In 1994 I was serving at the First Baptist Church of Williams near Jacksonville, Ala. when a tornado touched down on Palm Sunday near Ragland and cut a trail to Rome, Ga., demolishing hundreds of homes, destroying five church campuses,…
Young ministers want to be mentored
Starting out in any field is not easy, but ministry has its own challenges. Most congregations expect that their new pastor or staff member will “hit the ground running” and be ready to deal with both the routine and the…
Success or significance?
By Bill Wilson Novelist Walker Percy often said that the trouble with most people is that they are not up to anything significant. In his book Halftime: Moving From Success to Significance, Bob Buford suggests that many of us come…
Gene Puckett, my father, and the best member of our family!
In 1978, Gene Puckett was the major speaker at the retirement dinner for my father, G. W. Bullard, as executive director-treasurer of the Baptist Convention of Pennsylvania-South Jersey. He and dad had gotten to know one another in 1966 when…
Life balance for clergy remixed
Life balance is important and necessary for sustained ministry over time, but there are some things that life balance is not.
You don’t bring me flowers anymore
When it comes to observing Mother’s Day at church, traditions vary around the country. Factors influencing a congregation’s contextual practice include geographic location, denominational heritage, liturgical preference, and congregational precedent. In my first pastorate, I inherited that southern tradition I…
How to ruin a sermon (or not)
By Bill Wilson Good preaching comes in a myriad of forms in a multitude of settings. Don’t let anyone fool you: there is no one way to preach a sermon, as the diversity of styles that have developed over the…
Woman named to lead British Baptists
By Bob Allen Forty-eight-year-old Lynn Green was elected May 4 as general secretary of the Baptist Union of Great Britain. The first woman to hold the post, she replaces Jonathan Edwards, who steps down in July after seven years. Green…
Managing time in worship
By Bob Burroughs Recently, I’ve been thinking about time, specifically issues concerning “time” leadership in the church. Time is the 21st century’s new currency. Think about it. People most often these day do not ask, “How much will this cost?”…