Now that budget season is well behind us, I’m taking a little time to reflect on the budget process in my current church. It can be challenging to anticipate how an entire year will unfold, much less try to do so months before that year even begins. We all know too well that things can change very quickly (yep…I’m still thinking about the impact of Covid among other things) and in ways that simply cannot be anticipated.
A few days ago I shared across my social media accounts that I have concluded my role as Executive Pastor at Flat Creek Baptist Church. It was not an easy decision, but one we believe aligns with God’s will for our lives and the church.
Southern Baptists believe in the inherent dignity and worth of every individual. This is rooted in our understanding of the doctrine of Imago Dei, the belief that every person is created in the image of God. This means that a person’s fundamental identity is defined by their relationship with their creator.
In a world that seems to be evolving at an ever-accelerating pace, Southern Baptist churches face their own unique set of challenges as we look ahead to the next two decades. As believers, it is essential to approach these challenges with a positive and thoughtful mindset, fueled by a steadfast commitment to the gospel and an unwavering trust in the providence of God.
Friends, the state convention is more than just a meeting. It is a powerful gathering where God’s Word is proclaimed, hearts are encouraged, and souls are stirred to action. It is an opportunity to embrace the biblical vision of unity, collaboration, and discipleship. This is a moment for us to stand together and affirm our commitment to the inerrancy of Scripture, the preaching of the gospel, and the winning the lost across Georgia.
Every year, the SBC holds an annual meeting in different places around the country where members gather to worship, conduct business, and make important decisions about the future of our network of churches. This year’s meeting will be held in New Orleans, Louisiana, and there are many compelling reasons why you should attend. Here are four reasons I think you should consider attending the Southern Baptist Convention in New Orleans
Transitions can be both exciting and challenging, especially when it comes to moving from one ministry to another. It can be an emotional time as you say goodbye to the people and work that you have been invested in, and prepare to move on to new challenges and opportunities. I understand both aspects of this firsthand, having begun a new ministry on January 1st of this year.
As a committed Southern Baptist, I believe that the Cooperative Program is one of the most significant and effective means of supporting our churches and ministries. The Cooperative Program is our unified giving program that enables Southern Baptist churches to come together in support of missions and ministries nationally and globally.
Since announcing we were entering a time of transition, our family has received hundreds and hundreds of phone calls (yep… still a thing!), emails, text messages, and encouraging words across a variety of social media platforms, all wishing us well.
It is with some sadness that we announced my resignation as Administration Pastor of this wonderful church this evening. As Northside is the first church where I have served on staff, the transition to a new place of service will be another first for us.
Just what am I going on about you might ask? I’m talking about saying “yes” to God and seeing where He may choose to send me to be hands and feet. I know that sounds a little vague and probably a bit “super spiritual’ but when it comes down to it, that really is what I’m going on about. I suppose a bit more explanation is in order.
itial thoughts about what had taken place at the convention midway through and expressed my plan to provide a more thorough overview once our team returned to Valdosta. In fact, I had begun gathering my thoughts on the convention but then my plans changed.
We’re in Nashville this week for what was expected to be, at times, a testy family gathering. Largely, that has proven not to be the case in the room. Now, you might not know that if all you knew about the convention happenings was based on various social media platforms.
Resuming on-campus worship on Sunday morning was just the first step in our plan to slowly transition back to a normal schedule. Sunday will mark our fourth week of on-campus worship services. The last three weeks have gone very smoothly and we anticipate that to continue to be the case as we transition into the next phase of our reopening plan. I strongly believe one of the key reasons for that is part of our plan from the beginning included communication. There are four key groups we knew we needed to have clear communication with.
If there is someone who wants to resume on-campus worship services more than our team, I don’t know him! Seriously, since our church last met on March 15th for worship, we have been closely following the guidance of our local, state, and national leaders working hard to keep the members of our congregation safe.
I have been genuinely impressed to see the pastors of churches from across the Southern Baptist Convention creatively adapting to the constantly changing COVID-19 situation. As new information becomes available, leaders at all levels of government have been adjusting their responses to the spread of the virus and asking all organizations in our nation to adapt.
Today I want to share a very good way to help save your church money year after year. I’m not talking about something that only larger churches can do either! Nope, this one is for churches of just about any size, assuming you have computers in use in your church. I’m talking about computer software.
There is so much I have learned these last four years that I could write pages and pages about. I could share about all of the training I received in seminary and how I have been able to apply it over that time. I could also write about the things I wished I had learned in seminary that I have had to learn along the way.
You’re probably hearing a lot of people saying something similar to what I am hearing: where did this year go? As the years pass by, they do seem to do so more quickly than I remember as a child or even as a young adult. With the year coming to a close in a few short weeks, I have been reflecting on all God has allowed me to be a part of and the ways in which He has blessed me and my family. Believe me, it’s a lot!
In my last post I mentioned the Georgia Baptist Convention is right around the corner. Next week, in fact! I know New Hope Baptist Church is ready for Georgia Baptists to come and spend a couple days with them and I am certain they will be amazing hosts!
I hear it all the time: “I’m not a numbers person!” Sometimes someone will say something like, “I sure am glad you’re the numbers guy and not me.” The truth is I am a numbers guy and I love me a spreadsheet where I can track a lot of different, complex things and put together a simple report that helps us see what’s happening in our ministry. To do that, I track a lot of different metrics.
During a recent staff meeting we talked about our core beliefs. For all of us who still need to know “why,” this is an important exercise that reinforces what we do and why we do it as a church.
Recently I had the privilege of writing a series of columns for The Christian Index related to a breakout session I am leading during the upcoming GO Georgia conference. The title of my session is “Budget with Purpose” and is one of over 100 breakout sessions available to conference attendees. I was humbled by the opportunity to write for such a distinguished publication as well as for the invitation to lead a breakout session at the conference.
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Please consider supporting MUST Ministries as they serve our neighbors in need in Cherokee County!
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Happy Easter! He is risen!
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