By Nicole Kalil, Florida Baptist Convention Florida Baptists are reeling along with all of Florida and the rest of the nation after a gunman opened fire at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla. yesterday leaving 17 dead and another 14 injured. While law enforcement and state officials issue calls to prayer at press conferences, Florida Baptist churches in the area are mourning their own losses while offering words of hope and help to those hurting in their community. The main campus of Church by the Glades is located less than 10 minutes from the school and lead pastor David Hughes said many of the students in his church attend Douglas High. Hughes held back sobs as he explained that a few families in his church had suffered a fatality and one family has a son who is “gravely injured.” They are still in the process of accounting for all their members connected to the school. Hughes said that at times like this people often wrestle with the reasons but that’s not the most important question to have answered. “What now?” he said is the better question. And “Who wins?” “Do we let fear and cruelty, violence and hatred win or do we continue to fight against the darkness and continue to bring the … [Read more...]

By Roy Hayhurst, GuideStone Financial Resources DALLAS, Texas - Continued uncertainty in the health care marketplace with the repeal of the individual mandate coming in 2019 and reductions in the number of individuals served by the health care exchanges has some pastors and ministry workers wondering about health care options this year. Further, the Affordable Care Act continues to drive up costs for consumers nationwide. GuideStone recognizes that affordability is the issue for most all of us, and while, like others, we are not immune from the financial pressures caused by the 2010 law, we are working diligently every day to develop options that reflect the values of our participants and keep costs extremely competitive in the marketplace. GuideStone’s Personal Plans health plans may be options for churches with a single staff member, usually the pastor. “We take seriously our ministry assignment from Southern Baptists to make ‘available life and health coverage,’ to our churches and ministry organizations, especially those pastors serving out at the crossroads,” GuideStone President O.S. Hawkins said. “We’d encourage any pastor of a single staff-member church to call GuideStone and see if we may be able to serve him … [Read more...]

By Roy Hayhurst, GuideStone Financial Resources DALLAS, Texas - GuideStone Financial Resources, LifeWay Research and Baptist state conventions have teamed up again in 2018 for the biennial SBC Church Compensation Survey. Pastors and church employees are invited to participate in the survey, a resource used by churches of all sizes to determine fair wages and benefits. The survey takes about 10 minutes to complete; it is available on the GuideStone website. Survey respondents can enter to win an iPad. The survey’s results will be made available in the early fall, in time for many churches considering their 2019 budgets. The survey is the largest, free, church compensation study available in the United States. These surveys are a valuable tool for churches to benchmark their own salary and benefits against churches of similar size within Southern Baptist life. Through GuideStone’s compensation planning materials, GuideStone offers materials to help churches structure their compensation to make proper use of tax laws. Individual survey results can be contributed anonymously: Survey results are not reported individually. Once the survey closes May 31, LifeWay Research will work on compiling results. Survey respondents … [Read more...]