I was pleasantly surprised to hear that Kevin Ezell has been nominated for NAMB president. To me, seeing someone who has evidenced a commitment to church planting is essential. Kevin does not just like church planting, he has been involved in helping church planters for years. I talk about that some on my personal blog at EdStetzer.com.
Jimmy Scroggins, senior pastor of First Baptist Church West Palm Beach:
Kevin Ezell is the … [Read More]
Ed Stetzer
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| Email: | Ed.Stetzer@lifeway.com |
Recent Posts
Kevin Ezell Nominated as President of North American Mission Board
Sep 1st, 2010 by Ed Stetzer
Facts and Feelings from Orlando: The Road Back for Young Leaders and the SBC, Part 2
Aug 16th, 2010 by Ed Stetzer
In part 1 of my post (link), I pointed out that the SBC messengers were not as young as we might have hoped. Since facts are our friends, we need to ask, “Why?” Certainly, this is not just an issue for Southern Baptists. Five decades ago, few would have written an article feeling the need to defend the existence and relevance of denominations, yet I felt compelled to do that very thing in the May … [Read More]
Facts and Feelings from Orlando: The Road Back for Young Leaders and the SBC, Part 1
Aug 12th, 2010 by Ed Stetzer
It sure looked a lot younger at the SBC annual meeting this year. Many of us commented on the presence, involvement and impact of young leaders and an intergenerational look to the meeting.
The Pastors’ Conference elected “contemporary” (sorry to use that word) leaders in their late 30’s, early 40’s. The Baptist 21 (www.baptisttwentyone.com) panel boasted an attendance of “around” 1300, many of whom were first time SBC attendees. Pastors’ Conference speakers, as well as the … [Read More]
Post-SBC Reflections
Jun 22nd, 2010 by Ed Stetzer
The SBC is over.
It really is. The “convention” is a meeting that meets once a year and that meeting has closed. Now, we will all go back to our locally autonomous churches and work to fulfill the mission of God. Hopefully what was accomplished at this year’s annual meeting will help that work press forward. But ultimately, the Great Commission is given to believers and the church, not denominational structures, entities, and employees.
But, because I … [Read More]
Toward a Unified SBC
Jun 11th, 2010 by Ed Stetzer
The SBC annual meeting is rapidly approaching and, as it does, the back and forth across the Internet seems to have accelerated pace. Pastors and denominational leaders have rushed to publish their views, sometimes gently and sometimes not so gently, but publish they have. If the secular press decides to take a gander at blogs, news sites and Twitter feeds, they will likely have no shortage of evidence to substantiate their long held belief that … [Read More]
Continued Cooperation
Jun 10th, 2010 by Ed Stetzer
I am in Orlando early. I decided I needed to get here early in case anyone called for another Disney boycott.
This is an important week in SBC life. We have some issues to face and some things to consider. And, by the time we are done next week, I hope we will unite and move forward together. Let me share a few hopes I have for Orlando.
First, I hope we will see … [Read More]
Confessional Consensus, Part 2
Jun 3rd, 2010 by Ed Stetzer
I have a copy of the Baptist Faith and Message 2000 on my desk. I have never used it for my daily quiet time. I have not opened it in a while. To be honest, I am not sure why I left it there, but why it is there is of no importance. The little red booklet is insignificant, but what it represents is essential. It is the Baptist Faith and Message, the confessional statement … [Read More]
Confessional Consensus, Part 1
Jun 2nd, 2010 by Ed Stetzer
I believe it is no longer possible to “guilt” the next generation into the SBC. That worked in past years when the SBC was a tribal culture and there were few legitimate options for partnering, but guilt will not play now. The tribal culture has also dissipated; it is necessary to find another means by which we work together. Previous generations were part of the SBC because that was how they identified themselves–it was an … [Read More]
Who Is Not Here?
May 21st, 2010 by Ed Stetzer
I was recently asked to becoming a contributing editor for Facts and Trends, LifeWay’s flagship publication. If you are a Southern Baptist, you probably receive it. If you love Jesus, you treasure its every page.
In the most recent issue we focused on ministry to first generation immigrant groups based on a study highlighted on my blog today.
In light of the ongoing membership decline of the SBC (the third year in a row) and … [Read More]
Will Southern Baptists Ignore the Ongoing Decline?
May 14th, 2010 by Ed Stetzer
A LifeWay report released today showed that overall SBC membership continues to decline—for the third straight year. Despite adding 162 churches across 42 state conventions, total membership slid from 16,228,438 in 2008 to 16,160,088 in 2009, a net loss of 68,350 members. The decline has occurred in spite of an increase of 7,539 baptisms year over year. The Annual Church profiles revealed a tiny (.36%) rise in total number of churches and a .37% increase … [Read More]
