What do you do when the President of the North American Mission Board posts your picture at the Welcome Desk of their offices in Alpharetta? Sandy and I have been faced not only with that dilemma, but countless others resulting from the behaviors of Dr. Kevin Ezell. Most regrettably, Dr. Ezell’s actions and the lack […]
The terms contained in the new “Cooperative Agreements” and “Cooperative Budgets” are quietly altering the life of the SBC. “Cooperative Agreements” establish the terms that dictate how NAMB and State Conventions relate as they work together to accomplish our mission. State Budgets assign how money will flow from State Conventions to NAMB and other SBC […]
My family does not camp, but 4,000 miles in a car with a 6, 9, 12 year old daughters has to be similar to camping. The summer of 2001 included our family’s all-time favorite 16 day summer vacation to Tucson and work trip to Glorieta, NM. Beautiful scenery, Tombstone, the desert golf courses, a […]
We have got such a great past, BUT are we going to have a future? The Southern Baptist Convention has a strong historic foundation, but is currently declining in worship and small group attendance, baptisms, church plants, and cooperative mission dollars invested. QUESTION: With less resources and declines in most measurable indicators, what are Southern […]
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 […]
In 2014, according to the Annual Church Profile, the Southern Baptist Convention dropped to a 70 year low in baptisms. Why are Southern Baptists who are historically committed to evangelism, struggling to overcome decades of declining baptism numbers? In 2011, the Mid America Baptist Theological Seminary contracted me to research and write on the findings […]