Barnabas File

We have probably heard a story something like this.     A loud crash is heard in an adjoining room.     Mom or Dad rushes in and finds a child in collapsed chair.     The child’s response: “It was already broken when I sat down on it.” Although the chair was probably not already broken when the child sat down, it certainly was not in shape to handle the weight of the child or perhaps some healthy childlike activity! This is a good illustration of what has happened to many congregations during the volatile events of the COVID-19 pandemic.  The church may have looked good on the outside and was functioning adequately, but the pressures of change brought on by these times exposed latent inadequacies.  In the fall, Pam Durso,   president of Central Seminary, and Carol McEntyre, pastor of First Baptist Church in Columbia, MO, conducted  a survey of  Baptist pastors  who had left their congregations between July 1, 2020, and Oct...

I have lost count of how many Cooperative Baptist Fellowship General Assembly meetings I have attended.     In the early days, I was working for another Baptist organization, so I took vacation days to attend (as did many of my colleagues).     There was a certain feeling of adventure of attending then, something like Luke Skywalker joining the Rebel Alliance.     Not only were we upset about the direction of the Southern Baptist Convention, but we sought the fellowship of others with the same convictions--people who were our friends and mentors--those we loved, admired, and enjoyed being with.     Of course, when I was coordinator of Tennessee CBF, I attended every year and found myself involved in plenary sessions, workshops, ancillary meetings, and hallway conversations. Even then, the personal conversations were what gave me energy and satisfaction.  After that season, I struggled a bit with my role in the gathering, although ...