I am in Cincinnati today and awoke to news from Baptist News Global that Dr. Greenway had resigned. I trust Mark Wingfield as a reporter, though I seldom agree with the opinions of BNG. The story was also being widely disseminated on social media. We report on stories here but generally do not break them. I reported this one with a link to BNG. Again, I consider them a reliable source. I was contacted by another source, authoritative and trusted, who told me that BNG had jumped the gun. Dr. Greenway may still leave SWBTS soon, but I was told it had not happened yet. I also reported … [Read more...] about A Word about a Confusing News Day
Breaking: Greenway Has NOT Resigned
I have received a reliable report from an authoritative source saying that BNG jumped the gun. There may be some issues at SWBTS but at this point Greenway is still at the helm. The situation is fluid and could change. Count me among those who are pleased this is so. My guess is that this will be a story for days to come. Hopefully, clarity will come soon. … [Read more...] about Breaking: Greenway Has NOT Resigned
BNG Report: Greenway Resigns from Southwestern
Baptist News Global has reported that at a trustee meeting, Dr. Adam Greenway has tendered his resignation after only three and a half years at SWBTS. According to their report, the issue was financial management. We have enough information to believe this may be an accurate report, though there has been no official announcement or Baptist Press statement. I have appreciated Dr. Greenway's work and respected him. I would be pleased if this turned out to be false but we have every reason to believe it is true. … [Read more...] about BNG Report: Greenway Resigns from Southwestern
Dr. Mohler’s Growing Political Partisanship
Dr. Albert Mohler will have an honored place in SBC history for people like me who lived through the Conservative Resurgence and were pleased to see the tide of our denomination's history turn. I appreciate what he did to restore confessionalism and a more biblical theology at Southern, even if I do not share many of his theological distinctives. I fear his legacy may be tarnished by his recent turn toward a focus on strident political partisanship. Once a noble statesman and a force of unity among us, he is now in danger of being remembered as a divisive political opportunist whose focus … [Read more...] about Dr. Mohler’s Growing Political Partisanship
On Unrealistic Expectations in Ministry (Phillip Powers)
It is no secret that the last few years have been extremely difficult for churches and even more so for pastors. Of course, pastoral ministry is commonly fraught with its own set of unique stresses, but those stresses have grown exponentially over the past few years due to the chaos and turmoil that has so regularly characterized our society. This has led to unprecedented numbers of pastors leaving the ministry, a trend some are now calling the "Great Resignation". The Barna Group has recently reported that some 42% of pastors have given real, serious consideration to quitting being in … [Read more...] about On Unrealistic Expectations in Ministry (Phillip Powers)
The Chair’s Opening Message to This Year’s Committee on Nominations is Encouraging
I was recently sent a copy of an email which was written by this year's Chair of the SBC Committee on Nominations, Michael Criner, and sent to his full Committee. As a member of last year's NomCom this is of great interest to me. To my knowledge, I have not yet met Michael but I deeply appreciate the direction he is moving and I see this as a faithful forward movement/extension in the same direction that Leah Finn led our team last year. I appreciate Michael's faithful effort in following the lead of the Convention especially now in light of the SATF report. He is taking this task seriously … [Read more...] about The Chair’s Opening Message to This Year’s Committee on Nominations is Encouraging
Would this pastor be on the Ministry Check database?
Credit to the Tennessean and to the survivor for making this known. Tullahoma pastor resigns after abuse survivor shares story This may be behind a paywall. The salient facts are familiar, and depressing: a youth guy has sex with a teen in his group, 16 years old. The Tennessean quotes the former youth pastor as confessing to the act but the act was determined by law enforcement people in Kentucky where the abuse occurred to not be illegal. Would this non-illegal act have landed the guy on the SBC's database that is being put together? I'm not sure and will have to reread some of … [Read more...] about Would this pastor be on the Ministry Check database?
Average SBC Senior Pastor pay package approaches $100,000 or how inflation is the real pastor killer
LifeWay, Guidestone, and the state conventions do a compensation study of SBC pastors and staff. The numbers in it come from self-reporting by churches and church staff. Here's the way Baptist Press reported the 2022 results: SBC pastor pay stuck at same level since 2018 It's a good article. Read it. Here's another way to look at the pay of SBC Senior Pastors who are the largest respondents to the survey: Average SBC Senior Pastor pay package approaches $100,000 That's right, brethren (and there are no sistren who are SBC senior pastors) - The average pay for Senior Pastors is … [Read more...] about Average SBC Senior Pastor pay package approaches $100,000 or how inflation is the real pastor killer
PICTURES CAPTURE MEMORIES by William Dwight McKissic, Sr.
My wife, Vera, recently walked into my home office with two pictures in her hand, and asked me, concerning one of them, “Who is this?” To which I responded, “I don’t know.” I then asked her, “where did you get the picture?” Holding an envelope in her hand she responded, “From this envelope, cleaning out a box on the back porch.” She then handed me the envelope; and the first thing I noticed was my father’s handwriting on the outside of the envelope, where he had written, “Dwight” and “Rev. West.” I then took another look at the picture and told my wife, “That’s Ralph West.” The reason neither … [Read more...] about PICTURES CAPTURE MEMORIES by William Dwight McKissic, Sr.
Local church autonomy still the realty in the SBC, says EC counsel
[The headline is not a direct quote, lest anyone not read what is written beside the headline.] There are more than an dozen articles on this site that deal with our practice of local church autonomy. May I link just one of these by a distinguished member of the SBCV team: Autonomy is a reality, not an excuse. In that article are some quotes that might summarize the attitude of many in regard to this principle and practice that individual churches make their own decisions, Stop making autonomy an excuse for doing nothing about clergy sex abuse… The SBC needs to deal with the issue and … [Read more...] about Local church autonomy still the realty in the SBC, says EC counsel