How are Southern Baptist churches and ministers managing in the age of escalating health care costs, confusion and uncertainty about Obamacare in a time of stagnant or declining church membership and revenues? A recent article, not yet available online, describes and decrys the "alarming rate" at which churches are shifting the costs of benefits from churches to ministers. The shift seems to mirror the trend of small businesses dropping health coverage for their employees. The vast majority of SBC churches are, economically viewed, small businesses with one, perhaps a couple of full time … [Read more...] about Has health insurance affected your church’s pastor search or your search for a church?
A Theory on the Absence of Revival and the Plight of the American Church
We only have one hope in America - we must pray for revival. If I had a nickel for every time I've heard some variation of that phrase over the last 4 decades of my walk with Christ and my ministry, I would have a very large nickel collection. It is an interdenominational plea, a heart-cry of millions who know that what is isn't what should be and that only God can fix it. It's often a sign of exasperation at the end of a long discussion of politics or other world problems. "There's no hope - we need a revival." It is used to stop theological discussions. "Let's stop arguing about this … [Read more...] about A Theory on the Absence of Revival and the Plight of the American Church
Graham & Prestonwood’s Serious Threat to Cooperative Ministry Efforts
At times, Baptists from Texas have been known to cause a ruckus in SBC life. It was about 40 years ago that Paige Patterson and Paul Pressler were forming plans for a revolution in the Southern Baptist Convention. Yesterday, news dropped that a Texas megachurch pastor aims to make serious waves in the SBC - but with a wholly different approach than Pressler and Patterson. Jack Graham, pastor of Prestonwood Baptist, through one of their staff, announced that the church would be withholding their Cooperative Program giving, one million dollars annually, until they’re more satisfied with the … [Read more...] about Graham & Prestonwood’s Serious Threat to Cooperative Ministry Efforts
What Changed? (a question in light of Prestonwood Baptist’s decision to escrow gifts to the Cooperative Program)
Big news yesterday from the church of an ex-SBC president. Jack Graham said that Prestonwood Baptist has decided to “to escrow gifts previously forwarded to support Southern Baptist cooperative missions and ministries while the congregation discusses concerns about the direction of the Southern Baptist Convention,” according to Will Hall at the Baptist Message, the "news journal" of Louisiana Baptists. While each church has the right to determine how to support the cooperative efforts of the SBC, this particular decision takes on a more public light given Graham’s previous position as SBC … [Read more...] about What Changed? (a question in light of Prestonwood Baptist’s decision to escrow gifts to the Cooperative Program)
Thank You, David Platt
Baptist Press has an article today regarding the amicus brief that the International Mission Board joined last May in support of a New Jersey Islamic Society’s right to build a mosque. There has been a lot of talk across our convention over the last few weeks regarding this brief. The brief was actually filed last year, but the recent talk was triggered by an IMB trustee’s decision to resign over the issue. Some, like myself, had concerns about the IMB’s participation in the filing of the brief. I have no problem with the ERLC’s participation. There are legitimate religious liberty … [Read more...] about Thank You, David Platt
My Sixteen Year-old Daughter Didn’t Get Any Valentines and I Jumped for Joy
No Valentines, Really? I found out tonight that my 16 year-old daughter didn't get any Valentines this Valentine's Day. I jumped for joy and praised the Lord. Lots of questions may be going through your mind. What's wrong with you? Is it because you keep her locked up in a box with no human contact? Or, worse, are you one of those homeschoolers? Have you scared off all the guys? What's wrong with her? Is she a mean person with no friends? Does she have some rare communicable disease and live out her days in quarantine? Is she that ugly? Yes, my wife and I homeschool our children … [Read more...] about My Sixteen Year-old Daughter Didn’t Get Any Valentines and I Jumped for Joy
A Video Interview with Michael Allen
This year's SBC Pastor's Conference is June 11-12 in Phoenix, Arizona. The conference will feature 12 preachers who all come from average-size SBC churches. They will be preaching through the book of Philippians over the course of the two day conference. As you know, last week was the colloquium at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary for this year's SBC Pastor's Conference speakers. The speakers for the conference gathered to get to know one another and study Philippians with Dr. David Allen and other preaching faculty members from SWBTS and NOBTS. I had the privilege of … [Read more...] about A Video Interview with Michael Allen
When You Get a Chance to Practice What You Preach
I’ve been preaching through the book of Acts on Sunday mornings at the church I pastor. My hope is that God would use this study in our lives to give us a more outward focus. We have lots of good programs designed for people to come and be ministered to. But we haven’t recently done a very good job of going to our neighbors. Our outreach and missions efforts locally, nationally, and internationally have been lacking. We finished Acts 5 on Sunday, and I have been harping on boldness in the gospel. Peter was a coward when he denied Jesus three times on the night that He was arrested. … [Read more...] about When You Get a Chance to Practice What You Preach
Vance Pitman Podcast Interview: Church for the City and the Nations Among Us
Last year at the Southern Baptist Convention in St. Louis, I got interviews with a significant number of SBC pastors and leaders and asked them about immigrant and refugee ministry and advocacy. I have slowly been uploading them to my When Heaven and Earth Collide podcast and posting them here in blog form. They are also on iTunes and on the web at When Heaven and Earth Collide. So far, I have posted interviews from Ed Stetzer, Richard Land, Danny Akin, Matthew Hall, Bruce Ashford, Bryant Wright, and Bart Barber. Really good stuff there if yu want to understand what Southern Baptist and … [Read more...] about Vance Pitman Podcast Interview: Church for the City and the Nations Among Us
Uncivically Engaged
I have a confession: I didn’t vote in the presidential election. I did not abstain due to distaste for the candidates. I wasn’t traveling that day, nor was my ballot misplaced. I just didn’t vote. Living overseas makes for some difficult voting processes, to be sure, but even if things were easy I wouldn't have voted. *The embassy is really hard to get to from here, and the lines are long. Security takes forever. I know what my father's generation would say. "It's our Christian duty to vote for good family values. We need another Ronald Reagan. Only pinkos don't vote. Tom Landry … [Read more...] about Uncivically Engaged