Cody Mankin, Director, GuideStone Agency Sales & Business Development A church plant ushers in an air of excitement and anticipation. Unfamiliar faces transform into meaningful relationships, event calendars begin the framework for fellowship and hope for a community unfolds. What could bring this progress to a halt? An injury. A lawsuit. A fire. A data breach. A proactive approach to …
By Megan Cuzen, Director of Agency Customer Experience at GuideStone Some things don’t mix — wired microphones and baptistries, concrete surfaces and playgrounds, and poor lighting in parking lots. High-risk areas of your church demand extra attention to protect your ministry and people from injuries, crimes and lawsuits. Maximize church safety with a closer look at steps you can take …
Matthew D. Haste At the close of each academic year, the six seminaries of the Southern Baptist Convention confer degrees upon hundreds of graduates, including dozens who receive a Doctor of Ministry. Most of these DMin graduates will take their new diploma home, perhaps hang it on an office wall, and then get back to work doing the same ministry …
By Seth Hawkins As a minister, you have a unique calling in your life. You also have a unique status under the U.S. Internal Revenue Code, and with this status are some unique options and rules to consider when it comes to tax time. Just because a congregation designates someone as a minister does not mean that person is automatically …
By Dr. Jonathan SixTheological education is at a point of transition. Some have even called it a crisis. Delivery methods have changed, educational approaches are ever evolving, and seminaries and divinity schools find themselves in some of the most challenging days. In addition to the rise of online learning, the general reluctance for traditional educational practices creates intimidating challenges for …
By Dr. Aaron Meraz, Director of Mission:Dignity, a ministry of GuideStoneWe are on a Mission to provide Dignity to retirement-aged Southern Baptist ministers, workers and their widows — the dignity that comes with knowing they’ve served the Lord faithfully and can pay their bills at the end of the month. Michael and Sandra Dowling have served the Lord together for …
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 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 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 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 …
