BCNE News
The latest news from our network of New England churches. Looking for our New England Perspectives Articles? Click here.
Church Connections initiative forges missionary relationships
My family’s involvement in Church Connections has provided opportunities for mutually beneficial relationships to be formed between our family and Southern Baptist churches. Through these new relationships, we have been encouraged, prayed over and sent out as we walked through a difficult season of transition to a new field of service in northwest London. As we’ve connected, churches have heard our gratitude for their giving as well as stories of how their generosity has made an impact across the globe.
Read carefully, you might hear yourself singing
Years ago I enjoyed the television show, “Storage Wars”. If you are unfamiliar with the show, people would bid on unclaimed storage units (and all of the contents that these unclaimed units held). Normally these storage units were unclaimed for a reason—they didn’t have anything of particular value in them. But there would be times where unexpected treasures would be uncovered in these long-forgotten storage units and the participants on the show would find that a storage unit they spent $200 to purchase actually contained $30,000 worth of goods.
Effective leadership in an ineffective culture
“Every time our church starts moving forward, something happens that sets us back. Our leadership just doesn’t seem to know how to get us over the hump to the next level,” lamented a key lay leader in one of our BCNE churches. I wish this was an isolated incident, but sadly, I have some version of this conversation often.
The Old Testament as Christian Scripture
Why would a Christian spend time trying to understand the Old Testament? Surely, we’re no longer under the old covenant, but the new covenant. Shouldn’t we, as New Testament Christians, simply pay attention to the latter part of our Bible? Paul gives us an answer in Romans 15, verse 4. It reads, “For whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction.”
Give them good songs
I can’t help but chuckle as my small family sings to the Lord during family worship. We rarely sing in the right pitch, we fumble over lyrics, and our ability to keep the correct tune is inconsistent. We don’t play any instruments, which would help guide us or at least drown us out a bit. It’s truly a sound only the Lord and a mother could love. One might wonder, if our talents are so pitiful and possibly even painful to the ear, why sing to the Lord during family worship? Why not just read the Scriptures and pray?
Strange baggage but confident hope
My wife and I often joke about how different we are when it comes to packing for a trip. Days before we leave she meticulously makes a list of everything that will be needed on the trip, while I start to pack an hour or so before we are supposed to depart. Neither of us understands how the other one operates, but it works for us.
Yet, for as strange as we both think the other one is when it comes to packing, there’s something nestled at the very end of Genesis that would strike both of us (and probably you!) as very odd about what the people of Israel would need to pack and take with them when they leave Egypt in the exodus.
The wrong ministry advice
Have you been listening to the right people? Rehoboam was a famous king of ancient Israel who was best known for listening to bad advice. Perhaps you have been turning to the same set of counselors.
Rehoboam had a hard act to follow. His father was Solomon – the epic, larger-than-life sage-king. Solomon had a thousand women and mountains of riches. He had expanded Israel’s territory and influence, and he had constructed palaces, gardens and the temple of God.
The importance of women’s faith to the Church
Written in a time and culture that devalued women, the Bible is remarkable in the honor it ascribes to the faith of women. For example, this theme is one of the elements we see clearly in the Gospel of Luke. Let’s take a look at what we can learn from the stories the Holy Spirit prompted Luke to record.
5 reasons I love being a pastor
Being a pastor is difficult. I remember my mentor in ministry telling me when I was in my early twenties that if I could do anything else, I should do that. He warned me there would be days that I wished I was working in any other sort of job. He was right. I can tend towards dwelling on the difficult and the negative some days because they are what so often are calling for our attention: solving problems, considering the next step in loosening or tightening COVID restrictions, wondering how this next phone call or meeting will go, remembering that I forgot to check in with somebody undergoing a trial. The list goes on.
But there are also many blessings in being a pastor. There are so many reasons I count it one of the greatest privileges of my life, so many reasons to thank God for being a pastor and so many reasons I love being a pastor.
What do you believe about stewardship? Part 1
Spoiler alert: this is one of my most embarrassing ministry moments!
About thirty years ago, I was attending my first meeting with state convention stewardship leaders. After hearing presentations on various stewardship programs to offer to our churches, one of the more seasoned leaders asked me, “So, Stan, what are you going to do to help your churches in the area of stewardship?”
Why are our churches dying?
The first step toward addressing a problem is admitting we have one. Our churches in New England are in times of trouble. Without doubt, God is on the move, the Church is Christ’s Bride being beautifully prepared for Him and we are already overcomers. This is our identity. Given these truths, we might balk and say, “Don’t be so doom and gloom,” pointing to the churches that are doing very well. They are clearly thriving. But do these examples merely take the edge off the problem and dull our urgency to face it?
10 ways to pursue renewal as a pastor
At the end of a long, difficult season, many of us need renewal. Pastor, church renewal starts with you. If you are not renewed and refreshed, it will be difficult for you to lead your church to renewal. Begin the work of personal renewal by taking the following ten steps.
The youth group rebuild
One year ago we were stepping into the unknown. In many ways we are beginning to rebuild into the unknown. Here are five ways you can create a solid base as you begin to re-establish your youth group.
Three keys to keeping long-term mission partners
There’s no doubt about it, energetic volunteer mission teams are one of the best resources to give a boost to your church’s ministry. Every year scores of churches, mostly from the South, send teams to New England. Unfortunately, some of these do just one project and never return, while others come back year after year and accomplish an enormous amount of good. What is the difference?
Called back to Vermont
In 2006, Trey Cates, along with his wife, Robyn, and children, Rachel and Joshua, moved to Vermont to serve with the former Green Mountain Baptist Association in planting a church in Central Vermont. Nine years later, after successfully launching New Life Community Church in Northfield, Vt., Trey and his family were called to Huntsville, Ala., to serve with another ministry. By God’s providence, Trey was able to keep his employment with the Central Vermont Supervisory Union, working remotely to serve the district’s technology needs for six years.
Walking with patience
I have walked 500 miles over the last several months. To reach this milestone, I had to exercise patience in not giving up but continuing toward the goal. If we do not set goals to reach, we may never get anywhere. Thus, having goals in life is important and motivates us to strive for something, whether in our education, our career, our marriage, or even in our journey of faith. The Bible says, “…looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God” (Hebrews 12:1-2).
A word for young worriers
My son turned 18 last month. Yikes! This event got me thinking about my own experience and what counsel I might give to young adults heading out of the home and into the world.
My first decade as an adult was indeed full of adventure and discovery. To be more accurate: these were years full of anxiety and heartache. You see, when I was a child, I didn’t know anything about the world, but I didn’t have to worry so much because my parents made all the important decisions for me. Then I left home … I still didn’t know anything, but suddenly I had to make life-changing choices on my own – a truly terrifying prospect!
6 things this Easter weekend taught me about revitalization
While this Easter still looked different from Easters of the past, it was amazing to be able to celebrate the resurrection together both in person and online. As I have been reflecting on what I saw and heard from church members this Easter weekend, God gave me six insights for the ongoing process of revitalization that should be taking place in every church.
BCNE, Georgia Baptists kick off partnership with initial mission trip
As part of a newly launched partnership, fourteen pastors and leaders from Northeast Georgia traveled to New England to meet with pastors and see the region first-hand. Many of these men expressed shock at seeing the difference in New Englanders’ religious perspectives and the relative isolation of New England pastors compared to ministry in the Southern culture.
Spring cleaning for the church administrator
The start of spring ushers in a great opportunity for churches to do some much needed “spring cleaning.” I have been part of a local church for almost 40 years, and the paper and digital files that we have amassed over the years has been overwhelming. I have only recently been involved in the administration of the ministry again, and it is amazing the amount of data that we have been keeping. Many are reticent for fear we might need it, but I am here to tell you … it is time to purge! Here is some guidance that has helped me to begin paring down the mountain of information that we had in our possession.