Category Archives: southern baptist convention

Recommendations for the Next President of the International Mission Board

Posted on May 24, 2014 | 5 comments

Perhaps the most important decision that will be made in the Southern Baptist Convention for years to come is the choice of the next president of the IMB. I say that, not because he will be so critical to the success of the IMB (generally speaking, we need less of man and more of God in our workings anyway), but because a poor choice would be disastrous for the convention.

So, here is my advice- offered freely, and worth about what you are paying- to the next IMB president.

I would like you to focus on 3 things and start one massive new project.

1. Focus on making the IMB effective. You should be a big picture guy. Help the organization reach the unreached and unengaged groups while mobilizing areas where the harvest is ripe. Keep our focus on disciple-making. Help us focus on starting churches that can be led by nationals. Draw our attention to evangelism that moves towards discipleship. You don’t have to be chase fads- we’d rather you not. But do consider innovations that Continue reading →

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Posted in baptist, Christianity, Church, discipleship, evangelism, International Mission Board, missions, southern baptist convention, Uncategorized

Tagged Baptist, Christian, Christianity, discipleship, Evangelism, faith, God, IMB, International Mission Board, Jesus, missions, Religion and Spirituality, SBC, southern baptist convention

Northern Southern Baptists

Posted on May 12, 2014 | 2 comments

I am a Northern Southern Baptist (NSB). That makes me sound “directionally challenged” I know. But I was born this way.
I grew up here in Illinois as a Southern Baptist. My grandfather and father were saved (they recognized they were sinners, repented and placed their faith in Jesus’ death and resurrection and were forgiven by Him) back in the 1930’s in a Southern Baptist church here in Illinois. So, they became NSBs. Did you know there were NSBs that long ago? I was raised in Illinois where my father was a bi-vocational pastor. Hence, I was an NSB.
After 14 years in the beautiful land of Texas where I attended seminary and was a pastor, I came back to Illinois to pastor 19 years ago. I am an NSB.
There are three things I want you- especially the larger Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) world- to know about NSBs.
1. There are more of us than you might know. My state convention is called the Illinois Baptist State Association and we have about 1,000 churches. Many of them are small, and that is a lot less than southern states with much smaller populations, but there are more of us than you might have known. Many NSB churches started as “southern clubs” as southerners moved to the north for jobs. However, they were usually very serious about the gospel and found themselves reaching folks who weren’t from the south. Some transitioned into NSB churches with the strong theology of the SBC, but culturally connected with their neighbors in the north. If they remained southern in mindset they tended to decline as the inflow of southern transplants slowed. If they became NSBs, they often did very well.
There are some strong NSB churches. The church Continue reading →

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Posted in baptist, bible, Christianity, Church, southern baptist convention, Uncategorized

Tagged Baptist, Baptist Associations, bible, Christian, Christianity, church, faith, Fred Luter, God, Illinois Baptist State Association, International Mission Board, Jesus, North American Mission Board, Religion and Spirituality, SBC, southern baptist convention

My Second Favorite Missionaries

Posted on May 6, 2014 | 1 comment

It will be hard for anyone to replace my favorite missionaries. My son-in-law, daughter and grand baby (with another on the way) are serving with the International Mission Board in Madagascar. But let me tell you about my second favorite missionaries.

James and Sonya Herron serve with the IMB in Uganda. They were “normal” members of our church (can anyone be called normal with me as their pastor?) who began going on mission trips to Uganda with our church. Then, they started leading mission groups from our church. Then, Continue reading →

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Posted in baptist, International Mission Board, missions, southern baptist convention, Uncategorized

Tagged Baptist, bible, Blessing, Christian, Christianity, church, Church planting, Evangelism, IMB, International Mission Board, missions, Religion and Spirituality, SBC, southern baptist convention, witnessing

Not a White Church

Posted on March 23, 2014 | 4 comments

I am not a white pastor. Don’t get me wrong, I am quite Caucasian. I’m named Douglas, get sunburned pretty easily and live in suburbia. That sounds pretty Caucasional…Caucasionistic…Caucaustic? But I am not a white pastor. I am a pastor… who wants to be a man of God.
My church is not a white church. While we have a lot of whitish skinned people in our church we are not a white church. We are a church. And, by the way, Continue reading →

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Posted in baptist, Christianity, Church, integration, segregation, southern baptist convention, Uncategorized

Tagged Baptist, Christ, Christian, Christianity, church, God, Jesus, Religion and Spirituality, SBC, southern baptist convention

Unsolicited Advice for the International Mission Board

Posted on March 3, 2014 | 33 comments

Tom Elliff is retiring after a short, but effective stint as the head of the IMB, the international mission agency of the Southern Baptist Convention. Here is some free (like someone is going to pay for this?) advice to the trustees who will choose his successor.

I care deeply about this decision for at least three reasons. 1, I love missions. God grabbed my heart for missions on my first mission trip and I am all in. 2, The church where I am pastor (FBC O’Fallon, IL) is in the SBC, goes on many IMB connected mission trips each year and has a few families from the church serving with the IMB. 3, My son-in-law, daughter and granddaughter serve with the IMB as new career missionaries to Madagascar.

1. Don’t worry much about who recommends them. We don’t need any kingmakers because we don’t have any kings. (Further free advice extends to my recommendation that you read that last sentence again.) Continue reading →

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Posted in baptist, Christianity, International Mission Board, missions, southern baptist convention, Uncategorized

Tagged Baptist, Christian, Christianity, Church planting, discipleship, Evangelism, International Mission Board, Jesus, missions, Religion and Spirituality, SBC, southern baptist convention

The Segregation of the Church

Posted on February 3, 2014 | 1 comment

There are so many ways to divide the church. Our past has often included division by race. I am glad to see that changing. I love that my church has people of different backgrounds and races. Heaven will certainly include people of every tribe and tongue.
Segregation by race has been accepted and justified by the homogenous growth principle. That is the principle that people tend to come to Christ through churches that are much like they are. But isn’t the ideal something better than churches that are segregated by race?
Today’s churches have a new way to divide. They are often segregated by age. Continue reading →

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Posted in baptist, bible, Christianity, Church, integration, segregation, southern baptist convention, Uncategorized

Tagged Baptist, Christian, Christianity, church, Church planting, faith, God, Jesus, Religion and Spirituality, southern baptist convention

What a Good Sermon Does

Posted on January 31, 2014 | 1 comment

There is some bad preaching out there. There are sermons that are theological swamp lands and others too boring for the strongest caffeinated drinks. Some sermons chase rabbits like a hound; others skirt the text like a ballerina. Preacher, please don’t mislead me or confuse me or, heaven forbid, bore me with this great message.

I’ve been preaching most of my life- 25 years off, 28 years on. At the risk of opening myself to clever comments from amateur comedians who hear my sermons, let me tell you what a good sermon ought to do.

1. A good sermon informs. A good sermon tells us the truth. It teach us God’s word. That should go unsaid, but because it too often goes undone, it needs saying. Preacher, tell us what God says, not just what you think. Tell us what we need, not just what we like or want. Teach us the bible. Tell us what God wants us to know. This is an irreplaceable part of good preaching, but it isn’t enough.

2. A good sermon inspires. A good sermon tells us the truth in a way that moves our emotion as well as informs our logic. It touches our spirit as well as our mind. Preacher, use a story once in a while. The bible is full of them. Use some illustrations. They grab our attention and they help us to see the truth in a different way. Preach with some passion and stir us to greater things.

3. A good sermon implements. A good sermon applies the text to our lives. It doesn’t leave us in theory, but connects God’s word to our practical world. Preacher, answer the question “So what?” Tell us why we need to know God is the creator. Tell us why it matters that we understand what grace is. Move us to action. Move us to change. We need to see that God’s word is relevant to our lives.

4. A good sermon invites. A good sermon invites us to trust Christ as Savior and to follow Him as Lord. It invites us on this great journey of faith. It calls us to decision as it confronts us with the truth. There is an invitation to something greater and deeper and more real. Preacher, don’t be satisfied for us to know the truth. Call us with everything you have to follow the Truth with everything we have.

Excuse me now. I’ve got to work on my sermon for this weekend. This needs to be a good one. Hey, even a pig can grub up a diamond every once in a while!

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Posted in baptist, bible, Christianity, Church, discipleship, evangelism, preaching, southern baptist convention, Uncategorized

Tagged Baptist, bible, bible study, Christ, Christian, Christianity, church, evangelical, Jesus, preaching, Religion and Spirituality, sermons, worship

What Baptists Believe

Posted on January 13, 2014 | Leave a comment

I’m finishing a biography of John D. Rockefeller. It is 650 pages long- which is about 450 pages beyond sufficient. I realized that the author- an otherwise excellent writer- doesn’t seem to understand Baptists much. (Rockefeller joined a Baptist church when young and stayed a Baptist all of his life- though in the more theologically liberal branch.) Earlier, I read a biography of Harry Truman. (Truman joined a Baptist church when young- though he didn’t stay very connected or influenced.) The author told me what he had for breakfast on multiple occasions, but hardly spared a word for what Baptists believed. I doubted that he knew.

I thought to myself, “If those fellows don’t know what Baptists believe, I’ll bet some others don’t either.” So, here is a brief synopsis.

A couple of quick disclaimers. Baptist belief in argumentation seems to be overly developed, so note that there are some differences of opinions about some issues. Note that this is my belief about Baptists beliefs (as a Baptist believer) and may not necessarily be matched by everyone using that title. And, these things are believed by many in the broader conservative, Evangelical world. Also, I can’t cover everything here, so I’ll just focus on a couple of basics.

1. Baptists believe that the Bible is God’s word Continue reading →

The future of discipleship

Posted on November 15, 2013 | 3 comments

It was Training Union once. SBC churches had a program for discipleship that was almost universally adopted by our churches. It met on Sunday nights and was pretty well attended. There were study course books and diplomas and discipleship had a strong niche. Life was more patterned; routines more constant.

Discipleship for my church- and many churches- has had to change. At FBC O’Fallon, IL, Continue reading →