That is from the LifeWay/GuideStone 2018 SBC Compensation Study. The $77,979 figure is for senior pastors only and the amount includes salary + housing allowance + FRV of parsonage + Social Security equivalent + utilities paid on church owned housing + insurance benefits + retirement contribution. There were 3,536 SBC churches that participated in the survey. The link allows you to check results by position, church size, church budget, state, etc. The initial news release noted that compensation hasn't kept up with inflation but the average is about $2,500 more than the same category … [Read more...] about 2018 Average senior pastor compensation: $77,979.
Have We Taken God out of School?
I fell for it. I fell for it, hook line and sinker. I parroted this critique of the liberal public education establishment: they’ve taken God out of our schools. That was before I became involved with our local school. There are many who believe that the cause of our societal decline began when The Supreme Court outlawed prayer in public schools. The Supreme Court’s decision in Engel vs. Vitale has become an easy scapegoat for the moral decline in our nation. It’s convenient to blame nine dead justices for everything we revile about our society, but in our righteous” anger, we’re … [Read more...] about Have We Taken God out of School?
Saved by God’s grace but sacked by the church
On two consecutive days this week I learned of the termination of church staff members. These were in unrelated situations having in common only that a church staff member went to church on Sunday and Monday with a job and left without one. The firings were unexpected, sudden, and final. Such things always trouble me and since I knew both individuals, I was saddened by the situations. Most of us can be forgiven if we entered the Christian ministry with a view of the road ahead that was excessively idealistic and that lacked a sufficient measure of sober realism. Serving Southern Baptist … [Read more...] about Saved by God’s grace but sacked by the church
A Complaint, A Confession, A Commitment
I have always envied some of my friends who seem to have a knack for maintaining their cool when they deal with comments on blogs. I watch men like Bart Barber and David Rogers continue to gracefully engage even the most belligerent responses. I do not have that knack. Comments get under my skin. I try to be careful about what I write - most of the time. If you think my articles are harsh, you ought to see the first, second, and third drafts - the ones I didn't publish, the ones I toned down and smoothed over before I arrived at the ones I published. I make a sincere effort to honor Christ … [Read more...] about A Complaint, A Confession, A Commitment
Thom Rainer Has Announced His Retirement at LifeWay
Thom Rainer surprised the SBC by announcing his pending retirement from LifeWay. He will retire when he his replacement is found or in one year, whichever comes first. In an article entitled, "Why I Am Retiring from LifeWay" Dr. Rainer explains his reasons for the move. He is leaving on his own terms, in his own time. Dr. Rainer has been a man of honor, integrity, and decency. There has never been a hint of any kind of scandal of any sort at LifeWay under his watch - though there was a constant drumbeat of criticism about editorial choices. I am guessing that comes with the job. Dr. … [Read more...] about Thom Rainer Has Announced His Retirement at LifeWay
Charles Haddon Spurgeon, SJW? (by Casey McCall)
This article was originally posted at Prince on Preaching, the website of Dr. David Prince, and was written by Casey McCall, pastor of Ashland Oldham County in Buckner, KY. Charles Haddon Spurgeon (1834-1892) is rightly known today for his preaching. The pioneer mega-church pastor attracted weekly crowds numbering in the thousands to his Metropolitan Tabernacle in London, England. His sermons were distributed all over the world with an estimated 100 million copies being sold by the time of his death. By all accounts, Spurgeon’s ministry stands as one of the most numerically fruitful in … [Read more...] about Charles Haddon Spurgeon, SJW? (by Casey McCall)
NAMB goes high profile on evangelism
Baptist Press reported: Johnny Hunt to lead NAMB evangelism leadership group The group Hunt will be leading will be focused on championing the cause of evangelism among Southern Baptist churches and pastors. It will also equip pastors with tools and leadership skills that will allow them to lead their churches to become more evangelistically active. NAMB critics should be satisfied with this, since they have found NAMB's lack of an evangelism staff to be a profitable route to gripe about the SBC's declining baptism numbers. Predictably, no evidence links the two unless you are a big fallacy … [Read more...] about NAMB goes high profile on evangelism
NOBTS Chapel and My Meeting with Dr. Kelley
Some time after Katrina (I’m not sure when. Months maybe. Those early years are a blur to me now) I arrived back to my house from a long day of helping visiting mission teams gut homes. My wife Michelle met me at the door with a big smile. It was hard to smile then and we were very busy. Well, I was very busy. Maybe too busy. But Michelle greeted me with a smile and said, “hurry in and look at what we received today.” There on the kitchen counter was probably the prettiest bouquet of flowers I’d ever seen and on the note was something like the following, Dear Michelle and Jay, We know how … [Read more...] about NOBTS Chapel and My Meeting with Dr. Kelley
I like the tone J. D. Greear sets with servanthood
You read the Baptist Press article, Greear to state execs: 'How may I serve you?', a piece that was carried in a number of the state papers. Some state execs and editors wrote separate, positive articles. I like the tone that Greear sets here with his offer to be a servant. Some years ago, our longtime DOM retired. He was recycled to our association for his last few years. A very good man but bereft of energy and any new ideas. His replacement was one of the leading pastors in the association for whom the position was a terminal career opportunity. But one thing he did early on gained my … [Read more...] about I like the tone J. D. Greear sets with servanthood
Tragedy Should Never Be a Political Platform
For the last few weeks, those of us here in Iowa have been following the story of a missing University of Iowa student named Mollie Tibbetts. She was staying in her boyfriend's home to watch his dog while he was gone for a few days to work. She went out jogging one evening this summer and never came back. There were rumors followed by rumors. One farmer in the area, a known stalker, became the primary focus of the investigation and was heavily investigated. I did not realize that this had become national news as well, but evidently, it had. On Tuesday, a body was found in Poweshiek county … [Read more...] about Tragedy Should Never Be a Political Platform