Associational ministry is a work of extremes; we work on the peaks and in the valleys of church life. When a new church is planted, or finds cause for some new ebenezer, we are there to celebrate the great thing God has done with energy and vibrancy, like a friend
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Painting Credit: “Jesus Feeds 5000” by Eric Feather, used with expressed consent. All rights reserved. How many times, as Southern Baptists, have we heard compassion ministries pitted against evangelism—as though the two are separate, as though the two are contradictory? One of my favorite things about Jesus is the
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Is racism still an issue among churches? If not, if racism is a past offense, then the recent MLK50 conference which our NOBA staff attended was the reopening of a sealed wound, the undoing of decades of hard-fought healing. If not, Russell Moore deserves the criticism our state executive recently
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Photo Credit: Copyright by Soichi Watanabe and OMSC Our Annual Fall Meeting this year was centered around the theme of courageous conversations, specifically conversations about race and class division–the church’s part in perpetuating these divisions, and what our churches might be able to do to participate in the Spirit’s work
Continue reading[These remarks are taken from Jack Hunter’s remarks at this year’s annual fall meeting. Photo Credit: Soichi Watanabe and OMSC.] Why a Fall Meeting on racism? Has there been a racial rant at one of our churches, or has someone in our Association done harm to a person of a different
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The call to unity resonated with Southern Baptist Convention (“SBC”) messengers who convened in St. Louis earlier this summer. Significant action toward racial reconciliation was taken with overwhelming support. The presidential election went to a second ballot between two candidates who represented different views, styles, and emphases within the SBC.
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During the 2016 SBC Annual Meeting, the messengers overwhelmingly approved a resolution that called on Southern Baptists to reject the display of the Confederate Battle Flag. Messengers had varying opinions on the resolution. Some said the stance was overdue, and the SBC needed to take the step to further foster
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Martin Luther King Jr. is a titan of our Christian faith; truly an extraordinary man of God. I feel like my kingdom agenda is small when I consider his work, and at the same time, I’m inspired to try great things for the kingdom of Christ. Before his address to
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Church revitalizations often get overlooked, but it is a cause of great celebration when a congregation reverses the life cycle. Memorial Baptist Church in Metairie is an example of a church that has returned to vitality from death’s door.
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A letter that became much more than a letter was crafted in a jail cell 52 years ago this April. Now known as the “Letter from Birmingham Jail,” this document by Martin Luther King Jr. became a catalyzing force in the civil rights movement.
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