Well, the annual meeting of Southern Baptists has ended. I found things to celebrate and things to contemplate from those days with so many of my Southern Baptist brothers and sisters. Much of my pondering derives from the election of Dr. J. D. Greear as president of the Southern Baptist Convention. I believe Dr. Greear’s election marks the beginning of … Read More
Characteristics of Evangelistic Churches
I’m looking forward to our annual meeting in a few weeks. We have powerful speakers, great breakout sessions, and more planned for our time together. I’m glad the meeting is called Refresh. The name reminds us that we should come together expecting God to move in our midst and refresh us by His Spirit and through our fellowship together. We … Read More
Join us at Refresh
It’s hard to believe that summer is nearly over. Denise and I have now marked three of Montana’s four seasons. They’ve been interesting seasons. We’re told, though I have to admit we’re withholding judgment, that this past winter and summer have been two of the most extreme on record. Maybe so. We’ll wait till next year to see if that’s … Read More
Evangelism: Our First Priority
Above all else, Gospel ministry should be first and foremost about telling lost people that Jesus died for their sins and that they can have peace with God and eternal life through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. Today, many things are called Gospel work. That raises concerns for me, because if everything is about the Gospel, then we have … Read More
Programs Optional
In the early years of my church planting experience, I was very frustrated by the many Christians I encountered who wouldn’t consider coming to our church plant because we didn’t have the kinds of programs they were looking for. There was a fledgling youth program, a small choir, occasional community outreach initiatives, and the like, but nothing like many of … Read More