Author: Jayson Larson

SBC 2022: Messengers greenlight task force to implement sexual abuse reforms

ANAHEIM, Calif.—Messengers to the 2022 Southern Baptist Convention annual meeting in Anaheim overwhelmingly approved two recommendations presented by the Sexual Abuse Task Force on June 14.

The vote clears the way for the formation of an Abuse Reform Implementation Task Force (ARITF) and the creation of a database that will allow church and ministry leaders to track, in the words of the recommendation, “pastors, denominational workers, ministry employees, and volunteers who have at any time been credibly accused of sexual abuse with present or past associations with a cooperating Southern Baptist church or entity.”

The messengers’ actions represent the next step in an ongoing effort to prevent sexual abuse, protect those who have already been abused, and to respond to future allegations of abuse in SBC churches and entities. In May, the SBC released the results of an independent investigation conducted by Guidepost Solutions that identified failures in the area of sexual abuse care and prevention on the part of the SBC Executive Committee.

Bruce Frank, pastor of Biltmore Church in Arden, N.C. and chairman of the Sexual Abuse Task Force, told messengers before their vote that there could be “no more business as usual” regarding the handling of charges of abuse in SBC churches and organizations. Frank reminded messengers they had commissioned the task force at last year’s SBC Annual Meeting in Nashville, thanking them for “showing the resolve of Christ-followers.” He praised the task force itself—calling its members “Southern Baptist through and through”—along with entity heads, state Baptist executives, state sexual abuse task forces, and the Great Commission Council for their assistance.

“Most of all, I want to say thank you to the survivors of sexual abuse in the Southern Baptist Convention,” he said, including both survivors listed in the Guidepost report and the “countless anonymous ones” sitting in the auditorium. “You are the heroes in this hall.”

Frank went on to urge messengers to choose “humility over hubris,” genuine repentance over passivity, and the “glory of God” over “business as usual,” noting that much of the abuse that has been brought to light occurred on “our watch.”

“This is our denomination that closed our eyes and our hearts to survivors … to sexual abuse reform initiatives … in some cases allowing serial predators to quietly move from church to church,” he said. “Either we humble ourselves or God humbles us … by humiliating us and putting us in humiliating circumstances.”

ARITF will be ‘priority,’ exist as long as needed

The ARITF, members of which will be appointed by newly elected convention president Bart Barber, is authorized to operate for one year and is renewable by messengers at subsequent annual meetings as needed. Barber said in his first press conference as SBC president-elect on Wednesday that seating the ARITF would be his first priority.

Initially, the Executive Committee had pledged funds to support the ARITF work, upon approval by messengers. Send Relief’s June 8 announcement of its intent to give $3 million to fund the task force’s recommendations for sexual abuse reform and an additional $1 million to establish a survivor care fund to provide trauma care for survivors and trauma training for pastors rendered EC funding unnecessary.

The ARITF is also tasked with working collaboratively with entity heads to recommend funding mechanisms for future reforms. The ARITF will report to each SBC annual meeting while the task force is in existence.

The idea of a task force is not new to the SBC, Frank said. The ARITF will assist entities advising Baptist churches and organizations seeking help. It will also consult with the executive and credentials committees regarding cooperating churches that fail to uphold SBC standards in addressing sexual abuse and caring for survivors.

Creation of database is ‘nothing new’ to SBC

The creation of such a database has been discussed for more than 15 years in SBC circles, Frank said, beginning in 2007 when a motion was made for the EC to study its feasibility. The database would be created as soon as possible, Frank said in a press conference after the vote, adding that the specifics would be determined by the ARITF.

“There is an 80% recidivism rate among sexual abusers,” Frank earlier told messengers, noting that the database will provide churches with the resources to prevent predators from victimizing people from church to church. “It respects local church autonomy while acknowledging the reality that churches need resourcing and will provide a safe space for survivors,” he said.

Dealing with cases of abuse is a matter of when, not if, Frank told pastors.

“That’s not a word of prophecy. That’s just math,” he said. “ … When you look out on your congregation, you will see survivors, but make no mistake, you will get the phone call and what you do right there sets the direction of almost everything else.”

In a resolution passed before the close of business Wednesday, messengers offered a formal apology and asked for forgiveness from those who have been victimized in churches. “We prayerfully endeavor to eliminate all instances of sexual abuse among our churches,” messengers said.

With their actions this week, the SBC is closer to making that a reality.

Information from Baptist Press was used in this article.

SBC 2022: In convention sermon, Sanchez says, ‘Our view of the church is way too small’

ANAHEIM, Calif.—Juan Sanchez, pastor of High Pointe Baptist Church of Austin, challenged messengers to the Southern Baptist Convention’s 2022 annual meeting to enlarge their views of a healthy church during the convention sermon Wednesday morning in Anaheim.

Preaching from Ephesians, Sanchez said, “The apostle Paul blows up our small view of the church” in the epistle. Throughout Ephesians, Paul reveals God’s “eternal plan to exalt His Son as king and lord,” placing “all things under Christ” (1:19-23) uniting “a fractured humanity”—Jew and Gentile—into “one new man” (2:12-16).

Through this unified, diverse, multiethnic assembly, believers show “the cosmic powers the manifold wisdom of God” in whose eternal plan Christ emerges victorious over Satan and hell, rescuing for Himself a people from every tribe, nation, and language, Sanchez said.

A healthy church, he continued, is one in which “members are walking together in a manner that is worthy of our God” and that is “built on the Word of God” that believers might “look like the Son of God, to the glory of God.”

Churches must embrace the ministry of the word, Sanchez urged, explaining from his main text, Ephesians 4:11-16, the structure (4:11-12), goal (4:13-14), and practice of Word ministry (4:15-16).

The structure

Paul lays out the structure of Word ministry in Ephesians 4:11-12, with apostles and prophets the foundation, evangelists the missionaries or “spreaders,” and pastors and teachers, the shepherds.

“We cannot build the church on any other foundation,” Sanchez said, not “music styles or age-graded ministries or politics or social justice or even our own personalities,” for “Jesus is building His church on Himself.” All else is transitory, liable to collapse when a ministry is tested by fire.

Sanchez challenged pastors to order their Sunday services around the Word of God and to exposit whole books of the Bible, both Old and New Testaments, where the “Holy Spirit chooses the topics, not the preacher.”

The goal

The goal of Word ministry is “Christ-likeness,” Sanchez added. This is accomplished corporately in the church as members grow to Christian maturity and are no longer children tossed about by human cunning, craftiness, or deceit.

He cautioned that today it is all-too-common for churches to be distracted by “every wind of doctrine,” human philosophy, conspiracy theories, and worldly opinions, perhaps because pastors have not ground their flocks in the Word of God.

“What trellises are you providing your church for the ministry of the Word to flourish?” he asked, offering examples of things like small groups and the sacraments that encourage spiritual growth and the development of discipling relationships within a congregation.

The practice

Indeed, discipleship is at the heart of Word ministry as is daily life enmeshed in Scripture, Sanchez said, describing the cycle: “Pastors, preach the Word from the pulpit. Church, receive the Word from your pastors and let that Word reverberate throughout the life of the congregation.”

“Prioritize relationships,” he urged.

After church, ask your children about the sermon, he suggested, or have a group of singles to your home or eat lunch with some young couples or host a small group and discuss the sermon.

Develop relationships that have an eternal impact, he said, describing his own personal experiences in which kindly believers invited him to church as a young Navy recruit far from home or asked his wife and him to their dinner as young marrieds.

“This is what the whole body working together looks like,” Sanchez said, describing himself as a “former Roman Catholic Puerto Rican kid” who once was lost but now is found in Christ because of the discipling efforts of “faithful Southern Baptists” who poured their lives into his and enveloped him into their lives and homes.

“Our view of the church is way too small. I know mine was,” he closed, exhorting listeners to imagine a convention of faithful churches where the Word is preached, new churches planted and missionaries sent, mirroring the spiritual vibrancy of the early church in Acts.

SBC 2022: SBTC’s Barber becomes 65th president of Southern Baptist Convention

ANAHEIM, Calif.—Bart Barber, pastor of First Baptist Church of Farmersville, was elected president of the Southern Baptist Convention on Tuesday following a long day of business that included the entry of a last-minute candidate into the race and a subsequent runoff.

Barber received 60.87% of the vote (3,401 votes) in the runoff to defeat Florida pastor Tom Ascol, who received 38.88% of the vote (2,172 votes). Among the 8,098 registered messengers, 5,587 cast ballots during the runoff.

The runoff was necessary after no candidate received at least 50 percent of the vote after the first round of voting. Barber also led after that initial round, outpolling Ascol 3,258 votes (47.58%) to 34.06% (2,332 votes).

Robin Hadaway, a longtime pastor, missionary, and seminary professor who now lives in Southern California, and Frank Cox, senior pastor of North Metro Baptist Church in Lawrenceville, Ga., were eliminated after the first round of voting. Cox entered the race Tuesday morning.

Barber, 52, is the 65^th president in SBC history and the second Southern Baptists of Texas Convention pastor to serve in the position. Jack Graham, pastor of Prestonwood Baptist Church, served as SBC president from 2002-2004. Barber, an Arkansas native who has pastored FBC Farmersville since 1999, is the 13^th pastor from Texas to serve in the role.

A press conference with Barber is scheduled for 10:15 a.m. Wednesday.

Matt Henslee, associational missions strategist for the Collin Baptist Church and a member of FBC Farmersville, nominated Barber. Henslee called him a champion of Southern Baptist institutions and efforts including the Lottie Moon and Annie Armstrong missions offerings, its seminaries, and both its state convention and local associations.

“As a convention, we stand at a crossroads,” Henslee said. “And I humbly submit to you that Bart Barber is the man for the moment. Bart Barber embodies the best of what it means to be a Southern Baptist. … We need a man who will unite rather than divide, who will build up rather than tear down.”

Barber, an ever-present voice on social media, ran a digital everyman campaign. In one of his first public statements after being announced as a candidate, he recorded a Twitter video in his pickup truck during which he extolled the goodness of both milkshakes and Ascol (whom he called a friend who “loves Jesus”). He posted other videos on SBC-related issues recorded from the seat of his tractor, while walking on his ranch with a herd of cattle milling around in the background, and in full Trail Life U.S.A. uniform prior to a meeting of that group at his church.

He inherits an SBC that has much to celebrate but challenges on the horizon. SBC Executive Committee Interim President/CEO Willie McLaurin reported on Monday that national Cooperative Program receipts are $11.2 million ahead for the first eight months of the 2021-22 fiscal budget, and the SBC will celebrate CP’s 100^th anniversary in 2025.

At the same time, the largest Protestant denomination in the U.S. is working to address declining baptisms and the implementation of reforms on the heels of an investigation that identified failures in the area of sexual abuse care and prevention on the part of the SBC Executive Committee.

Barber replaces Ed Litton, an Alabama pastor who was elected SBC president in a runoff at last year’s annual meeting in Nashville. In March, Litton announced he would not seek a second term, as convention rules permit.

SBC 2022: Pastors’ Conference features heavy Lone Star State influence

ANAHEIM, Calif.—From the planning to the worship music to the preaching, Southern Baptists of Texas Convention pastors were a major presence at the Southern Baptist Convention’s 2022 Pastors’ Conference June 12-13.

Collin Baptist Association Executive Director Matt Henslee of Texas served as president of the conference, which featured messages from Colossians and was centered on the theme “We Proclaim Him.”

Worship was led by Matt Boswell, pastor of The Trails Church in Celina, accompanied by Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary’s Cowden Hall Band.

Marcus Hayes, pastor of Crossroads Baptist Church in The Woodlands, offered a Monday morning message of encouragement and gospel unity from the apostle Paul in Colossians 2:1-7, warning listeners to beware the world’s “haters.”

Paul wants leaders to see his “deep love for the church,” resulting in “care, concern, and compassion,” Hayes said, noting that often, “Care has turned into criticizing. Concern has turned into categorizing. And compassion has turned into canceling people.”

Hayes later added that “encouragement goes a long way” and that “Jesus plus nothing equals everything.”

“Be careful that you and I don’t come up with a different type of Jesus,” Hayes said. “Fashion your idea and your theology and your Christology on Jesus and who Jesus is and how He has presented Himself in the Scriptures,” Hayes said, remarking that Colossians is saturated with solid Christology and reminding all that “Jesus is not coming to take sides. He is coming to take over,” and that “the gospel still works.”

Among Monday afternoon’s speakers was Matt Carter, pastor of Houston’s Sagemont Church, who focused on verses 12-14 of Colossians 3:12-17.

Carter said the passage emphasizes the biggest problem facing the SBC today: division.

He affirmed the convention’s need to fight against “worldly philosophy and human tradition” and for “doctrinal fidelity and theological accuracy.” He vigorously cautioned that in so doing, Southern Baptists have stopped looking like Christ and started to look like the world, often lacking the one thing Jesus said would characterize His disciples in John 13:35: love for one another.

“Love is maybe the only evidence of your salvation that you can’t fake,” Carter said. “I would imagine that every single solitary person in this convention would raise their hand and say that they are saved. They would say they are born again. Why in the world are we not known by the one thing Jesus said we would be known by?”

Carter called for the SBC to become a “convention of churches that is known for biblical faithfulness and tender-heartedness.”

Israel Villalobos, pastor of Spanish ministries at Irving’s Plymouth Park Baptist Church, preached on Colossians 3:18-4:1. Villalobos focused on the family as presented in Colossians 3:18-4:1, noting that the apostle’s previous discussion of the church informed his teaching on the household.

“He is trying to help them live a Christian life in ways that God has ordained and, in so doing, bring our heavenly Father glory and honor,” Villalobos explained.

“Paul was presenting a view of marriage that actually elevated women to a level of equality and value,” Villalobos said. The command for husbands to sacrificially love their wives was revolutionary in Paul’s day, where marriages generally existed for the continuation of family and position, Villalobos added.

“[Paul’s] thought would have been mind-blowing to those who were listening,” he continued.

Also culturally astonishing, Paul’s teaching on the relationship between master and slave was not an endorsement of slavery, but a radical humanization of slaves, who might be likened to modern employees, Villalobos said.

Evangelist Julio Arriola, Send Network SBTC director, spoke on Colossians 4 in the conference’s evening session. Arriola referenced Colossians 4:1 before delving into 4:2-6, reminding all that they have a master in heaven and that Christ is supreme.

God has decided to move and act at the beat of His servants’ prayers, Arriola said, leading into the text, where Paul urges his readers to devote themselves to prayer.

“Prayer is greatly needed now,” Arriola said. “We dedicate time to speak to God because we believe that He is supreme. He is important, but also, He is available.”

There is an urgency for prayer for our families, our churches, our leaders, the lost, our world, he said, urging alertness with thanksgiving: “It is time for Southern Baptists to change their grieving chants for a grateful song.”

“If we pray constantly, we will develop a tender heart for people,” he added.

At the conclusion of the conference Monday evening, Daniel Dickard—pastor of Friendly Avenue Baptist Church in Greensboro, N.C., was elected to serve as the next president of the Pastors’ Conference.

SBC 2022: Arlington pastor elected chairman of SBC Executive Committee

ANAHEIM, CALIF.—Jared Wellman, pastor of Tate Springs Baptist Church in Arlington, was elected chairman of the Southern Baptist Convention’s Executive Committee’s during its Monday meeting at the SBC Annual Meeting.

The Executive Committee acts as the SBC’s fiduciary entity and conducts its affairs during the time between the convention’s annual two-day meetings. This work includes receiving Cooperative Program and designated gifts and disbursing them according to the allocation budget approved by messengers to the annual meeting, in the case of Cooperative Program funds, and according to the instructions of the donor in the case of designated offerings. The entity also has program assignments that include convention news, Cooperative Program promotion, and stewardship training.

At a Monday afternoon press conference, Wellman described the committee to an NBA referee: “…If they’re doing a good job you should never recognize that they are on the court. The way the Southern Baptist Convention is structured, [the Executive Committee is] best when we’re following the will of the messengers, we’re being faithful to what our marching orders are, so to speak.”

Wellman is one of the longest-tenured members of the committee.

“It’s been a wild ride,” he noted. “I’ve served under four different Executive Committee presidents [two elected, two interim].”

Ronnie Floyd was the Executive Committee’s most recent elected president. Floyd was elected in spring 2019 and resigned in October 2021 after the committee voted to waive attorney-client privilege for some materials related to the committee’s handling of the reports of sexual abuse survivors. Floyd’s predecessor, Frank Page, resigned in 2018. The Executive Committee currently operates under the direction of Willie McLaurin as interim president of the committee.

As chairman, Wellman will serve ex officio as a member of the search team for a permanent Executive Committee president. Asked about his vision for some of the characteristics of a new leader for the entity, Wellman placed humility as a priority.

“One of the first words that comes to mind is humility,” he said. “We often think of that position as a pastoral role. I’d like to think of the Executive Committee as more of an administrative committee and the president and CEO as a servant or treasurer—someone who has some administrative capabilities to serve the charges that the [convention] messengers give.”

Wellman has pastored four churches in Texas since his first at age 21. He is married to Amanda and the Wellmans have four children.

SBC 2022: Texas volunteers join California church in outreach efforts during Crossover

ANAHEIM, Calif.—Chris Lohman says they’re something in the water at Huntington Beach that makes it a hard place to do evangelism.

“It’s a city of coolness,” he said. “There’s surfing here, and within a couple of hours there’s snowboarding and snow skiing. All your needs are fulfilled.”

But at the same time, it’s a city stuck in generational curses, Lohman said. Just 35 miles from downtown Los Angeles, it has “always been a rough city” with lower-income living and everything that comes with that, like high divorce rates and broken families, he said.

Lohman grew up here. He’s surfed since the ’70s. And in March 2020, he planted The Garage Church to try to reach the city he loves.

‘Relaxed’ interactions

“We want to build relationships with our local community,” he said. “We are very relaxed. No one’s judging — everyone in our church has already screwed up. We just want to love on people. Our job is to make it realistic for them to come to a place where they can feel loved and learn about God.”

That’s why Lohman was out on the beach June 11 with four surfboards and a team of volunteers who had come to join him for Crossover, a series of evangelistic events held all over the area in the days leading up to the Southern Baptist Convention Annual Meeting. Lohman wanted to teach people how to surf and maybe get them to a place where they might want to learn about God too.

That’s how his own faith journey started — he got to a place where he was interested in learning about God.

“I’d been struggling with life and trying to figure out what was wrong,” he said. “I decided I was agnostic — I believed there was a god, but I didn’t know which one would be the best.”

As Lohman began to learn about different religions, “none gave me the feeling that Christ did.”

He surrendered his life to Christ one day on the ab machine at the gym, and about 15 years later he planted The Garage. These days, he spends his life trying to help other people find the narrow path he did.

“That’s why we do everything we do,” Lohman said.

Serving together

John Norfleet, a Crossover volunteer from First Baptist Church Winnsboro, Texas, said he had joined The Garage’s event that morning “to see if someone would want to experience the joy we have in Jesus.”

“We have prayed for God to open the door,” he said.

His pastor, David Rose, said he was first exposed to Crossover 25 years ago as a youth minister and appreciated the way the Southern Baptist Convention was intentional about holding evangelistic events in the city where it met each year.

He’s been coming when he could ever since. This year, his church sent 10 people.

“Any time we can be involved in sharing with others, it’s a good thing,” Rose said.

The article originally appeared in The Baptist Paper.

Leaders aim to set “F.I.R.E.” to next generation of church leaders through recent gathering

FORT WORTH—As part of the Southern Baptists of Texas Convention’s Forging Integrated Relationships in Evangelism (F.I.R.E.) Initiative, a group Hispanic pastors from various churches gathered at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary to connect with Hispanic students and promote collaboration in the advancement of the gospel on May 12.

The F.I.R.E. Initiative was established to connect SWBTS, Criswell College, and Jacksonville College with SBTC churches to increase collaboration in missional ministries.

Pastors and wives, such as Humberto Corredera and his wife, Yaniuris, from Prestonwood en Español, and leaders such as Daniel Sánchez, emeritus professor at SWBTS, and Mark McClellan, director of the Hispanic program at SWBTS, invested their time to attend the dinner in order to pray, fellowship, and forge relationships with the Hispanic students, deepen their commitment to fulfilling the Great Commission, and focus on missions in the state of Texas and beyond.

McClellan took a few minutes to share the programs and degrees available in Spanish at SWBTS, ranging from certificates to a doctor of ministry degree. He expressed his love of equipping the saints for the work of the ministry and challenged the pastors in attendance to continue their theological education as well as to encourage others to do the same.

Jesse Contreras, SBTC En Español associate, gave a devotional encouraging students to stay on mission for the sake of the gospel “no matter what comes their way.” Contreras also told the students to “be faithful to the gospel and build partnerships with the pastors from these churches.”

SBTC sponsored the dinner and Bruno Molina, SBTC’s missional ministries associate who coordinates the F.I.R.E. Initiative, shared with students how the convention can partner with them to further kingdom expansion by providing resources, mentoring, and offering field experience in evangelism, missions, and church planting. He thanked the pastors who already give through the Cooperative Program and related how their support makes these ministries possible. He also encouraged the students to follow their example.

Michelle Carranza, the president of Koinonia, the SWBTS Hispanic Fellowship, helped organize and promote the event. Her collaboration and that of the other Koinonia students was integral to the success of the event.

Guidepost removes paragraph that included out-of-context Richards quote

GRAPEVINE—Guidepost Solutions recently removed a paragraph from its report on how the Southern Baptist Convention’s Executive Committee handled sexual abuse issues after repeated requests for clarification were made by Jim Richards, executive director emeritus of the Southern Baptists of Texas Convention.

On page 105 of the original report, a Nov. 16, 2018, conversation between Richards and Phillip Bethancourt is referenced. Bethancourt, who pastors Central Bryan College Station, at the time served as executive vice president of the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission. During that conversation, which focused on a conflict between the SBTC and ERLC’s scheduling of events, Richards is quoted as saying, “If you want a war, we’ll give you a war.”

In comments to the Texan on Tuesday, Richards admitted his remarks to Bethancourt were out of character for him, but said he had been frustrated that the ERLC had not been considerate of the state convention and scheduled an event at the same time of the SBTC’s Annual Meeting. However, when the remark was included in the Guidepost report, Richards felt that many construed it as being made in opposition to efforts within the SBC to create structures of accountability regarding sexual abuse practices and prevention—something he said is false.

“I would just like to get the truth out there that my name should have never been included in that report,” Richards told the Texan, “and that my conversation with Phillip had nothing to do with sexual abuse.”

Richards pointed out SBTC’s track record under his leadership in 2019 regarding sexual abuse issues, which included committing $250,000 in funding for MinistrySafe to assist affiliated churches with sexual abuse awareness, training, and prevention; providing $3,700 for church leaders to be trained at ERLC’s Caring Well Conference; and a decision by its Credentials Committee to adopt guidelines that would provide a process to disaffiliate any church that was considered being “indifferent to sexual abuse.”

Since his name was included in the 288-page report, which was released to the public on May 22, Richards said he has made multiple attempts to protest its inclusion and seek clarification so that his remark could be understood in its proper context. Part of that effort included contacting Bethancourt, who in turn communicated to Guidepost that Richards’ comment “was not related to sexual abuse at all” and that he was “grateful for the work that Jim and the SBTC did on matters related to sexual abuse.”

Richards also began reaching out to Guidepost, which he said never contacted him before publishing his name in the report. In response to Richards’ request, Guidepost completely removed the paragraph from the report. Even so, Richards still felt that a footnote should be added to page 105 of the report noting why the paragraph including the quote had been removed.

As of this publication, the paragraph remains omitted and no footnote has been added by Guidepost.

“The Authority and Sufficiency of Scripture,” authored by SWBTS staff, now available

FORT WORTH—Seminary Hill Press, the publishing arm of Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, released today The Authority and Sufficiency of Scripture, a collection of essays written by 15 Southwestern Seminary and Texas Baptist College faculty members applying a high view of the Bible to their respective academic disciplines.

“In keeping with the commitment to the authority and sufficiency of the Bible held by this institution from its founding in 1908 and throughout its storied history, our faculty demonstrates in this volume its ongoing confidence in Holy Scripture as the basis for its work on Seminary Hill,” said President Adam W. Greenway. “Our high view of Scripture is the first principle that grounds the entire mission of Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary today. This Seminary Hill Press title is just the latest in a growing catalog of books released in the last three years underscoring this institution’s unwavering conviction about the authority and sufficiency of Scripture. It is my prayerful hope that this book will bless Southern Baptists and others who are committed to the Bible.”

Greenway co-edited the book with David S. Dockery, distinguished professor of theology and special consultant to the president at Southwestern Seminary.

“The nature, authority, and sufficiency of the Bible continue to be discussed and debated,” Dockery said. “Numerous pressing issues present in both church and society point to the ongoing crisis of biblical authority. Our view of Scripture, its truthfulness, dependability, inerrancy, authority, and sufficiency, will largely determine where we stand on these issues. It has been a genuine joy to join with capable Southwestern Seminary colleagues to put together this volume which seeks to affirm, expound, and apply these important convictional truths about God’s written Word for our ever changing 21^stcentury context. We trust this new Seminary Hill Press publication will be beneficial for many Southern Baptists as well as for the larger evangelical community.”

In the preface, the editors explain the book’s contents represent “Southwestern Seminary faculty’s shared commitment to the Bible as the prophetic-apostolic word, which is God’s Word written. Without this writing, there would be no Scriptures and therefore no Word of God available to us. This understanding calls for a renewed commitment in every generation to the Bible’s full truthfulness, sole authority, and supreme sufficiency. To affirm these truths about Scripture means we believe it is trustworthy, reliable, infallible, and inerrant.”

In his endorsement of the book, Charles F. Stanley, founder of In Touch Ministries and pastor emeritus of First Baptist Church of Atlanta, Georgia, declared, “The writers brilliantly remind us of the importance of Scripture for everything the child of God could ever face or endeavor in His name. The Authority and Sufficiency of Scripture is an excellent volume, and I am grateful for the faithful saints who have contributed to it. It is certainly needed in our churches, colleges, and seminaries and is an exceptional response to the questions of our times.”

Nathan A. Finn, provost and dean of the university faculty at North Greenville University, stated, “The faculty of Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary have rendered a great service to the church with this helpful book. They write from their respective areas of expertise, each applying the authority and sufficiency of Scripture to a sphere of life, academic discipline, or aspect of ministry. The Authority and Sufficiency of Scripture is a timely word about God’s Word. Highly recommended!”

O.S. Hawkins, president emeritus of GuideStone Financial Resources, also praised the new book.

“For over a century now Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary has stood tall and firm upon the solid Biblical foundation laid by our founder, B.H. Carroll,” he said. “Throughout the decades of theological turmoil, Southwestern has been the single Southern Baptist seminary whose faculty has never wavered from its insistence upon the authority and sufficiency of Scripture. This volume written by our present faculty continues in this tradition as they prepare the next generations for Christian ministry. When you finish this book of essays you will join the Psalmist of Israel in affirming ‘Forever Oh Lord is Your Word settled in heaven.’”

Thirteen chapters by authors from all four graduate schools and the undergraduate college of Southwestern Seminary cover a wide array of disciplines to which the authority and sufficiency of Scripture are applied, including theology, biblical studies, pastoral ministry and preaching, history, worship, discipleship, biblical counseling, ministry with families, humanities, evangelism, and missions. Additionally, the book includes an index of all Bible verses cited and an index of important names cited.

Attendees of the June 15 Southwestern Seminary Alumni and Friends’ Luncheon during the Southern Baptist Convention annual meeting in Anaheim, California, will receive a free copy of the book at the gathering.

The Authority and Sufficiency of Scripture is also available for purchase for $16.99 at SeminaryHillPress.com. Bulk discounts are available.

Below is the Table of Contents for The Authority and Sufficiency of Scripture:

1. The Authority and Sufficiency of Scripture: An Introduction

Malcolm B. Yarnell III and David S. Dockery

2. The Authority and Sufficiency of Scripture for Biblical Studies

Eric A. Mitchell

3. The Authority and Sufficiency of Scripture in Historical Theology

W. Madison Grace II

4. The Authority and Sufficiency of Scripture in Systematic Theology

Micah D. Carter and Benjamin M. Skaug

5. The Authority and Sufficiency of Scripture in Baptist Life

Gregory A. Wills

6. The Authority and Sufficiency of Scripture for Pastoral Ministry and Preaching

Matthew McKellar and David S. Dockery

7. The Authority and Sufficiency of Scripture for Christian Worship

Joseph R. Crider

8. The Authority and Sufficiency of Scripture for Christian Discipleship

Coleman M. Ford

9. The Authority and Sufficiency of Scripture for Biblical Counseling

Lilly H. Park

10. The Authority and Sufficiency of Scripture for Ministry with Families

Chris Shirley

11. The Authority and Sufficiency of Scripture for the Humanities

M. Todd Bates

12. The Authority and Sufficiency of Scripture for Proclamation Evangelism and Evangelistic Proclamation

Carl J. Bradford

13. The Authority and Sufficiency of Scripture for Cross-Cultural Missions

Dean Sieberhagen

Six last-minute tips for VBS

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Vacation Bible School season is upon us. And with the clock steadily ticking, it’s likely that all that early excitement you felt as you began to plan for VBS has now devolved into a mild panic. Don’t worry … that’s normal! Take a deep breath and then map out a strategy to get you across the finish line. Here are six tips to turn the last-minute madness into mad fun!

Step 1: Ask God for Help

Spend time in purposeful prayer for VBS. Ask God to reveal to you the things that still need to be done and to provide the people and resources needed to accomplish the work. Pray with paper and pencil in hand. As God brings tasks and people to mind, jot them down to follow up with later.

Step 2: Evaluate & Delegate

Step back and take note of everything your team has accomplished to this point. (You’re probably more prepared than you think!) Most churches are blessed with at least a handful of experienced VBS volunteers … now’s the time to use them! Make a list of everything that still needs to be done and delegate responsibility for as many tasks as possible to seasoned members of your team.

Step 3: Organize Next Steps

A long to-do list feels overwhelming when viewed as a whole, but instantly becomes manageable when turned into a series of action steps. Begin by compiling all of your to-do lists into one master list. Break down each item on the list into next steps—who needs to be involved; what supplies need to be purchased, collected, or made; completion dates, etc. Add the completion dates to your calendar (be sure to spread them out so not everything is due at once) and check things off the list once completed.

Step 4: Assess as a Team

Pull your leadership team together for a brief check-up. Review the master list together and check in on delegated responsibilities. Some on your team may be in panic mode as well, so help them step back, evaluate, and organize their tasks.

Step 5: Simplify

We all want our VBS to be the very best, but sometimes our plans exceed our available time and resources. For example, decorating every single room in the church may seem like tons of fun for the kids, but may result in too much stress for volunteers. Remember that what happens in the room is much more important than what happens tothe room. Give yourself and your team permission to make Bible teaching the priority of VBS and simplify everything else.

Step 6: Do a Final Walk-Through

Conduct a final walk-through with your leadership and facility teams before final VBS setup begins. Make sure everyone is on the same page about the rooms being used, furniture and equipment to be moved, and traffic flow as kids rotate through activities. Discuss which doors are to remain open and which will remain locked during VBS. Make sure the facilities team knows which rotations will generate the most trash and which rooms will need the most attention throughout the week. Take pictures of the rooms before beginning any setup so you’ll be able to return everything to its place after VBS.

Following these six steps will lessen the chaos leading up to VBS. But for perfect peace entering that final week, you’ll need to remember why you’re doing VBS in the first place. Keep your focus on creating a safe and welcoming environment for kids and take advantage of every opportunity the Holy Spirit affords to share the gospel with them. Then your VBS will truly be a success!