The recent dismissal of a gender-bias lawsuit involving Abyssinian Baptist Church, while constitutionally predictable is spiritually and theologically unfinished. A federal judge ruled the claims brought by Eboni Marshall Turman, a former assistant minister and nationally respected theologian and professor,…
Florida pastor arrested and deported by ICE
A Florida congregation is reeling after its pastor was arrested by federal immigration agents and deported to Guatemala. The Tampa Bay Times reported Maurilio Ambrocio, 42, was expelled to his native country July 2 after being detained by Immigration Customs…
Murder of Baptist pastor in Myanmar brings new attention to the ‘under-reported war’
The fatal shooting of a Baptist pastor in Myanmar reflects an upsurge of civil war violence targeting Christians, Muslims and other religious and ethnic minorities. Outrage over the March 18 killing of Nammye Hkun Jaw Li comes at a time…
Still a high and holy calling
I want to say a word on behalf of a sometimes overlooked category of ministry. I refer to the Baptist pastor who maintains a sense of God’s calling to ministry and serves God and people faithfully, month by month, year…
My father’s faith
My dad had a plan for everything and a chart for most things. He had charts for the miles he walked, his weight and the glasses of water he drank. He did not have a chart, but he did have…
Why I have a growing appreciation for preaching
I have been engaged in the preaching task since I was 20 years old. That means I have been at it for 31 years. Preaching is my lifestyle. There is always a biblical text and a developing sermon in my…
If your pastor hasn’t had a pay increase in several years, now is the time to make it right
On multiple occasions in the last few weeks, I’ve had conversations with pastor friends who have said in passing, “I’ve not had a salary increase since I got here.” These pastor friends are not bitter, and they weren’t complaining. They…
As church staff roles evolve, the SBC is forced to define the word ‘pastor’
Sixty years ago, Baptists would have had little reason to debate the meaning of the word “pastor.” In those simpler days, “the pastor” was the primary staff leader of a congregation — the person who preached most Sundays and provided…
As a pastor, knowing it’s time to move on comes with joy and sorrow
Scanning the last page of my notes, I throw myself into the benediction with the force of a poorly hung door caught unexpectantly by a summer breeze. I attempt to hold the moment by stitching together a series of detached…
Daniel Vestal writes of the changing chapters of life and faith
The Daniel Vestal attending this week’s Cooperative Baptist Fellowship gathering in Dallas is in some ways a very different Christian than he was the first — or even most recent — time he attended a general assembly. That’s because the…
Learn to serve and lead where God takes you, T.D. Jakes advises
Serve and lead at the table where God places you, no matter your position or title. That’s the message I heard from T.D. Jakes during a recent interview. This was my fourth time to interview the pastor of The Potter’s…
Pastor reveals her true identity in live-streamed Sunday sermon
“I want to proclaim to my transgender siblings that I believe in a God who knows your name, even if that name hasn’t been chosen yet.”