SBC Issues

[To be clear, they’re not asking churches for offerings.] All of our entities have suffered. Jobs have been cut and budgets reduced. Financial outlooks have been tempered by the virus crisis. I thought that our International Mission Board was looking at a record Lottie Moon offering prior to the crisis. Surely, a significant reduction is in store now. IMB receives just under 60% of it's annual budget in Lottie Moon offering receipts. A five or ten percent reduction in this would be $7 million to $15 million. Significant sums. The IMB receives about 37% of it's operating revenue from … [Read more...] about IMB is asking for mid-year donations

The short answers are (a) anyone, (b) no one. There is, as all of my informed clergy colleagues know, no such thing as "an SBC" minister. There is no "SBC" ordination. That degree from one of the six SBC seminaries? That expensive sheepskin doesn't formally recategorize the newly erudite brother as anything other than having obtained a degree. (It's a good thing to be an educated pastor, though.) It used to be routine for the annuals of SBC associations to have a page for ordained ministers not serving in a church. This would be anyone a church listed. They could be retired pastors. They … [Read more...] about Who is an approved, certified, qualified, recommended, ordained SBC minister?

No, it wasn't the suit - that is still classy after all these years. I remember when we first started facing the idea of a shutdown from the coronavirus, and my first thought was, "I won't have anything to do." It was going to be like a lengthy vacation. Sometimes, a man just isn't thinking clearly. Since we suspended services a couple of months ago, it has been a bit of a whirlwind. I've barely had time to look at this site. Other than a few posts on politics, I've pretty much contributed nothing. I'm looking forward to starting up again in the next couple of weeks. Sioux City had a … [Read more...] about That Time Dave Had a Really Stupid Thought

With apologies, this came through a couple of days ago, but I've been a bit overwhelmed and woefully neglecting this site.  I sometimes process grief by writing. Most persons who read this article never met, or heard of my best friend over the past 33 years, Rev. Robert E. Fowler. I encourage you to read the entire tribute though, because I assure you as I unpack memories of our friendship and his mentorship in my life, at some point you will be encouraged, enlightened, and ministered to, in a manner worthy of your time investment. You will also be ministering to me, as you help me … [Read more...] about Memories of My Best Friend and Mentor, Dr. Robert E. Fowler (Wm Dwight McKissic, Sr)

Bibligraphical Info:  Yarnell, Malcolm, B., III. Who Is The Holy Spirit? Biblical Insights into His Divine Person. Nashville: B&H Academic, 2019. 121pp. $19.99.    Vera McKissic is a student at Southwestern and is the wife of our good friend, Pastor Dwight McKissic. Malcolm Yarnell is research professor of Systematic Theology at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth, TX. His purposes in writing this book is to instruct the current generation in who the Holy Spirit is based upon description of Him found in Scripture. Dr. Yarnell was also motivated by the lack of material … [Read more...] about A Review of Dr. Yarnell’s “Who Is The Holy Spirit? Biblical Insights into His Divine Person.” (Vera McKissic) “

LifeWay Research is meddling again with a survey on sermon length. Great work guys. Now it's confirmed that most pew-sitters prefer a sermon of 20-40 minutes. Personally, I have sat in churches and listened to sermons both short and long that robbed me of 20-40 good minutes. That string of jokes, stories, and guffaw-bait probably didn't even qualify for being called a "sermon." Adrian Rogers would preach over forty minutes and it was was too short. I have preached twenty minute sermons that were probably fifteen minutes too long. My informal survey reveals that most pastors are … [Read more...] about Revival may indeed break out…pastors are preaching shorter sermons.

I learned several weeks ago that the IMB had evacuated and relocated many of its missionaries around the world. The IMB took action after the US State Department advised all American citizens abroad to return to the USA as soon as possible. The IMB offered its missionaries the option of staying or evacuating. Of course, as you would expect, many chose to remain in their places of service. Others deemed it wise to accept evacuation. Last evening, I received this message from Dr. Paul Chitwood, President of the IMB. It reads in part: The impact of Covid-19, however, upon local churches — … [Read more...] about Double Trouble for the IMB

I was informed, breathlessly, that my county had seen a huge jump in virus cases just last week. Are we experiencing an exponential  expansion of the illness here that requires even more stringent measures by the population? No. Seems the National Guard had been asked to test everyone in a large nursing home. About sixty percent of the residents tested positive. Add to that staff who were positive and the single location accounts for about half of the county's entire virus count. In percentages, the county's infection rate is about one-tenth of one percent. It's difficult to arrive at … [Read more...] about COVID, my county, and implications for the next novel virus

Like many of you, earlier in the week, I heard about another seemingly racially motivated attack on a young man in Georgia.  And to my shame, I did not investigate it because I was caught in my own world, doing what I thought was important.  Not long after hearing about this, I started seeing the video being posted on various social media platforms, and I felt that maybe I needed to watch it.  So I did.  It shook me to my core. Ahmaud Arbery was simply jogging, and since he "matched a description" of someone in connection to some alleged neighborhood burglaries was targeted by two white men … [Read more...] about How Long O Lord? (Adam Wyatt)