Anne Graham Lotz issues call to prayApril 17, 2017 by BR staff | |
Anne Graham Lotz, daughter of famed evangelist Billy Graham, gets a lot of questions about her 98-year-old father, as well as the rest of her well-known family. She answers gracefully ... READ MORE |
Hemphill named director of N.C. Baptist Assembly at Fort CaswellApril 18, 2017 by Emily Rojas, BSC Communications | |
Brian Hemphill, longtime staff member and the current assistant director of the N.C. Baptist Assembly at Fort Caswell, will assume the role of the assembly’s director effective June 1. READ MORE |
WMU-NC reaches out 'By Any Means'April 18, 2017 by Dianna L. Cagle, BR Production Editor | |
Being raised in the church, Ruth Ripken decided at age 8 that she would be a missionary when she grew up. At age 12, she presented a paper about going to Africa and began writing ... READ MORE |
Young Pastors Network promotes cooperation for the next generationApril 17, 2017 by Seth Brown, BR Content Editor | |
Competition can be tempting when two young pastors lead churches less than 10 miles apart. Ministry can quickly become a race to build the largest program or flashiest worship service. READ MORE |
OTHER BR NEWS |
At 2017 SBC, an opportunity for the gospel
Former Maryland/Delaware executive sues NAMB
Blume: How do we handle criticism?
Don't compromise the gospel in social cooperation
Couple marries passions for motorcycles, ministry
K. Allan Blume BR Editor | WANTED: Young leaders! Younger Baptist leaders have everything to gain and nothing to lose by connecting to the resources of Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) and the Baptist State Convention of North Carolina. Matt Capps and John Mark Harrison are wise to tap into these resources and to share the value of these ministry connections with other young pastors. Read their story in this week’s print edition of the Biblical Recorder and online. I attended my first SBC annual meeting when I was 26 years old. A few years later, the conservative resurgence began, and I saw clearly the importance of participating in these annual gatherings. The pastor of the church where I grew up did not attend convention meetings. But I was serving in my first church staff position and the pastor – who regularly attended SBC annual meetings – encouraged me to attend the Norfolk meeting in 1976. And, it was near my wife’s home, so we had additional incentive to visit the family! I was not what you would call a "convention loyalist," but I quickly saw many benefits to going to these conventions. My first N.C. Baptist convention meeting was six years later when I was 32. Initially, I did not feel the connection there as strongly as I did with the SBC, but that changed. Many other young pastors got involved, seeing the importance of influencing the direction of the state convention. We saw Mark Corts, a young pastor from Winston-Salem, elected as president of the convention when he was only 40 years old. Young leadership is important! Corts was a premier model of leadership. I pray that every young pastor in the state will follow the example of Capps and Harrison. Everyone will benefit, and the kingdom will move along more effectively. Join me in congratulating another young man in N.C. Baptist life. Brian Hemphill has been tapped to follow the outstanding work of Rick Holbrook, who is retiring from 32 years at the North Carolina Baptist Assembly at Fort Caswell. Brian is well equipped to follow his boss as Caswell’s new director. Pray for him and let Brian know you are praying for him. I would like to hear from you if you have any feedback from my editorial this week. I shared a few comments about criticism. Let’s talk about it. I look forward to receiving your comments. |