My friend was able to step out of his garage and pick up his morning newspaper. The walk was so short he often took the few steps quickly, in his pajamas, or . . My friend was able to step out of his garage and pick up his morning newspaper. The walk was so short he often took the few steps quickly, in his pajamas, or . . . That moment of mischievousness thrilled the little boy that dwells inside every man, even when he hits middle-age.   Then he moved. He built a new home for his family and it is nice, but the driveway is long and winding. The newspaper is dropped at the junction of the street and the drive so the morning newspaper is not close enough to retrieve in a dash.   Now, my friend has to put on his street clothes and at least slippers to ward off the pain of rocks and acorns and whatever else falls on driveways. He walks to the end of his drive, picks up the paper and bemoans the necessary walk back to the house when it had been so easy.   The consolation is that Rosie the dog makes the walk with him. She is playful this time of the morning and glad to see her master. It is a brief but good time of bonding.   After a few morning walks to the paper, my friend … [Read more...]

First Baptist Church of Mansfield recently marked its 150th anniversary, celebrating a ministry that has reached throughout Louisiana. First Baptist Church of Mansfield recently marked its 150th anniversary, celebrating a ministry that has reached throughout Louisiana.   The Louisiana Baptist church was organized on June 18, 1851, with fourteen original members who pledged $1,051 to build the congregation’s first facility.   A total of five facilities have housed the church, including one accidently destroyed by fire in the Battle of Mansfield during the Civil War. The church was being used as a hospital, when a wounded soldier knocked over a candle that led to the fire.   The Mansfield church members have focused on building beyond themselves as well. The congregation has given birth to two other churches and has teamed with Baptists in South Louisiana to help support work in that region as well.   Twenty-four pastors have served the church, including current Pastor William Crosby. Anniversary activities also included messages from Scott Tatum, a longtime Louisiana Baptist leader and a former member of the church; and John Jackson, a California resident who is the … [Read more...]

Anew church building does not cause growth - it merely permits growth, Davis Byrd told Southern Baptist church leaders recently. Anew church building does not cause growth - it merely permits growth, Davis Byrd told Southern Baptist church leaders recently.   "The purpose of a church is not a church building, but church building," said Byrd, director of the church architecture department of LifeWay Christian Resources of the Southern Baptist Convention.   "Building church facilities is a problem of purpose long before it is an architectural or financial problem." he continued. "Too many churches do property and facility planning as if there were no connection between the kind of space provided and church growth. Others plan a new building with a vague hope that just constructing a building will lead to growth."   Studies of growing churches consistently show that property, buildings and space are major factors in sustaining growth patterns, Byrd said during a recent conference sponsored by LifeWay Christian Resources of the Southern Baptist Convention.   "(But) It takes people and planning to make growth happen," he emphasized. "Your future is what you, under God, set out … [Read more...]

Sensitivity to cultural issues has become an absolutely essential role in evangelism as it relates to church guests, Will McRaney told Southern Baptist church leaders recently. Sensitivity to cultural issues has become an absolutely essential role in evangelism as it relates to church guests, Will McRaney told Southern Baptist church leaders recently.   A lack of guest sensitivity may mean guests will feel out of place and less likely to return, warned McRaney, associate professor of evangelism at New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary and co-founder of Ministry Enhancement Group.   Also, a lack of sensitivity could mean that church members will be less inclined to invite friends, and new Christians may not understand what is taking place in a worship service, McRaney said.   "New Christians sometimes fake an understanding of what is going on in the service, or they may quit coming to church altogether, thinking that they just don’t ‘get it,’" McRaney said.   Welcoming guests without making them feel awkward or embarrassed and explaining insider church language can be sensitive gestures that make people want to return to church, he said.   McRaney listed … [Read more...]

"Baptists are their best when they cooperate."   Who said that? Actually, this statement has been reflected by just about everyone who seriously studies the life and work of Baptists. "Baptists are their best when they cooperate."   Who said that? Actually, this statement has been reflected by just about everyone who seriously studies the life and work of Baptists. Perhaps the student of Baptist history who most recently reflected this thought is Jimmy Draper who is President of Lifeway Christian Resources. He reached this conclusion personally as he considered the history of Baptists. Baptists cooperate because they want to cooperate. The nature of some other denominations includes church and denominational structures that make cooperation an essential requirement. For instance, there is no local Catholic church unless that church operates as an extension of the church in Rome and is ultimately ruled by Rome.   Baptists, on the other hand, do not "have" to do anything structurally beyond their local church. No "higher-ups" can tell a Baptist church or Baptists what to do. Some say even God has difficulty telling some what to do! The emphasis in Baptist polity is upon the … [Read more...]