SBC Voices

If Randy Adams is elected SBC president this June he will make some history in a couple of ways. It's been a long time since a state convention CEO was elected president of the SBC, maybe never (I'll let some SBC history person fact check me on that). I'm certain that we haven't had a non-celebrity, non-megapastor as SBC president since the 1970s. Adams would be both of those. His only announced opponent, Al Mohler, is a first order SBC celebrity. Either way the election goes, we will have a denominational employee as SBC president. This isn't an issue for me, since his power is … [Read more...] about Randy Adams will make history if elected SBC president

At our church, our staff has discussed what to do about the Sunday evening service. Since I’ve been a member here, we’ve not succeeded in attracting many attenders to the evening service. Our church is a traditional, small-town church in Texas. The church has always held a Sunday night service. Last summer our church staff decided to give the evening service one more try. So, we’ve had Sunday evening services from 5:00-6:00 p.m. I serve as the teaching pastor, and I’ve preached a series of sermons on What Baptists Believe. What more could people want? Nevertheless, we only draw 50-60 people. … [Read more...] about What about Sunday Night Services?

"Near nakedness," you say? "Indecent!" "Not family entertainment!" ...I read in the indignant tweets. Shocking! At a Super Bowl! No wardrobe malfunction, just the wardrobe or lack thereof? I'm a bit flummoxed by all the furrowed brows and pious sniffs over this. I will state that your humble hacker and plodder blogger did not watch one moment, not one nanosecond, of the Super Bowl halftime show. I wouldn't know Shakira from sriracha. I'm told they are both, uh, hot. I watched exactly two plays of the game itself. Big deal. Congrats Chiefs. I'm happy as long as the Pats aren't … [Read more...] about Decadent entertainment, our culture, and the Bible

I spent an hour on the phone yesterday with a kid who grew up in one of my previous churches. I have to be vague because he now works in a high-security Muslim country where it is illegal to share Christ. I was absolutely amazed at what God was doing through him and others in nations that we consider our enemies and which are often seen as closed to the gospel. For lack of time, I will simply give you a list of reactions to our conversation. 1. Don't give up on those annoying kids you minister to at church. Many moons ago, I did Bible drill with preteens on Sunday night before the service. … [Read more...] about An Unprecedented Opportunity among Muslims

Our largest and most important entity, The International Mission Board, has a five year plan, announced by President Paul Chitwood at the recent IMB trustee meeting. The plan calls for a number of things but, most importantly, it calls for an additional 500 overseas field personnel. I assume that means a 500 net increase by the end of 2024 which would bring the total field personnel up to 4,119. These would be numbers which haven't been seen since prior to the IMB's retirement incentive program implemented by former IMB head  David Platt. Chitwood's plan is modest. Platt's approach … [Read more...] about IMB: 3,619 to 4,119 by December 31, 2024

I am painfully literal here. Churches I'm around designate 11 am to noon as "the worship hour." Difficulty may arise if the beloved pastor attempts to expand the worship hour to the worship hour plus five or ten minutes. While in my stage of life, senior and getting no less so, the 9:30 am service we attend is a great Sunday schedule. Several times annually my church has just a single Sunday morning service at 11 and it seems like most of the day is gone by then. I love the earlier service. So, your humble, semi-retired pastor who isn't in the pastorate these days takes a trip to the beach … [Read more...] about On the road on Sunday morning during the worship hour

The debate in the Southern Baptist world about Critical Race Theory and Intersectionality (CRT/I) continues. As new questions and possible actions about Resolution 9 emerge, many are asking the question: Is CRT/I a useful analytical tool or a dangerous ideology? I submit that it is both. Previously, Albert Mohler has spoken forthrightly about the issue and Owen Strachan has recently written a series of posts on the issue and they are helpful in demonstrating the origins of CRT/I and the dangers of adopting its worldview. Others react even more strongly and see the issue generally, and … [Read more...] about Critical Race Theory and Intersectionality: A useful analytical tool or a dangerous ideology (or both)?

New leadership is expected, one presumes, to make staffing changes and to make adjustments to legal documents, including mission and ministry statements. Thus, Ronnie Floyd has proposed the rewriting of the SBC Executive Committee's mission statement and ministry assignments. This will be taken up at the EC's meeting next month {I can't find the actual date of the meeting just now). Baptist Press reported on it yesterday: Floyd to propose SBC EC mission, ministry changes. A link is provided there to the old language. Updating the language of the SBC Executive Committee’s ministry assignments … [Read more...] about In high weeds: The Executive Committee’s proposed mission, ministry changes

I haven't been writing much. Thanks to William and others for holding down the site during my unscheduled, sort-of sabbatical. It's been intense at the church and a time of family crisis (both of my parents have rounded the final turn and are headed for the finish line), plus some stuff I can't talk about, but to be honest, I have been burned out, discouraged, and disillusioned with blogging and social media. I have been mulling in my own mind whether it still has value and what my place is here. Last week I had two conversations, one with one of our contributors here and another with a … [Read more...] about Why I’m Struggling with the Value of Blogging (And Social Media)