts, the SBC never disappoints

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I apologize in advance to any actual rodeo clowns who might read this. They risk life and limb in an entertaining way whereas their equivalents in our Grand Old Convention risk nothing and failure merely means you get your sinecure a little earlier than expected. Here is some of the-stuff-that-you-cannot-make-up about the SBC. Remember when IMB had a funding shortfall of $210 million, somewhere around $30m per year and that led to over 1,000 missionaries retiring? That was bad. How could they? (easy, just coast along and think magical thoughts about a turnaround). Well, SWBTS had only a … [Read more...] about When it comes to train wrecks and rodeo clown acts, the SBC never disappoints

The Big Votes at #SBC23

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Like many of you, I will be in New Orleans next week for the annual meeting of the Southern Baptist Convention. This will be my 10th SBC annual meeting. I haven’t missed an annual meeting since my first one in 2013 in Houston. My feelings about our upcoming annual meeting are about the same as they always are. I am excited to see friends I haven’t seen since we left Anaheim. I am certainly a little nervous about how everything will turn out once all the votes are counted. I am also hopeful that Southern Baptists will be able to come together, do the business of our convention of churches, … [Read more...] about The Big Votes at #SBC23

On the Spiritual Gift of Pastoral Ministry

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A note from Dave: i neglected to change this from my name to guest blogger before I left on my trip to New Orleans. My Apologies. It seems like there has been a lot of discussion recently, especially within the Southern Baptist community, regarding pastoral ministry and the role of women. This is largely due to the actions taken by Rick Warren and Saddleback Church. In May 2021, the southern California megachurch made denominational headlines when it ordained three women as pastors. Since then, it has also recognized Stacie Wood, wife of current pastor Andy Wood who succeeded Warren in 2022, … [Read more...] about On the Spiritual Gift of Pastoral Ministry