New York City has long been considered the apple of America’s eye, and a Big Apple at that. With its imposing skyline, so long dominated by the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center, it sometimes seemed to be a city that could force its economic will on the machinations of the entire world. Then came September 11, 2001.
For 102 minutes, the nation’s collective eyes watched and heart beat as New York City suffered a … [Read More]
Ed Stetzer
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| Email: | Ed.Stetzer@lifeway.com |
Recent Posts
New York City: The Apple of America’s Eye
Sep 30th, 2011 by Ed Stetzer
How One Baptist Denomination Addressed Their Name Change (Because of Their Church Planting Focus)
Sep 22nd, 2011 by Ed Stetzer
Southern Baptists are talking about a name change. The stated reason: to help church planting. Much research needs to be done, and a task force is in place to ask the right questions. Yet, perhaps two helpful questions are: has anyone had this question before and what did they do?
The Baptist General Convention is a conservative, evangelical denomination with, for a point of reference, well-known pastors like Leith Anderson and John Piper. (For more context, … [Read More]
Should the SBC change its name?
Sep 21st, 2011 by Ed Stetzer
As we all know, an important announcement was made by SBC president Bryant Wright at the latest Executive Committee meeting in Nashville. Wright proposed that the SBC should explore the possibility of changing the denomination’s 166-year-old name. You can see a list of the exploratory task force members here. This has profound implications for the way we carry out Kingdom work in the United States and around the globe.
The stated reason was the belief that the name might hinder … [Read More]
Again. From Decline to Decision
Jun 10th, 2011 by Ed Stetzer
A few moments ago our communication department released two stories, one of analysis and one of commentary. I have posted the analysis over at my EdStetzer.com blog. Here is the commentary:
It is time for the Southern Baptist Convention to move from denial to decision.
It has happened again. The SBC reported membership has declined, again. And, baptisms are at their lowest level in 60 years
I remember the first time the membership declined, just a few years … [Read More]
Preflections on the SBC Annual Meeting
Jun 1st, 2011 by Ed Stetzer
This Southern Baptist Convention will be the smallest one we have seen in years. Many will predict the end is coming. Some of us will be embarrassed by silly motions offered. After the SBC, I will create another chart that shows the percentage of young leaders (up, I hope). And, we will go back to where it all began—our local churches.
I’m not a prophet of doom, just a guy who can read a few charts. … [Read More]
What Happens When We Push Out the Non-Traditional Churches
Apr 25th, 2011 by Ed Stetzer
My recent article on cooperation among the traditional and non-traditional churches led to me receiving an email from a judicatory leader in a conservative evangelical denomination (a judicatory would be closest to an association in my denominational structure– not the same polity, but similar geography).
I’ve edited out references to the denomination, but (with permission) I thought I’d share here what happens when a narrow, methodological (rather than confessional) standard is imposed on a denominational family. … [Read More]
Cooperating Together for the Cause of Christ
Apr 18th, 2011 by Ed Stetzer
Thanks to all who commented or sent messages about my recent article here at Between the Times. I don’t write on SBC issues as often as I should, but felt a need to respond to a few friends and the concerns they expressed.
I had a pretty simple point: Southern Baptists are primarily a traditional people. The vast majority of Southern Baptist institutions and entities are led by traditional Southern Baptists. The traditional SBC member and … [Read More]
Cooperating Together
Apr 8th, 2011 by Ed Stetzer
This week, our new church plant (Grace Church) was pleased to send in our first gift to the Cooperative Program. (We also budget for our association and to direct church planting, but that is another topic for another day.)
As leaders of the church, we believe in what we are doing together in our convention. The Cooperative Program gives our church the opportunity to partner with other churches in our denominational family to be involved in … [Read More]
Traditional, Contemporary, and the Future of the SBC
Mar 7th, 2011 by Ed Stetzer
In a handwritten note dated May 1897, Mark Twain once said, “… this report of my death was an exaggeration.” Today, the reports of the death of the traditional church dominance of the SBC are being greatly exaggerated by some in SBC life.
I recently heard that traditional Southern Baptists are being marginalized and cast aside by the new and contemporary. And, to be honest, I’m fascinated that a few people really seem to believe this—and … [Read More]
Picture the SBC
Feb 22nd, 2011 by Ed Stetzer
Through what must have been a tragic mix-up of invitations, I was asked to speak at the inauguration of Frank Page as President of the Executive Committee of the Southern Baptist Convention. Here is a pic from the stage:
And here is my recent series on raising up young leaders in the SBC:
Ready or Not, Here They Come! A 5-part Series on Partnering with Our Sons and Daughters for a Great Commission Resurgence (Part … [Read More]
