In the book Look Before You Lead, Aubrey Malphurs highlights the difference between something we believe in and something that we value. To believe in something is to recognize its importance and know that it should be done. To value something is to actually do the thing. Take discipleship for example. Jesus commands us to make disciples of all nations. Disciple-making involves going (evangelism and missions), baptizing those who place their faith in Jesus (marking them as part of the family), and teaching (spiritual mentoring). I’ve yet to meet a Christian who didn’t believe in this Great … [Read more...] about Do You Value the Great Commission?
Right Tool; Right Job: Building on the Foundation of Christ in Church Ministry
According to the grace of God given to me, like a skilled master builder I laid a foundation, and someone else is building upon it. Let each one take care how he builds upon it. For no one can lay a foundation other than that which is laid, which is Christ Jesus. 1 Corinthians 3:10-11 ESV The work of the ministry is sort of like carpentry. This is not surprising, as our Lord spent much of his life in the carpentry trade with his stepdad (Mark 6:3). But as carpenters, we don’t come in and start from scratch. The foundation is already poured—that is the good news of Jesus himself. We simply … [Read more...] about Right Tool; Right Job: Building on the Foundation of Christ in Church Ministry
More dignity and solemnity; less frivolity and nonsense
Surprising results from a recent Lifeway Research survey: 94% of pastors think their church will survive the next 10 years. Well, that's comforting. No, it's not. The idea that we are in a place where church survival is at risk enough to survey the matter means that 100% of protestant pastors are thinking about survival, some seriously, but most think they and their church has the right stuff to make it another decade. The churches I pastored are now 220 years old, 130 years old, and 125 years old. They are all doing well, although one had to engineer a merger to survive. So … [Read more...] about More dignity and solemnity; less frivolity and nonsense
What’s in a Legacy?
In The Gospel-Driven Church, Jared C. Wilson tells the story of a church he served that had been around since the 1780s. He writes that looking back at a notebook with a list of all the pastors, deacons, and board members who served, “was a constant reminder to me that one day my name was going to be a barely legible entry in a dusty book covered in mouse droppings” (p. 190). His bigger point is that our ministry as pastors won’t last. He reminds us that God promised to build his church and that the gates of hell wouldn’t over come it (Matthew 16:18), but that doesn’t mean God will build our … [Read more...] about What’s in a Legacy?
It’s Monday, Pastor. Take a Breath.
Monday. It’s a universally hated day (by most, at least). It represents the end of the weekend and the start of, sigh, a new work week. The bed just seems a little cozier on Monday mornings. The coffee seems to take a little longer to brew. We don’t want to get up, and when we do, our feet drag. Monday. Ugh. For Pastors, Mondays hit a little different. In a way, it’s almost a Tuesday, and that’s better than a Monday, right? However, if you talk to pastors, many say Monday still seems to be a drag. Sunday was draining. It is, after all, the big day of our week. Most everything else we … [Read more...] about It’s Monday, Pastor. Take a Breath.
Finding Your “Why?”
We’re all searching for purpose. Sometimes that purpose is clear and we pursue it with a passion. Other times we struggle to maintain focus or get lost on the way (often, this is what a midlife crisis is). Each of us needs a Why? in our lives. As a dad, I do what I do in order to raise children who can thrive in this world, and hopefully love Jesus. As a husband, my why is loving and serving my wife the best I can to honor her as my sister in Christ. As a pastor, I strive to help people experience the love of God so they might in turn love God and love others. Each of these is my why in my … [Read more...] about Finding Your “Why?”
My 50 Years with the International Mission Board
My wife and I were appointed as missionaries by the Foreign Mission Board (now IMB) in April of 1975. If you do the math, you’ll see we’ve been associated with the IMB for 50 years. When we married in 1971, we wrote the FMB to tell them we were called to missionary service. The Personnel Department wrote back and said, “Wonderful, go to seminary.” So, off to Southwestern Baptist Seminary we went. In those years, 55 percent of the FMB’s appointees had studied at SWBTS. We were appointed by the FMB in April of 1975, and I graduated from seminary in May. (I’ve often wondered what the FMB would … [Read more...] about My 50 Years with the International Mission Board
Complementarian porn
Think of this as food porn, a "glamorized visual presentation of cooking or eating." No need to get triggered. It takes no genius to point out the most obvious and relevant point about the SBC's recent forays into doctrinal purity and the sanitizing of the denomination as it relates to women serving in churches. What is presented as a return to doctrinal fidelity and New Testament ecclesiology is actually complementarian porn, the reality on the ground being far removed from the idealized presentations we hear represented by proponents. I have a distaste for even using the term … [Read more...] about Complementarian porn
Randy Covington should get a trophy instead of resigning [by WILLIAM THORNTON]
Randy Covington has been an IMB missionary for 22 years and the Alaska convention leader for about eight. He is our kind of Christian and denominational servant. It's insanity that we punish and lose people like this. Alaska exec resigns, BP Alaska Baptist leader resigns, BNG The details involve a woman preschool and children "pastor," about which I wrote earlier. Randy Covington did nothing wrong, said nothing wrong, although he might could have explained it better. For crying out loud, he had already set his retirement for a few months later. No reason to resign early to satisfy … [Read more...] about Randy Covington should get a trophy instead of resigning [by WILLIAM THORNTON]
Thoughts on SBC Seminaries (Mark Terry)
Recently, I’ve been thinking about our Southern Baptist seminaries. The SBC owns six: Southern in Louisville, Southeastern in Wake Forest, NC, New Orleans, Southwestern in Fort Worth, Midwestern in Kansas City, and Gateway (formerly Golden Gate) in Ontario, California. There is a seventh Southern Baptist seminary, Mid-America, in Memphis. Mid-America is thoroughly Southern Baptist, but it is not owned by the SBC, nor does it receive any money from the Cooperative Program. The six seminaries together receive 21 percent of the Cooperative Program budget. That money is divided among the six … [Read more...] about Thoughts on SBC Seminaries (Mark Terry)