As a voice for Southern Baptists, one of our goals for this current season is to interview all 4 SBC Presidential Candidates prior to the annual meeting later this June. In our first interview, we sat down with Dr. Litton to hear why he is running for SBC President, what he hopes to accomplish if elected, along with more information …
Risk Management for the New Church Model in a Post-Covid World: Caring for the church and the Church
By John Murphy, Director of GuideStone Property and Casualty® 2020 produced many challenges for pastors and churches as we moved online or outdoors and reset our ministry expectations. Many churches went back to the basics of what it means to be the Church — with a capital “C” — finding this to be a refreshing time of allowing God to …
B21 Podcast with Clint Darst
Pastor Clint Darst, a church planter from King’s Cross Church in Greensboro, NC, was our latest guest on the podcast. Topics discussed include encouraging/discouraging aspects of the SBC, Clint’s journey into the ministry, and lessons learned through leading a growing, multi-ethnic/multi-generational church. New episodes of our podcast go live every Tuesday. Be sure to SUBSCRIBE to stay up-to-date with the …
8 Strengths of Plural Leadership
By Branton Burleson Several years ago a pastor friend from a nearby Baptist church invited me to share with his congregation some biblical teaching on plural elder leadership. As I waited for the service to begin that evening, a display in the church’s foyer caught my attention. It was the original minutes from the founding meeting of the church in …
How An Ounce of Prevention Saves You Cash and Keeps You Healthy: Three reasons preventive care is the best medicine for your health and your wallet
By Scott Charbonneau, Managing Director of Insurance Business Development Did you know the most valuable benefit of almost any insurance plan is free? Nearly all major health plans include preventive care benefits with no out-of-pocket expenses when you seek care within your plan’s network. Plus, these benefits are built into all health plans that comply with the Affordable Care Act …
A Tribute to an Ordinary Lay-Pastor
By Alex DiPrima Last year, I read D.A. Carson’s excellent little tribute to his father titled, Memoirs of an Ordinary Pastor. I am writing this article in the spirit of that book. Thus I have given it the title, A Tribute to an Ordinary Lay-Pastor. Bob Prentice (1957-2020) is a name few will recognize, yet I am confident that on the Last …
A Conversation About CRT and the SBC Seminary Presidents’ Statement
In this 2-part discussion, we address Critical Race Theory and the SBC Seminary Presidents’ statement on the Baptist Faith & Message and CRT. This discussion features SEBTS President, Dr. Danny Akin and SEBTS Professor, William “Duce” Branch. B21’s Nate Akin leads the discussion in both episodes available for streaming & download below. Stay up-to-date with the latest in Baptist happenings, …
How to Choose the Right Health Care Strategy for Your Church or Ministry: 5 Popular Strategies Explained
By Scott CharbonneauManaging Director of Insurance SolutionsGuideStone Financial Resources It’s time to choose an employee health plan for 2021. So how do you know which health plan strategy is right for you and your team? At GuideStone®, our mission is to serve you as you serve the Lord — and that means making sure you have all the information you need …
Social Distance from 2020 with 7 Year-End Financial Moves: Good news — 2021 is almost here
By Angela McClain, Personal Financial Advisor at GuideStone 2020 has been a wild ride. And as we’ve talked about volatile financial markets, social distancing and the election cycle, “living through unprecedented times” has been crowned the cliché catchphrase of the year. Although with varying degrees of loss, COVID-19 left no one unaffected. But we made it work. Pastors preached to parking lot …
Three Ways to Help Protect Your Church or Ministry Against Cyberattacks
By John Murphy We can’t seem to go a single week without hearing about a new cyberattack or ransomware campaign affecting the information of millions. Yet, we rarely hear about churches and other nonprofits being impacted — but that is not the case. Cybersecurity statistics from 2019 indicate 43% of all cyberattacks target ministries, nonprofits and small organizations. If you combine …