Stewards and Donors
Pressure turns fissures and flaws into chasms and canyons. Right now, some churches are discovering their past strategy of depending on donors instead of building stewards is producing devastating results.
Celebrating Our Mission
One of the causalities of canceling the annual meeting of the Southern Baptist Convention this summer was losing the opportunity to celebrate the 175th anniversary of the International Mission Board. The IMB is, in many ways, the reason we exist as a denomination. We came together in 1845 in...
Barnacles
A common refrain these days is, “I’ll be glad when things get back to normal.” Well, that’s not happening. Our world will never be the same after COVID-19. The disruptions to social, economic, educational, corporate, entertainment, and religious systems have been too...
Leading Forward
Governmental leaders make policy decisions to manage risk, not eliminate it. Their goal is palatable decisions that maintain social order, not preserve every life. Governments manage death rates, keeping them reasonable, without eliminating their causes. That’s not a criticism, just a frank...
Our Best Response
Church ministries were initially rocked by governmental restrictions and limitations brought on by the pandemic. However, church leaders have since responded by creating new approaches to continuing our mission of sharing the gospel, making disciples, and meeting the needs of people. Story after...
An Easter to Remember
Easter 2020 will one for the history books. Across the United States and around the world, church buildings will be as empty as the tomb central to the resurrection story. Rather than lament what the governmental response to COVID-19 has taken from us, let’s make it an Easter to remember. Here...
Uncertainty
A common lament in our current pandemic is people saying the hardest part is “not knowing.” Not knowing how long the quarantine will last, when they will return to work, how widespread the pandemic will be, etc. Millions of people are experiencing profound uncertainty—an unsettling, disruptive...
Proud of Pastors
Pastors are the front-line leaders in God’s kingdom. Over the weekend, I watched several pastors speak to their congregations electronically and consulted with others about ministry challenges. These pastors were insightful, intentional, positive, and effective in their messages and ministry...
Rising to the Challenge
Having lived through SARS, MERS, Legionnaire’s, and Swine Flu—not to mention Y2K, 9/11, and Katrina—my primary observation about the Coronavirus is this: we will get through it. Every time one of these events has happened in the past, panic is usually followed by anger and then resignation to...
Send More Relief
Southern Baptists have re-launched their compassion-ministries emphasis under the umbrella called Send Relief. The International Mission Board and North American Mission Board are the lead partners in this effort, with the goal of providing one giving, information, and volunteer portal to...