Life on mission is a life of service as worship — worship of Christ through service to his Church. For Baptist21’s Executive Director Nate Akin, that is what the MDiv at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary enabled him to do and what he saw modeled by his Southeastern professors in the classroom and on the mission field. Preparing students for a …
By Scott CharbonneauManaging Director of Insurance SolutionsGuideStone Planting a church comes with a mile-long list of tasks and decisions that can help or hinder the success of your church. Where should we meet? What support do we have? How do we get the word out? Often, benefits take a backseat in the hustle and bustle of planting a church. And …
By Seth Hawkins Whether you’re breaking bread with new neighbors, celebrating a joyous occasion or lamenting grief with a trusted friend, what makes a house a home is the people coming in and out of its doors. So it is with vocational ministry; it may begin inside the church building, but ministry often extends to and through the walls of …
By Jed Coppenger It’s not loving to create laws that promote falsehoods, confusion, discrimination, and harm, while reducing the institutions that help people flourish the most. That’s why, out of love for all people, including the LGBTQ+ community, I’m praying against the Respect for Marriage Act. I know this isn’t a popular position in our culture or, most likely, a …
By Nate Akin February 10, 2021, I posted a twitter thread about “pastors/complementarianism” due to the amount of conversation I was observing on Social Media (SM) around the topic. This thread preceded both SBC 2021, SBC 2022, and the whole dust up with Rick Warren including the revelation that he was ordaining women as “pastors” but not “elders.” Almost two years later, …
By Heath Thomas Although universities should help us understand what it means to live a meaningful life in our day, unfortunately they too often create confusion instead of clarity. Sadly, many of our young leaders are equipped to answer all the wrong questions and miss the right ones on our campuses. What are we to do? We can respond in …
By Dr. Mark Dance, GuideStone Director of Pastoral Wellness After pastoring in a fog of clinical depression for several months, I came very close to walking away from the church I was pastoring — and the ministry altogether. I had been pastoring for 22 years at the time and was burned out and fed up — mostly with myself. At …
By Heath A. Thomas The American university lost its soul, and we need to find it again. University education is a beautiful, noble, formative and helpful endeavor. At its best, university education is transformative: it effects change in people. But the question is…what do they become? We may see graduates who can land a job and make money, but all too often, …
By John Murphy, GuideStone Managing Director of Insurance Sales Social media has fundamentally changed the way we communicate with one another. Thoughts are broadcast to followers in a matter of seconds, generating quick public criticism or praise. Posts can be as entertaining as your latest vacation snapshot, as boring as your dinner plate and as controversial as the politics of …
After 50 years and 63+ million babies aborted, Roe vs. Wade has been overturned and the federal government no longer recognizes abortion as a constitutional right in America. We praise the Lord for this! We are living in a truly historic time. We are now living on the backside of a law that was in existence for almost 50 years. …
