By Isaac Sharp Nephew, You are, no doubt, aware that the Americans are amidst one of their most important and highly revered seasons of life. A time when many people feel that, as T.S. Eliot once said: “An election is…
Questions about Christian beliefs
Not too long ago some friends at my church, Baptist Church of the Covenant in Birmingham, asked me if I would talk to them about five questions. I’ll respond to the first two questions in today’s post and with the…
Church-state relationships in a pluralistic society
Recently, two Baptist-affiliated universities filed a federal lawsuit against the Obama Administration. Houston Baptist University and East Texas Baptist University are challenging the constitutionality of the controversial “contraception mandate” of the Affordable Care Act (aka “ObamaCare”) requiring most health care…
Re-thinking pastor appreciation
By Elizabeth Evans Hagan Last year about this time, I posted a question to several pastoral colleagues on Twitter: “It’s Pastor Appreciation Month, do you feel appreciated?” I was curious about its observance. Many of my colleagues responded back quickly,…
Vatican II, 50 years later: a Baptist appreciation
Today marks the fiftieth anniversary of the opening of the Second Vatican Council by Pope John XXIII on October 11, 1962. My service as a member of the Baptist World Alliance delegation to a series of bilateral ecumenical conversations with…
American churches: A failure to thrive?
By Bill Leonard Kidshealth.org posts this description of a common cross-generational medical disorder: “Although it’s been recognized for more than a century, failure to thrive lacks a precise definition, in part because it describes a condition rather than a specific…
The problem with people …
If it weren’t for the people, church ministry would be easy. That’s the problem with being called to be a shepherd—you’ve got to learn to like the sheep. Most of the time, that’s easier than you’d imagine. But sometimes, only…
Curbing staff conflict
Bill Wilson There is a consistent theme in the conversations I have with clergy and laity alike about what frustrates or challenges them most. Without a doubt it is staff. Every pastor’s gathering in which we ask for issues that…
Being a multi-mission partner church
When describing our church family at First Baptist Pensacola, I usually tell folks that we are a “multi-mission partner, multi-worship service, and multi-generational congregation.” Each of those “multi” dimensions presents a unique set of dynamics. Offering multiple worship services means…