Posts Tagged ‘Southern Baptist Convention’

For many of us, the SBC annual meeting is the one week of the year when everything seems right in the world. We gather with several thousand fellow believers who share similar biblical and world-view convictions. It is an oasis of biblical and gospel conviction in a world that is a secular desert.

The SBC annual meeting is now behind us, and I left the meeting even more encouraged than I arrived. For the past several years this has been the case, but this year especially so. Here is why: Read more

It is a joy to present my third Midwestern Seminary president’s report to the messengers of the Southern Baptist Convention. As I do, I am mindful I am not alone. As witnessed this morning, I serve in concert with your six seminaries. Jointly, we have much to celebrate.

For Midwestern Seminary, this past year has been one of unprecedented institutional accomplishment. In fact, this past year has been a record one, with virtually every institutional metric showing robust growth and seminary health.

I am absolutely convinced—and our best assessments show—Midwestern Seminary’s enrollment growth can be attributed to three words: For the Church. Read more

In a matter of days, Southern Baptists will descend on Columbus, Ohio for our annual meeting. We will convene together for two days of ministry updates, convention business, and denominational fellowship.

With nearly 16,000,000 members in over 45,000 churches, the SBC is America’s largest Protestant denomination. Yet, we manage to feel more like a small family. In fact, for many of us, the annual SBC meeting is akin to a family reunion. It is an encouraging time to reconnect with old ministry friends, make new ones, and draw inspiration from all God is doing through our collective work.

Every year I look forward to the SBC, but this year I am especially anticipating it. Here’s what I’ll be looking for. Read more

From what we know of ourselves, our past, and in as much as we can predict the future, Southern Baptist seminaries must exhibit five marks of health to flourish in the 21st century. Read more

Designations of golden eras tend to occur long in hindsight, aided by nostalgia and abetted by old souls viewing history through rose-colored glasses. This is to say, in actual terms golden eras rarely—if ever—exist. But in relative terms, the early 21st century may well be the SBC’s Golden Era of theological education. Read more