SBC Voices

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)

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

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.

There he or she stands, waving their arms at a bunch of people holding books and singing. Maybe they are all dressed alike. Maybe there's a solo part. Maybe there are musicians. Maybe the music is piped in. The congregation watches. Maybe they are thrilled. Maybe they are bored. Question for the ecclesiastical expoits: Is not having a choir a thing these days? The churches I pastored all had choirs. If I had attempted to replace the choir with any kind of alternative band, praise team, permanent ensemble, barbershop quartet or whatever, that would have gotten me a quick ticket to … [Read more...] about The death of the church choir

During my long years of ministry, I have, for the most part, observed the so-called Billy Graham Rule. I wasn't legalistic about it, but I used it as a general guideline. It was considered a ministry mandate in my early days of ministry, as if it were written on a third stone tablet from Sinai. I remember a seminary professor, way back in the 70s, telling our all-male class, Men, there are many problems that will hinder your ministry. There are two that will destroy it - money and women. Don't mess around with either. As I shush the downhill slope of my ministry, I see the wisdom of that … [Read more...] about The “Billy Graham Rule” – Biblical Mandate or Sexist Relic?