Some eyewitnesses claim the attendance in their congregations is declining. This may be true. In some cases, however, congregations do not know how to count. If you think attendance in your congregation is really declining, I invite you to think…
Fear and congregations that give in to it
How many times have you heard there are three kinds of people in this world? One memorable version of this is from the 1960s “spaghetti” western starring Clint Eastwood that referred to the good, the bad and the ugly. When…
Absolute complexity is not allowed here
More than 35 years ago I was working on a graduate degree in the sociology of religion at the Southern Seminary in Louisville. The time came to declare the subject of our thesis. Some of us were sure and others…
Are there good reasons to start new congregations?
A quarter of a century ago I moved to South Carolina in response to the call of the largest Baptist body in that state. Baptists of various tribes in South Carolina lacked a commitment to starting new congregations. I was…
You can’t cover up and soar with faith
My wife and I got married on an important day in American political infamy. June 17, 1972. Oh, you do not know what this celebrates? Perhaps it is because the event — the Watergate break-in — is not nearly as…
When is a world organization not a world organization?
Several mornings at the Baptist World Alliance Annual Gathering as I arrived for worship, I picked up a headset to hear the English interpretation of worship that was held primarily in Spanish, but also in other languages. That had never…
Celebrating with Chilean Baptists is a moving experience
What do you do when— in what may be the only time in your life—Baptists from all over the world come to your country for the Annual Gathering of the Baptist World Alliance? Chilean Baptists decided to create a moving…
BWA annual gathering is about relationships
On Saturday I left for Santiago, Chile to attend the Annual Gathering of the Baptist World Alliance. I look forward to seeing current friends and making new friends from throughout the world. Periodically I am asked by a Baptist in…
Will your congregation still exist in 10 years?
By George Bullard North America has at least 350,000 religious congregations. Every year about one percent of them die. That means that 10 years from now, 35,000 congregations will no longer exist. Will your church be one of them? What…