5 Current Impacts of GCR on SBC Network Partners

Churches, Associations and State Partners

The 2010 SBC Great Commission Resurgence (GCR) intentionally brought radical shifts in NAMB’s leadership, strategy, and priorities in funding and staff.  Are Southern Baptists better off and stronger, or worse off and weaker?  What are the measurable results and the impact on the self-regenerating missions funding and sending system?  What is happening at the local level in […]

Is the New NAMB Really Working? – Summary

The Evidence is Before You...

At the 2016 Southern Baptist Convention in St. Louis, Kevin Ezell, the President of the North American Mission Board spoke to SBC Messengers.  He asked the question:  “Is the New NAMB Working?  Dr. Ezell answered the question with anecdotes, stories about good things happening in the lives of individuals and families who were connecting with […]

Is the New NAMB Really Working? Part 6 President’s Character & Leadership

Separating Spin from Facts

A sacred trust exists between the President of NAMB and Southern Baptists. One man is entrusted with enormous power, prestige, and resources to shape individual lives and direct the mission of the SBC in North America. Southern Baptists sacrificially invest themselves and their resources, for the sake of an eternal purpose, to the tune of […]

Is the New NAMB Really Working? Part 3: Church Planting (Abridged Version)

Separating Spin from Facts

When it comes to Southern Baptist church planting, strategic matters cannot be addressed in soundbites or 140-character Tweets. One must first gain a wider and deeper understanding of the issues. I began my exploration in a PhD seminar on the History of SBC Evangelism in 1989 at New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary. I had the privilege of […]

Is the New NAMB Really Working? Part 3: Church Planting

Separating Spin from Facts - FULL VERSION OF ARTICLE

Some things cannot be addressed in a soundbite or 140 character Twitter post.  The matters facing Southern Baptists churches and the increasing challenges we face demand a more thorough analysis as we evaluate our current course as Southern Baptists.  One must understand wider and more deeply before seeking to evaluate or adjust strategy for an […]

Church Planting and Evangelism

Can church planting turnaround the Southern Baptist Convention’s steady decline in baptisms? In 2002, the North American Mission Board of the SBC commissioned me to determine whether church plants are more effective by ratio in baptisms than established churches. Short answer to a longer complex matter, church plants have slightly better baptism ratios. Church plants […]