We’re always trying to figure out how to “do church better.” We have, after all, communities of people surrounding us many of whom have little to no connection to a church (other than, maybe, “oh, I attended VBS there as a kid!”). My shelf is filled with books and conference notes that talk about visions, pipelines, revitalizations, etc., ad nauseum. Most of these are written by or led by men who pastor large churches, run large organizations, or live in large communities. Maybe, at some point, they pastored a tiny church in a small or rural community, but those days are long in the … [Read more...] about Do What You Do Well
Requesting and Utilizing an IMB Missionary at Your Church
This is the third in what has become a three-part series. Section one lightly sketches some reasons why IMB missionaries don't frequent many churches, with the main thesis being churches no longer request missionaries as speakers. Part two is a more in-depth treatment of that initial thesis, pointing to trends and patterns which have led the SBC to this condition. Today we'll look over how to request an IMB missionary and what to do with them once they arrive. Do not expect a comprehensive listing; I imagine comments from current and former IMB workers will far outshine my own in terms of … [Read more...] about Requesting and Utilizing an IMB Missionary at Your Church
Ephesians 3:5-7 “Gentiles in the Body”
One of the quirks of this effort to highlight the "Voice that Matters Most" here on SBCVoices is that we divided the text based on the CSB translation. The goal was to provide some standardization and for you readers to be able to open a Bible and track with us. Some of the (other) writers can do this in Greek, but others (me) aren't quite so good with it, and we wanted this to be reasonable for a blog. The result, though, is that some of our sections divide in strange places if you are in NA28 or even NASB. That goes back to doing the divisions based on sentence structure in the CSB. So, if … [Read more...] about Ephesians 3:5-7 “Gentiles in the Body”
SBC Resolution On Praying for the Plight of Arab Christians
Guest post by K.V. Paxton, Lead Pastor at Grace Baptist Church, Quinlan, Texas. The following resolution “On Praying for the Plight of Arab Christians” will be submitted to the Resolutions Committee to be considered at this year’s annual meeting in Dallas, Texas. Allow me to share the heart behind this resolution, then you can read it for yourself. Last year at the annual meeting in Phoenix, Arizona, I submitted a resolution I titled, “On Praying for the Peace of Jerusalem”. The intention of that resolution was to bring attention to the fact that we have brothers and sisters in Christ … [Read more...] about SBC Resolution On Praying for the Plight of Arab Christians
Why Good Trustees Don’t (And Shouldn’t) Blog About Their Business
I'm the one guy who contributes here who sits on the board at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. I'm the one guy who contributes here who has had nothing whatsoever to say about recent controversies at the seminary. At the end of this post, those two things will still be true. But I aspire someday to be a full-fledged SBC polity wonk, and it seems to me that this is an opportune moment for us to think together about the way that our polity works. Why haven't I put to writing my thoughts about these important matters? A superficial answer would be this: I wish to end my term as a … [Read more...] about Why Good Trustees Don’t (And Shouldn’t) Blog About Their Business
From the Voice that Matters Most – Ephesians 3:1-4 – “Distracted by Mystery”
Passage: For this reason, I, Paul, the prisoner of Christ Jesus on behalf of you Gentiles—you have heard, haven’t you, about the administration of God’s grace that he gave to me for you? The mystery was made known to me by revelation, as I have briefly written above. By reading this you are able to understand my insight into the mystery of Christ. (Ephesians 3:1-4 CSB) Expositional Devotion: In my preaching, friends at my church have noted that I tend on occasion to have 'squirrel moments,' like the dog from the movie "Up." I'd like to say that I'm not alone (I hope so), but to use this … [Read more...] about From the Voice that Matters Most – Ephesians 3:1-4 – “Distracted by Mystery”
A Concern with Paige Patterson’s Apology
Editor: This article was originally posted at Mike’s website, Borrowed Light, on Friday, May 11. I really don’t want to write this. It is going to be seen as dog piling or as harboring bitterness and unforgiveness. I pray if those charges are leveled that they don’t have truth in them. I pray that my motives here are completely pure. Yesterday Paige Patterson issued an apology to God’s people. And it’s not sitting well with me. And, honestly, I feel it puts into a precarious position the women who signed the letter to trustees and have expressed concerns about Patterson. Allow me to … [Read more...] about A Concern with Paige Patterson’s Apology
From the Voice that Matters Most – Ephesians 2:11-22 “Tear Down This Wall”
Text So then, remember that at one time you were gentiles in the flesh—called the “uncircumcised” by those called “the circumcised,” which is done in the flesh by human hands. At that time you were without Christ, excluded from the citizenship of Israel, and foreigners to the covenants of promise, without hope and without God in the world. But now in Christ Jesus, you who were far away have been brought near by the blood of Christ. For he is our peace, who made both groups one and tore down the dividing wall of hostility. In his flesh, he made no effect the law consisting of commands and … [Read more...] about From the Voice that Matters Most – Ephesians 2:11-22 “Tear Down This Wall”
The Case of the Missing Missionaries and the Local Church
I've already written about how to get an IMB missionary to come to your church; basically it boils down to requesting someone to come. Today, I'd like to examine what might possibly have led churches to stop requesting missionaries and why missionaries, for their part, don't seem to aggressively pursue venues in which to speak. A disclaimer: please, no blame-game discussions. We can seek causes without vilifying those attached to them. The goal behind a search for causes should always be to ameliorate the effects. As well, I'm painting with broad strokes here and as such there will be … [Read more...] about The Case of the Missing Missionaries and the Local Church
God Save the SBC – a Plea to Fervent Prayer
My heart has been heavy since I read something Ed Stetzer tweeted. Having been in a plethora of denominations he observed that (I paraphrase) the dysfunction in the SBC is not normal. Our anger and in-fighting is more than just a family fracas. A sense of call, a burden has been growing within me to do what I do today. I realize that many will call me a fool. Many willl dismiss it. Some will even be angered. But I believe this is what I must do. Anyone who has been around a while has to realize that what we are seeing this year is not normal. It not a harmless internal battle or a blip … [Read more...] about God Save the SBC – a Plea to Fervent Prayer