Baptist Press issued some figures about the pace of Cooperative Program giving over the last few months. We have seen hints that it was coming and today we get confirmation. The news wasn't good and we're 5% behind the 2008 pace. But the real headline was buried in the article. For the (2008-2009) SBC Cooperative Program Allocation Budget, the year-to-date total of $47,251,306.70 is 91.88 percent of the $51,429,208.50 budgeted to support Southern Baptist ministries globally and across North America. Remember, the SBC operates on an Oct. 1-Sept. 30 fiscal year. So, these figures are … [Read more...] about CP At 91.88% Of Budget After 3 Months
Baptists In The 111th Congress
Aaron Weaver, has posted some analysis on the church affiliation claimed by members of the 111th US Congress. He makes special note of incoming legislators affiliated with Baptist churches. He states that 27 House Representatives hold membership in a Baptist church that affiliates with the Southern Baptist Convention. He also lists four SBC affiliated Senators. Southern Baptists in the Senate include John McCain (R-AZ), North Phoenix Baptist Church; Roger Wicker (R-MS), First Baptist Church Tupelo; Tom Coburn (R-OK), First Baptist Church Muskogee; and Lindsey Graham (R-SC), Corinth Baptist … [Read more...] about Baptists In The 111th Congress
2008-2009 Cooperative Program Budget Allocation
Earlier today I was looking for the breakdown of CP monies used by the SBC. I had to look through a 1300+ page PDF, but I found it at last. Since I had such trouble finding this data online, I thought it would be good to post it here in a usable format. This information was taken from the 2008 Annual of the Southern Baptist Convention. TOTAL BUDGET ALLOCATION $205,716,834.00 (100.00%) WORLD MISSION MINISTRIES $ 149,741,283.47 (72.79%) INTERNATIONAL MISSION BOARD $ 102,858,417.00 (50.00%) NORTH AMERICAN MISSION BOARD 46,882,866.47 (22.79%) THEOLOGICAL EDUCATION MINISTRIES$ … [Read more...] about 2008-2009 Cooperative Program Budget Allocation
New Blog About Church Conflict
Check out a new blog about dealing with church conflict by David Noble author of Winning The Real Battle At Church. Here is what SBC President Johnny Hunt said about that book. If your church has ever dealt with any type of internal strife or conflict and you have wished there was a resource to help guide you, let me commend this book to you. I'm excited that David is bringing this topic to the blogosphere. … [Read more...] about New Blog About Church Conflict
When Money Is Tight The WMU Leads By Example
The Tennessean.com posted a story today about cutbacks at the Woman's Missionary Union. It was reported that they won't ask for additional donations for operating costs. Instead they are slashing personnel expense. The article mentions unpaid furlough for employees, a hiring freeze, no raises, and pension cuts. This is a strong contrast from the "bailout" mentality that is dominating our culture. It was their rationale that caught my attention. Here's the quote: Julie Walters, communications specialist at the union's headquarters in Birmingham, Ala., said the organization's priority is … [Read more...] about When Money Is Tight The WMU Leads By Example
Top 10 SBC Stories Of 2008
What events from this past year will have a lasting impact on the life of the SBC? Here is my attempt to answer that question. This exercise is sure to invite criticism and I am open for your correction in the comment section. 1. Decline In SBC Giving: While membership numbers can be inflated and baptisms can fluctuate, the real measure of our denominational mission has always been our missions offerings. That is what the SBC does - cooperate for missions. So, when that slides it should catch our attention. This story broke in early October but was largely ignored. The quote, "Cooperative … [Read more...] about Top 10 SBC Stories Of 2008
Tweaking Our Wesbite Layout
Last night, or rather early this morning, I finally found some time to tweak the layout here on SBC voices. The main goal was to move our blog posts to the front page while retaining the aggregation boxes front and center. The easiest way to do this was using the "sticky post" feature from the latest version of WP. I also backed off the number of items displayed in those boxes, but never fear - we now have a SBC blogs directory page that displays the a much longer list of recent posts - something like 15 buzz posts and 50 latest posts. You can also view the latest posts from your … [Read more...] about Tweaking Our Wesbite Layout
2008 Is History – So What?
It's that time of year again, where everyone wants to reflect on the near term history. So, what mattered most in 2008? What impacted you - was it a news story, a personal event, SBC issue or something else? Leave your comments below. … [Read more...] about 2008 Is History – So What?
Study Notes Or Plain Text: Which Bible Is Better?
This Christmas, my church purchased ESV study Bibles for Sunday School teachers. The thinking was to give them an all-in-one resource to help them work out sticky passages and better grasp the meaning of the Bible. But there is a downside to these type of Bibles, even if they are very well done. I've often found myself checking the notes before I struggle to understand the text on its own merits. That is why I normally recommend plain text Bibles with minimal notes. What do you think? Which Bible would you recommend and to what types of readers? … [Read more...] about Study Notes Or Plain Text: Which Bible Is Better?
No More Heroes
I was listening to a sermon by John Piper on my iTunes the other day when he said something that really intrigued me. Now, Dr. Piper often says things which I find stimulating and inspiring, but this little blurb hit me harder than most. He said, "Following Jesus is first and foremost not heroic!" Not heroic. … [Read more...] about No More Heroes