When Jeremiah and Laura Burke produced their documentary about Pastor David Platt, they never imagined it would reach a global audience. Released in fall 2023, the film has garnered more than 100,000 views on Conversations that Matter alone, with additional…
Ezell says ‘nothing has changed’ with BGCT church planting
“Nothing has changed in how we fund the BGCT,” Kevin Ezell said in a Baptist Press article Nov. 25. “And nothing has changed in the way we can partner with Southern Baptist churches affiliated with the BGCT.” That might be…
BGCT tells Kevin Ezell no on 2000 Baptist Faith and Message
Kevin Ezell attempted to force Texas Baptists to adopt the 2000 Baptist Faith and Message or lose church planting partnerships with the Southern Baptist Convention’s North American Mission Board. Texas Baptists overwhelmingly said they would not do it. Ezell, president…
Texas editor says NAMB is willing to take millions from BGCT but won’t continue funding church planting partnerships
The Southern Baptist Convention North American Mission Board is happy to take money from Texas Baptists but unwilling to give money back to shared missions causes, the editor of the Texas Baptist Standard said in a May 23 editorial. In…
How Southern Baptists got ‘distracted’ from the gospel
What do you think might count as a “distraction” from the gospel? To Southern Baptist Convention presidential candidate David Allen, all the sexual abuse cases piling up against the SBC and its churches are a “distraction.” To North American Mission…
Watermelon seeds and lessons in church growth
Growing up in Texas, summers were hot and unbearable. But there was one soul-refreshing snack my family enjoyed on hot Texas summer days — refrigerated watermelon. It was almost a revival experience we indulged in to beat the heat. Ironically,…
NAMB hires a Presbyterian Calvinist to lead urban church planting
In a Facebook post dated Jan. 10, pastor and author Doug Logan Jr. announced his new role as director of urban church planter development for the Southern Baptist Convention North American Mission Board’s church planting initiative, the Send Network. BNG…
More Baptist leaders cite pattern of bullying from Ezell and NAMB
Bobby Gilstrap seemed to model what Southern Baptists would want in a denominational leader. Educated at two Southern Baptist Convention seminaries, he served as a pastor, then served 10 years as an associational director of missions in Michigan, where he…
What we’re learning since our homeless church moved in with a homeless shelter
One year ago, our new church was just starting to form and trying to flesh out our identity. We spent the first seven months “doing church” in a large classroom on the local university campus, where we focused on cultivating…