Most of the 2,400 churches of the Kentucky Baptist Convention have chosen to belong to an association of churches. Generally speaking, each association exists to provide support and assistance to member churches. But, the specifics of how that is done and what it looks like is up to each association and its member churches to... Continue Reading →
My Name is Alex and I’m a Missionary
There was a celebration reception at the Freeda Harris Baptist Center in eastern Kentucky earlier this month to recognize retiring missionaries Greg & Alice Whitetree and incoming missionaries Richard & Amy Greene. Richard served as a pastor in Salyersville before being called to come serve as director of the Baptist center in Pike County. He... Continue Reading →
Effectiveness of Baptist Associations Questioned
The Baptist association has been an important part of our history as Southern Baptists. It has been described as “the oldest cooperative unit in Baptist life tracing its existence back over 300 years.” Therefore, because of its long history, one could assume that the association must be effective in networking and helping churches in missions... Continue Reading →
A Missions Team is a Must!
The church was founded as a missionary sending organization. It was not intended to be a religious organization with missions as only a department within the organization. Its primary purpose was missionary and its members were to be involved in the spreading of the gospel. Unfortunately, many local churches today are not engaged in missions.... Continue Reading →
Orphan Care and the Local Church
Every year in our country, more than 3.6 million referrals are made to child protection agencies involving more than 6.6 million children. On average, 4 to 7 children die every day because of abuse and neglect. On any given day, there are well over 400,000 children in foster care in the United States. Given the number of... Continue Reading →
Names Do Matter
William Shakespeare, author of "Romeo and Juliet" didn’t think that names should matter very much. He had Juliet say: “What’s in a name? That which we call a rose, by any other name would smell as sweet.” I would disagree with old Shakespeare on how much a name matters. What we call something describes its... Continue Reading →
Defend, Protect and Value Life
The sanctity of human life is a core principle for me as a follower of Jesus Christ. I believe that humans are created by God and in His image (Genesis 1:27). That means that every person, from conception to death, possesses dignity and worth – including unborn children, elderly individuals and those with special needs.... Continue Reading →
Serve Others Everyday – Not Just at Christmas
I love Christmas, the lights, family gatherings, decorations, music and gift giving. It’s a time of year when people show compassion to the hurts and needs of others. We see it displayed in the days leading up to Christmas by children taking gifts to the elderly in the nursing home, groups singing carols and delivering... Continue Reading →
Steps to Engaging Your Community with the Gospel
Ministry in and to the community is the most critically important, but often overlooked activity of the local church. The church gets busy doing the “inward focused” activities that serve and even appear to strengthen the church. But somewhere along the way, they fail to turn outward and engage the local community by meeting it’s... Continue Reading →
Hope in a Christmas Backpack
Matthew 9:36 challenges us to reach compassionately the harassed and helpless. No demographic is more helpless than children. Here in Kentucky, 26% of our children live in poverty, that’s one out of every four children. For the 985,000 children in Kentucky who live in poverty, Christmas doesn’t always come with the promise of gifts—or even... Continue Reading →