Hunt steps down at FBC Shreveport

This are parting words from Greg Hunt to the Shreveport community. It is good article and I wish him the very best in his new work. I especially welcome him to Missouri and to the Kansas City area in particular.

Our church has gone through a recent study of Eddie Hammett’s book “the gathered and scattered church.” It has been an educational and informative time for us, and has reinforced our need to be out beyond our church walls into the community. Hunt’s final words to his own community have reminded me of ways to be involved right here in Springfield, and the impact one church can have on the people around them.

Forced to decide, Music prof opts for church rather than keeping seminary post

Baptists place great value on the local church. This is intrinsic to our history and biblical understanding of how a local group of believers should function in carrying out the gospel message. No two churches are the same, and while there are usually similarities between congregations, the differences are often enough to tip the scales in favor of one church over the other.

The recent ousting of Broadway Baptist in Ft. Worth, TX has brought about secondary consequences, in that a faculty member who works at nearby SWBTS had to decide between his employment and church membership. Professors and administration are required to be members of Southern Baptist churches. Usually the decision to maintain employment outweighs church affiliation.

Not this time. Michael Cox, professor of church music at SWBTS, decided to take early retirement rather than leave the church. It appears that Broadway is finding ways to supplement his income during this transitional period. I’m sure the church is thrilled to have Cox remain, especially at the prospect of losing him to denominational politics.

My point is mentioning this story is not to offer critique on either the church or seminary. It has reminded me, however, of the sacrifice that some of our members make to take part in our fellowship. Some people drive 30+ miles (one way), Sundays and Wednesdays at times, to make sure they and their children are involved with what is going on at UHBC. During these trying economic times, this reality is especially meaningful and is inspirational to me and our staff.

It’s not about how big the church may be, but about the people and ministries. It’s also about the values and distinctives that the church holds dear and makes known to its own people and community. My prayer and desire is that our church maintains its identity and offers a clear message of compassion and concern about the gospel message.  I appreciate everyone who is actively involved in our church, and this article in particular has made me appreciate our long distance commuters. It would be much easier for them to opt for a closer church, but they drive past several in order to be with us. Their devotion is inspiring to me.

Willow Creek Leadership Summit

I had never been to a WCA leadership summit, and for this reason qualified for a scholarship from the Baptist General Convention of Missouri. I appreciate this support and incentive a great deal. Going to meetings isn’t a high priority for me, but these two days proved to be one of the best things I’ve done from a ministry standpoint in a long time. Here is the link to the website for more information. Special thanks to Ridgecrest Baptist Church for hosting this event in such a hospitable way.

There are so many high points to reflect upon, including David Gergen’s interview and Bono’s comments about the church. The president of Compassion International just about brought the conference to a standstill with his riveting presentation about personal pain and suffering, and how this has been the catalyst for his work in liberating children from poverty. It was extremely moving, and emotionally draining. Good thing there was a break after that session to give time to pull myself together a little bit.

I enjoyed two presentations in particular. The first one related to Bill Hybels himself in the opening session “Leading in New Reality.” His view is that those who are hoping that things will “return to normal” i.e. pre-recession economic standing may be disapppointed. There are many who are waiting for life to get back to how it was almost a year ago, but the truth is that we may be waiting a long time for something never to happen. If so, then the church will need to adapt and learn how to respond to this new reality. There are so many people who are hurting as a result of these difficult economic times, plus the fact marriages are in trouble and churches are scrambling to figure out how to absorb all the changes in technology just in the past several years. Things might not EVER get back “to normal.” This might be the way it is.

The other meaningful session was led by David Gibbon who really debunked a lot of traditional leadership theory about the “up and to the right” approach to organizational growth. I agree with David that this sort of steady, upward growth is seldom the reality. One thing in particular he said related to his view of mission statements and vision, in that we already have that in the gospels. Jesus told us what the greatest commandments are: love God and love others. This should be the matrix for our own approach, and we don’t necessarily need to spend a whole weekend trying to come up with a sentence to call our “mission statement.” This activity is no guarantee to effectiveness, because ministry is really about relationships, especially through those “on the fringe.” Our time would be much better invested in the lives of those who can impact the world by fulfilling the words of Jesus.

Missouri Baptist lawsuit yields winner and losers

Here’s a good article and evaluation of the ongoing lawsuits being waged by the Missouri Baptist Convention against its former institutions. I appreciate Bob’s take on things. It’s an accurate portrayal of the only real winner in this ordeal and a hope that the lawsuits will be stopped by the MBC.

I won’t hold my breath though.

Maggie Henson’s death a tragic loss

Lori and I have three children, ages 11,6, and 4. I honestly don’t know what to say in this  situation. Words are simply inadequate, but I felt like Maggie’s story needed to shared at this location because the FBC Shreveport youth trip tragedy affected so many people around the country. Any parent can relate to sending his or her child off on a youth camp or school trip, and the resultant death has created a greater sense of how fleeting and fragile live can be.

Preachers are supposed to be wordsmiths, using language as tools of the trade. I can’t help thinking about the pastor who will be conducting the funeral and what his words might be. There are so many emotions to consider, and the assurance of “not grieving as those who have no hope.” No one should tell this precious family how to feel about this loss, nor should we try to do so about anyone else who has experienced the depth of this kind of pain. Sometimes it is best to remain silent and allow the power of presence do the talking for us.

We do need to join in prayer for the Henson family and the larger church family there in Shreveport. This story is still unfolding, and God only knows the impact Maggie’s death will have on those who knew her as well as those who did not.

What some people will do to skip Church

Here’s a story about a little boy who REALLY didn’t want to go to church! I appreciate my friend Trent for making it known.

Baptists should act like Jesus

David Coffey gave a message that was intended for all Baptists to hear. The Baptist World Alliance leader challenged us be “the hands and feet of Jesus” to a hurting world. I’ve read through the article, and it’s a good read.

I’m preparing a sermon this Sunday entitled “Still Baptist after all these Years” and it will be given on the occasion of the Lord’s Supper. It’s part of a broader emphasis our church has been aware of in that Baptists are celebrating our 400th anniversary. I’ll talk about some core values that mean much to me, and then we’ll gather around the Lord’s table to remember his sacrificial death, burial, and resurrection. When we do this, it will not be as Baptists, but as believers in Jesus Christ.

It’s a simple thing to say “we should act like Jesus” but making this statement a reality is so much harder than we would like to admit. We are sinful human beings and pride gets in the way so often, and for the larger Baptist family it seems we can’t stop “acting stupidly” towards one another.

Our worship center (sanctuary) is unlike any Baptist church I’ve served in that the pulpit is not in the center. There are two pulpits, the preaching pulpit is the larger of the two on one side and the other is a little smaller and used for directing the congregational singing. It took a while to get used to this positioning, but now I like the split chancel. The music and preaching are important, but the central focus on the platform is the Lord’s Supper table. I believe this signifies that the most important, unifying aspect for God’s people is the broken body of Jesus Christ.

If we as Baptists can keep that as the center, or more directly the people of University Heights Baptist, then that will go a long way toward people seeing Christ in us. Let’s make it our desire to act like Jesus. However, may we also be prepared to take our lifetimes figuring out what that means.

House of Representatives rejects prayer “in Jesus name”

This latest conflict certainly isn’t the first and it won’t the last, but does demonstrate some of the problems when prayers are offered in political settings.

I have been asked to do prayers for council meetings, but I’ve never been asked to submit a written prayer for approval by the members of the council in order to make sure I didn’t say anything offensive. Then again, I was living in the SOUTH. It’s not an opportunity I sought out, and did so out of a sense of support for friends on the council. I can appreciate this particular minister agreeing to pray for that reason, and also his surprise at being rejected for closing the prayer with “in Jesus name.”

Our nation has a great deal of religious diversity, and I respect that. I also appreciate the ceremonial aspect of religion in the public arena, and for this reason believe that council meetings and other gatherings should either NOT have a prayer at all or allow the person praying to pray as he or she wishes. There is no way you’re going to be representative of the entire gathering anyway, and someone will be offended as was demonstrated in this situation.

The whole notion of telling someone not to pray in Jesus name completely sanitizes the content and intent of the person offering the petition. This isn’t a speech, but talking to Almighty God. When we allow persons to censure that content in order not to offend people, then this language ceases to be a prayer but a hollow, religious exercise. I’ve attended council meetings that opened with a prayer and when it ended looked nothing like what had been mentioned in the invocation.  

I turned down an opportunity to offer a prayer a few months ago at a rally for a political candidate for the reason illustrated in this article. When it comes to mixing the church and politics, the church will lose just about every time.  Interestingly, I found this article about Coral Ridge Presbyterian Church and their new pastor. He’s taking a different approach than his well known predecessor, D. James Kennedy. It’s worth reading.

What happens at a staff lunch. . .

Today was our monthly or pseudo-monthly staff lunch. It is usually based upon whenever there is a staff person who has had an anniversary serving at the church. You should see the excitement the staff has at the idea of eating lunch together. This was the case, and we all happened over to the Rib Crib.

I won’t go into the details of our conversation, because then I would turn into one of those preachers who people are afraid to be around because everything that is said could turn into a sermon illustration. However, one topic of interest during our conversation related to the local cuisine and in particular how famous Springfield is for its cashew chicken.

I appreciate Susan sending this article to me, an attempt to educate this Missouri interloper to the finer things in Ozark dining.

Tom Watson: close but no silver jug

I’m not much of a golfer, and it is difficult for me to sit on the couch and watch others play. It is good if I’m needing a nap and the green pastoral images are conducive for sleep. Yet, this weekend’s drama with Tom Watson made me sit up and cheer for the 59 year old.

Watson hadn’t won a major championship in decades, yet walked the British open course for four days after having hip replacement surgery last October. He handled himself with class and suffered an emotional loss that was painful to see. I can’t imagine how he must have felt getting so close.

Watson has inspired millions of golfers and non-golfers alike through his remarkable run at the silver jug trophy this weekend. I want to thank him for giving me something to cheer about, and giving the golf world in particular something to talk about other than Tiger Woods.